Sunday 20 January 2008
- Bible Book:
- John
"The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, 'Look, here is the Lamb of God!'" (v.35-36)
Background
John the Baptist, the one who prepares the way for Jesus, nowseeing Jesus coming towards him, gives testimony to him. The wholeemphasis of the ministry of John is to point away from himself andtowards Jesus.
For the benefit of his own disciples (v.29 and v.35), John pointsto Jesus as "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"John has baptised with water but Jesus baptises with the HolySpirit. John testifies to what he himself has seen and knows thathere, in the person of Jesus, is the Son of God.
John describes Jesus as the "Lamb of God". Hearing that phrase, themost immediate and perhaps obvious linkage is to the Passover lambof the exodus, wherethe blood of the lamb spread on the doorpostsand lintel was the sign to God to pass over and save thosewithin.
Yet there are other possible allusions - to the lambs sacrificeddaily in the Temple; to the goats used on the Day of Atonement, oneof which carried away the sins of the people into the wilderness;to the description of the Servant of the Lord in
However the phrase is understood, here held together in the personof Jesus is the Son of God who is come to earth to save allhumanity, expressed in terms of the one "who takes away the sin ofthe world" - all that which separates us from God, all that in ourworld which denies the nature of God.
The consequence of the testimony of John is that the two discipleswho hear then follow Jesus. One of these is Andrew, who in turnbrings his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, with his own testimony -"We have found the Messiah".
To Ponder
How do we point others to Jesus today?
To what extent is the image of Jesus as the Lambof God a helpful one for you?
What does it mean for you to have 'found theMessiah'?
How does 'the sin of the world' tie in with ourworld today and how does Jesus take away that sin?