John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). On a day when he saw Jesus coming to the place he was preaching and baptizing, John announced, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
There is a lot in John’s statement. Much of it may not have been understood at first. This is to be expected with prophecies. But as time went on and different things happened (Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, the establishment of His church, etc.), those who heard him could go back to declarations like this one and see more clearly the clues that were given and confirm the fact that God was behind all of this.
Clues That John Gave About Christ
Jesus was perfect – In declaring Jesus to be the “Lamb of God,” he turned their minds back to the sacrifices under the old covenant – particularly the Passover lamb. In giving the Israelites instructions about this sacrifice, the Lord said, “Your lamb shall be unblemished” (Exodus 12:5). The Hebrew writer said it was “fitting” for us to have a high priest that was “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). This perfect high priest would offer the perfect sacrifice – Himself. Jesus “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14). It is significant that John made this proclamation at Jesus’ introduction. Those who were listening could try to check His past to see if they could find any fault or sin in His life, but they would find none. It was also a challenge to watch Him closely (which many did) to see if He would sin, but He did not sin (1 Peter 2:22). Like the lamb that was sacrificed, Jesus was perfect.
Jesus would have to die – Some have compared Jesus with the scapegoat of Leviticus 16. There are a couple of problems with this comparison. First, Jesus is never compared to the scapegoat in the New Testament. Second, the scapegoat would be “presented alive before the Lord” and would be released alive “in the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:10, 22). Jesus, as the Lamb, would be killed. He told His disciples that this would happen (Matthew 16:21). It was prophesied to happen in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:7). Not all the Jews understood this at first. Even Peter, one of His disciples, tried to protect Him when He was arrested (John 18:10). But John’s statement contains the acknowledgment that Jesus would be put to death.
They were in bondage to sin – Centuries before this, the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt (Exodus 2:23). The slaying of the Passover lamb began the Jews’ departure from that land. Jesus, as the Lamb, makes it possible for us to be freed from bondage. He took on flesh and blood so that He might “free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14-15). When Jesus told the Jews that “the truth will make you free” (John 8:32), they answered that they were not “enslaved to anyone” (John 8:33). Yet they were enslaved. Jesus said, “Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). In both cases – the Egyptian bondage and the bondage of sin – the blood of the lamb gave them the chance to escape. So Jesus was not only going to die, but the reason why He had to die was because we were slaves of sin.
The Old Testament sacrifices were ending – In freeing the people from sin, Jesus’ sacrifice was to take away sin. Forgiveness was available through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:7). The animal sacrifices under the Old Law could not take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). That is why they had to be offered year after year. The Hebrew writer pointed this out: “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered?” (Hebrews 10:1-2). Once forgiveness of sins was realized and the people were made perfect or complete in that regard, the sacrifices would cease. Jesus was going to live a perfect life, be sacrificed for us, and make forgiveness of sins available. Therefore, the need for the sacrifices of the Old Law would soon end.
Jesus did not come to establish a physical kingdom – This is another point that is buried in John’s statement. The Jews, for the most part, were looking for the Messiah to establish a physical kingdom. At one point, a large crowd was willing to “take [Jesus] by force and make Him king” (John 6:15). Even His disciples were looking for this (Acts 1:6). But as we already noticed, Jesus was going to die. This might have been discouraging for those who were looking for a physical kingdom. But Jesus’ kingdom was “not of this world” (John 18:36). Since it was a spiritual kingdom, His death would not prevent the establishment of His kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19).
Salvation was for both Jews and Gentiles – The salvation that Jesus offered was not just for the Jews, but for all people. He was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This was a major issue with the Jews at first. When Peter returned from the home of the first Gentile convert, the Jews of the church in Jerusalem “took issue with him” until they heard the whole story (Acts 11:2-3, 18). In the early church, there was a great controversy because some Jews were teaching that if Gentiles were to be saved, they needed to be circumcised and taught to keep the old law (Acts 15:1-2). When Paul was arrested, he had the opportunity to make his defense before the Jews and they were willing to listen to him until he mentioned his call to go to the Gentiles. At that point they shouted, “He should not be allowed to live!” (Acts 22:21-22). But because salvation was open to all, we can have hope. Paul quoted the prophecy about Christ – “in Him shall the Gentiles hope” (Romans 15:12). John, in preparing the way for Christ, was preparing the way for the acceptance of the Gentiles as well.
Conclusion
There are a lot of lessons we can learn in John’s short statement. More than likely, his audience did not pick up on all of them right away. But as we look back at his message, along with the life and mission of Jesus, we can see these points are readily apparent. Jesus, the Lamb of God, came not to establish a physical kingdom, but to live a perfect life and die on the cross, ending the need for the animal sacrifices, and making freedom from sin and eternal salvation available to both Jews and Gentiles.
