Key Verse: John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Jesus? Maybe its the cross, maybe its his miraculous power, or how he arose from the dead. All of these are great answers, but I want to take a minute to notice how John the Baptist characterizes Jesus. What does John think about Him? John the Baptist was sent to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. This is why he as well as the gospel authors quote from Malachi 1 when referencing John. He came to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. Now we know that the Messiah is Jesus Christ, and we all have our favorite way to characterize our awesome Savior. Notice here how John characterizes Him. He looks up, and He sees Jesus coming towards him and he says, “Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” By saying behold, John is practically telling everyone LOOK! And when he looks, he says that Jesus is the lamb of God. Why does John characterize him in this way? I believe because John knows that somehow, someway, Jesus is going to take away our sin. He literally says that! Now, how did Jesus take away our sins, and why does John refer to Him as a lamb? In the Old Testament God commanded the high priest to take a lamb and offer it as a sacrifice to God. However, the author of Hebrews tells us that this never accomplished salvation for them. It was a temporary covering until Jesus Christ came into the world and offered Himself as the true atoning sacrifice. In that moment when He hung on that cross, God punished Jesus and all who place their faith in the atoning sacrifice of the lamb will be saved. Jesus is the lamb who accomplished our salvation. I want you to take a moment today to think about Jesus as the lamb. A lamb that willingly gave Himself for our salvation. I also want you to do more then just think of the lamb, I want you to truly worship Jesus because He is our sacrificial lamb. Worship Him today!
