John 1:29

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

            We have just read how John the Baptist dealt with the religious leaders who were challenging Him. John the Baptist did not get distracted by trying to defend against the strange arguments they bring but spoke to what God called him to which was to proclaim Jesus. Now, John the author of the gospel is showing a contrast to the next day when John the Baptist comes face to face with Jesus whom He is proclaiming. This shows how He is not just proclaiming in vain but is completely justified in what he was doing. When John sees his savior, he instantly recognizes Him.

            John the Baptist got to live in the time to be able to see and proclaim Jesus coming physically to the world. In fact, that is what he was created and born for and his purpose in life. We can see this before by the single-mindedness he had towards the pharisees. What happened when his time came to do what God called him to do? He did not faulter and did not ask any extra questions. He boldly proclaimed who Jesus is. He did not let the pharisees or anyone else take him off message, and the next day the fulfillment for his purpose happened. In this moment, John not only introduced Jesus but also the gospel message.

            He started by saying “behold.” Everyone who wants to come to Jesus must first behold Him. There is a huge difference from when John was describing Jesus and now—they can physically look at Him. In the same way, to come to Jesus we also must behold Him by having an actual encounter with Him. It is not just enough to hear of Jesus without seeing Him; the gospel is just words and doesn’t mean anything.

After he has brought the attention of the people to Jesus, John then described not only who He is but what He does by comparing Him to the Lamb of God. This is not a flippant statement from John the Baptist but perfectly describes Jesus at this moment. Jesus is the lamb of God. Lambs were used for sacrifice to forgive sins in the Old Testament. The person would bring a lamb and that lamb would be sacrificed in the place of the sinful person. Jesus is the lamb that comes from God—not for forgiving God’s sin but for the forgiveness of everyone in the world’s sins, a final sacrifice.

This final sacrifice is evident in the final piece of this verse “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This is the good news John proclaims or the gospel as we call it. Jesus came down to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the World. As we have read earlier in John 1, Jesus is God, so this sacrifice is not just able to forgive the present sins but also those in the future and for all time.

As Christians, if nothing else, we can hold onto this as our simple gospel message because from it a life can be changed. We must remember, though, it is not us doing it but Jesus. He will show himself to those whom He wishes to save, and we must be ready, like John, to say He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We prepare for this moment as John did too. We must be in prayer with God, reading His Word, and take part in a community of believers. John brought people around Him whom God had called to prepare for this moment, and we cannot forget to do the same and be with those who also love Jesus and are preparing to declare the same thing.

For those who are not Christians, Has God made himself known to you? Are you just trying to resist Him? Do not resist the call, come now and lay all your sin at the Lamb of God because He will cleanse you of all your sins and bring you into a right relationship with Him. If it has at least piqued your interest, find a church around you and ask questions. God will never leave you unsatisfied.