February 19
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29.
The Jews had sent representatives from the Sanhedrin to John the Baptist to question him about his ministry. John did not hesitate to confess that he was not the Christ – that is, the promised Messiah. He also told the delegation that he was not the prophet Elijah of whom the prophet Malachi had written, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” Malachi 4:5. John also denied that he was the prophet of whom Moses had written, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,” Deuteronomy 18:15.
Then John humbly confessed that the One coming after him was far greater than he. He said, “It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose,” John 1:27.
The following day John saw Jesus coming toward him and he said to all those who were gathered together with him, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Throughout his ministry, John the Baptist directed people to follow Jesus and not to follow himself. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
The title, “Lamb of God,” had a special significance. It takes us back to the night when God delivered the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. On the night when the children of Israel left the land of Egypt to begin their journey to the promised land of Canaan, they were delivered by the blood of a lamb. They had been instructed to take a lamb, kill it and roast it, and to take its blood and splash it above the doors of their homes and on the door posts. That night the Lord passed through the land of Egypt and killed the firstborn in every Egyptian home. The Lord passed over the homes that were marked with the blood of the lamb. The Israelites were saved by the blood of the lamb, which pointed to the coming of the Lamb of God whose blood would deliver all people from sin, death, and the power of the devil.
The day was fast approaching for the fulfillment of the Passover. Jesus celebrated the last Passover with His disciples on Thursday evening before His crucifixion. On Good Friday, the Lamb of God, Jesus, shed His blood on Calvary’s cross to wash away our sins and to gain for all people God’s promise of forgiveness through the precious blood of the Savior.
When John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God,” his hearers knew that he pointed to Jesus as the Fulfiller of the Old Testament Passover Festival and the Fulfiller of God’s promise to send the Seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head – that is, defeat and destroy the devil’s power.
The title, “Lamb of God,” is so precious and meaningful for us. The sinless, spotless Lamb of God, who is also the Son of God, is the only Savior in whom we believe and in whom we trust to inherit our eternal home in heaven.
As John the Baptist did, so we do today: We point people to the Lamb of God, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, through whom we come into the presence of our heavenly Father.
“Thou art the Way; to Thee alone,
From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek,
Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee.
Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life;
Grant us that Way to know,
That Truth to keep, that Life to win,
Whose joys eternal flow.” Amen.