Taking Away the Sin of the World

Day 121: John 1:29-51

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! “ - John 1:29 ESV

John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin) refers to Jesus as the "Lamb of God" twice in our reading today. Did he really look at Jesus and see Him on the cross three years from this moment? To many Jews, they would have also associated the "Lamb of God" with the one who was to bring judgment on the nations. John (the Apostle) also did this as he recorded Revelation, referring to Jesus as a Lion/Lamb figure (see Revelation 5:5-10, 17:14).

The following quote from Colin Kruse is also helpful:

“The reference to Jesus here as ‘the Lamb of God’ uses the word amnos for ‘lamb’. It is one of only four references in the NT (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet. 1:19) that do so. The word amnos is found 101 times in the LXX (Greek translation of the OT), of which 82 are references to sacrificial lambs.”

It is probably safe to say that John the Baptist (full of the Holy Spirit, see Luke 1:15) spoke of something more than his mind could comprehend. God's plan for Jesus to become the sacrifice for all sins was well underway, and John the Baptist was just another point of confirmation.

This is how much God loves you. He made a rescue plan to save us all from ourselves. Jesus didn't just come to show off His omnipresence or omniscience to Nathaniel (see 1:50-51 in our reading). He came to do greater things; to cause heaven and earth to permanently collide.