Lamb of God

George Sneddon September 11, 2023 3 1

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John 1: 29-34 (NRSVA)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ 32 And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

John the Baptist has always been one of my favourite characters in the scriptures. We can learn so much from him. The one who came to prepare the way for the Lord, the one who wants us to see less of him and more of Christ, the one who humbly admits his unworthiness under the Lord, is the same one who links Christ to the Passover celebration, a holy meal amongst the Jewish people.

‘The lamb of God,’ he cries out, ‘who takes away the sins of the world.’ In that great and bold statement, the people listening would’ve mind-manifested the Mosaic Passover story. They would link Christ with the saving blood that dripped from the doorframes of their ancestors. The release from captivity. The freedom of the promise. God made a way then, and John announced that God had made a way again.

This time, it would not take the blood of a lamb, but the infinitely more valuable blood of the lamb. The one who’d take away our sins.

PRAYER:

Lamb of God,
the one who takes away
the sins of the world
We are glad,
we are free,
we are yours.

Help us this day,
and in the days to come
to proclaim on the doorframes
of our souls
what the Lord has done for us.
Amen