03 Jan 26 | John 1:29–34
Jesus is revealed not as a symbol, but as the sacrifice and Son who takes away sin and gives the Spirit.
Today’s Takeaway
Jesus isn’t just a good teacher or a holy man—John points to Him as the sacrifice that removes sin and the Spirit-filled Son who gives us new life.
The Gospel
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
Reflection
We are reading more of John, continuing on what was done yesterday. He has already answered the religious envoy and now, here comes Jesus. In Exodus 12, there is a spotless lamb offering whose blood brings deliverance from death and redemption for Israel. With John saying, “behold, the Lamb of God,” he directly foretells the sacrifice Jesus would go on to make and that this is the ultimate sacrifice that will be made for the sake of the whole world. In Greek, the word that is used for taking away the sins is the verb airō. It is to remove, not conceal. This sacrifice doesn’t cover up the sins, it washes them away. Where this differs is that in the Old Testament, sacrificial lambs were for the sins of Israel. Here John uses kosmos in Greek, meaning expansion beyond ethnic Israel – this sacrifice would be for universal salvation.
What John says next is speaking power to the divinity of Jesus. We know that Jesus is several months younger than John, yet he is said to have existed before John. This is a foundational part of scripture for Trinitarian theology as it points to the fact that Jesus wasn’t simply a prophet that was chosen. He existed before and continued to exist.
When John mentions that he did not know Him, he is referring to the messianic identity of Jesus. As the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and remained, it tells us that He is different than other prophets. If we look through how the Spirit works in the Old Testament, it descends upon prophets, judges, and others. It is transient though, not remaining long-term. In this case, the Spirit has remained with Jesus – it is part of him. John acknowledges Jesus’ divinity as having the authority to baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Finally, John is still falling under Jewish law when he says “I have seen and testified,” showing that he is witness to a claim of truth. This happens to be a theme throughout all of the Gospels, “seeing” and “testifying” are keys to how we react to God’s word.
Let’s look at the world we live in today. Many of us are baptized young, but others choose to be baptized as they are older. When we are baptized, are we transforming and going forth to testify on behalf of our beliefs? See, God doesn’t call us to only sit at home and read our bible in private while believing in Him. This is no judgement of anyone that is doing that, but pointing out that I believe He is calling for us to do more.
If the Gospels show us anything, it is that those who God calls and touches are expected to see and testify. In the world today, it can be easy for this to seem daunting or scary. People get judged hard, and testifying that we are Christian could impact how others view us. No one wants to be cast as an outsider, but consider this…if we are outsiders in our current world, but insiders in the afterlife – who is really coming out ahead?
Reflection Question
Where do I need to stop treating Jesus as merely “inspiring” and start trusting Him as the Lamb who truly removes sin and the Lord who gives His Spirit?