In John chapter 1:29, upon seeing Jesus walking, John the Baptist exclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Though this is an abbreviated statement, these words are of no small value. It would be lacking to simply interpret this phrase as a statement regarding a meek and innocent being. John the Baptist twice in this first chapter (1:29, 36) heralds Jesus as the Lamb of God; 1:29 includes the mission statement of Jesus as well.
It was this John who was prophesied to be the one crying in the wilderness to announce the Messiah. In this one sentence John captures the essence of the Old Testament sacrificial system, and identifies the Person and mission of Christ.
It is doubtful that any within the sound of his voice would have failed to capture the imagery of a young lamb, a spotless lamb slain—the bright crimson blood flowing over the white woolen coat, as the heart slows, the knees succumb to weakness, and the eyes dim. But reconciliation, though not permanent, would have been at hand.
Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb—the Shepherd who would lead His sheep through the Door. The word lamb evokes the sacrificial legacy of Israel—the hands of the penitent placed upon the intended innocent sacrifice in order to “transfer” sin. The description, “who takes away the sin of the world,” communicates both the nature and scope of His work—the sufficiency of His atonement.
He alone is prophesied, perfect, sinless, chosen and anointed. Only the blood of the eternal Son, struck down, could be accepted as the viable currency of forgiveness. Contrary to Old Testament practice, this blood doesn’t just temporarily cover sin, but it removes the sin altogether.
Jesus is truly God, and truly Man, but God cannot die as He is eternal Spirit. And so, the incarnation—“BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME” (Hebrews 10:5). Our sin is placed upon this Lamb; He becomes sin on our behalf. He dies on the altar of the Cross in our place. He atones for sin. He surrenders His spirit to the Father, and we become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
His sacrifice would fulfill the Old Testament system (Isaiah 53:5). All other subsequent sacrifices (allegedly deemed meritorious to deliver salvation) would not only be obsolete and ineffective, but more so, they would be offensive to God as they would serve to undermine, or negate the sufficiency of the work of Christ. Subsequent to this work, praise and thanksgiving for the ultimate sacrifice of Christ are the only sacrifices required.
By faith in Christ alone is one justified, and pronounced, or declared, once and for all, righteous on the basis of the work of Christ, in His shed blood.
Christ is God’s gift to Creation. To behold the Lamb of God is key to salvation in Christ.
To behold is to consider, evaluate, reflect upon the wrath of God poured out as penalty for sin upon Christ as He stood in our place as the object of that wrath in order to appease, or satisfy the debt of sin.
To behold is to simultaneously dwell upon the wonder, the horror, His beauty, and the Cross.
To behold the Lamb of God is to contemplate the depth of our depravity, and know there is no other ransom worthy to redeem. The Lamb is the Divinely granted provision for deliverance from the consequences of sin—the merciful, sole sin-bearer of substitutionary atonement. This Son of Man, Jesus, is God Himself.
It is good to contemplate His death and resurrection as the fulfillment of the Law, the end of sacrifices—our resultant hope for eternity with Him.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, “For Christ, our Passover Lamb, also was sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). This Passover Lamb, “rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin” (Colossians 1:13-14), for which we in thought, remorse and hope find ourselves on bended knees in worship before the throne.“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Are not these words of John the core of the Gospel? We entreat those lost to consider Christ. We plead that those doomed under the weight of sin would be delivered. As we come to truly know the Person, the nature and scope of His atonement, and embrace Him—we are in Christ!
[The Lamb of God is Chapter 14 of a forthcoming book The Sheep of His Pasture]
So beautiful, timely, so appropriate for me. Two of my favorite scriptures Isaiah 6:1&2
They just lift my soul!! Praise God!
Looking forward to the rest of the book.