Scripture: John 1:29-34 (ESV)
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptising with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Years ago I used to work at a kids campsite and over the years of working there, quite a few kids told me “you talk funny”. Partially I think this may have been my accent, but at least some of it has to do with the fact that I like old words. Behold is one I use often. So often in fact that my kids will use it to point out something of comical significance, like the fact that they cleaned their rooms or ate their dinner. Behold is a great word because it shows us something especially important.
This is how we meet Jesus in the flesh in John’s gospel. John the Baptist sees Jesus coming to be baptised and he cannot help but point people to Jesus. Behold! Look! See! Take note! Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
What an introduction! John the Baptist tells everyone that this man, Jesus, is the one you have been waiting for. He is the one that centuries of prophecy has been pointing to. At last the foreshadowing of the Old Testament will end. He is here at last.
Notice John the Baptist identifies Jesus’ job on earth straight away. He calls Jesus “The Lamb of God”. For the Jews this is a phrase with a lot of significance. Every year they would offer a lamb during the Passover feast. The sacrificed lamb reminded them how God had saved their ancestors out of Egypt. It is the blood of the lamb that saved them from the death of their firstborn. If there was no blood, there was no salvation. By calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John tells us that Jesus entered into this world to be the ultimate sacrifice who would save people from their sin.
So far we have been stuck in the introduction of the book of John. But remember John wrote his gospel so that people would be convinced by the evidence for Jesus. As we mentioned earlier the first part of that evidence is “The Book of Signs”. In this section of John’s gospel, evidence for believing in Jesus is provided through various miracles that happen. We see the first of these signs here: The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove, and remains on him. The spotlight in John has now turned to Jesus.
Behold, his ministry is about to begin. Are you ready to be convinced to believe?
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, please open my eyes so that I can behold Jesus as he is and that by seeing him clearly I can believe in him. Help me to see clearly.
Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Reflect on Jesus as the Lamb of God. Think of the sacrifices he has made for you. Then commit to laying down your life for him in response.
Behold the Lamb of God: The Introduction of Jesus in John's Gospel