Behold the Lamb

 This is a sermon that was given in the worship service in which the sacrament of communion was shared. It is based on the words of John the Baptist recorded in John 1:29, "Behold, the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world." After describing the circumstances surrounding the proclamation, the sermon focuses on the meaning included in the phrase that John uttered. A video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was presented may be viewed by clicking here.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

I want to focus on the words in Jn. 1:29, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” But first let’s back up a little and review the setting.

John had been baptizing in the Jordan River the previous day. The Scripture says that the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem out to speak to John and they were asking him, “Who are you?”

I.          The Announcer’s Identity

John immediately assured them he was not the Christ. He made no claims to be the Messiah. In fact, he repeatedly explains that he and his ministry will continually decrease, and Jesus will continually increase. John also denies being “Elijah,” or “the Prophet.”

What do the terms “Elijah” and “The Prophet” refer to?

Elijah: Jews knew Elijah did not die, and they knew about Malachi’s prophecy.

Malachi 4:5 ^(NKJV) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

The Prophet: The Jews also knew that Moses had made a prediction back in Deuteronomy.

Deut. 18:15 ^(NKJV) "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

In the minds of the Jews, “Elijah” and “The Prophet” were clearly associated with the coming Messiah. They were wondering, “Are you the one who we expect to announce the coming Messiah?” However, since John denied being either of these figures, then that brings up another question.

John 1:24 ^(NKJV) And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

(Mounce, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Revised) The delegation from Jerusalem included “some Pharisees” who questioned John’s practice of baptizing, since he had acknowledged that he was not the Christ, Elijah, or one of the prophets. They viewed baptism as an eschatological rite to be performed by a leader in the last days. The Pharisees … were an important group among the Jews who insisted on fastidious obedience to the Mosaic law and to the oral tradition that had grown up around the law to adapt it to changing times. … Essentially, their question is, “Why do you baptize if you are not one of those leaders whose presence heralds the end of the age?” For John to have baptized would have violated the law if he had received no public office from God (cf. Calvin, 1:29).

John answers their question with another quote from the OT prophet Isaiah in order to establish his authority and his right to baptize. However, he immediately points them to Christ and insists that His baptism and ministry is much greater. John identifies himself as a “crier in the wilderness,” “an announcer,” identifying and introducing the One sent by God.

II.        The Announcer’s Proclamation

So, the following day, after this exchange, John sees Jesus and exclaims, “Behold (Look!), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” I can imagine John raising his hand and pointing to Jesus as he made this proclamation.

The other Gospels record the baptism of Jesus, which the Apostle John does not. So, some have thought that Jesus was coming to be baptized in this encounter. However according to John’s words, a little later (v. 33), he has already baptized Jesus sometime prior to this event. Therefore, in this event, Jesus is undoubtedly just passing by as He is recruiting His disciples, which we read about later in the chapter.

“Behold” – Imperative, (R. C. H. Lenski, Lenski New Testament Commentary) – [a] dramatic, pointing out Jesus, riveting all eyes upon him, opening all ears for what the speaker will say of him.

John is emphatically saying, “Look! There He is. He is the One, God’s lamb. Each time we share communion, the point is to get our eyes focused again on Him – the Lamb of God.

There are so many different things we can get our spiritual eyes focused on that we forget about the central figure, Jesus. Other things in the Bible are important and we must not neglect them, but if we’re not careful, we can get bogged down in debating the correct interpretation of minor points until we completely forget that Jesus is the main focus. We must see Him as the only One in whom we have hope of salvation and eternal life.

“Lamb of God”

(R. C. H. Lenski, Lenski New Testament Commentary) The word "Lamb" connotes sacrifice, the Lamb whose blood is to be shed. Thus also and especially in the full title, "Lamb of God," lies the idea of being without blemish, i. e., sinlessness, and joined with this the divine purpose and aim of substitution, expiation, and redemption. A truer and more expressive title could hardly have been found for the Savior; he was, indeed, "the Lamb of God."

(Colin F. Kruse, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) The word amnos [lamb] is found 101 times in the LXX, of which 82 are references to sacrificial lambs. The two uses of amnos in the NT outside the Fourth Gospel are clear references to Jesus, who died as a sacrificial lamb: one speaks of Jesus as the servant of the Lord, who ‘was led like a sheep to the slaughter, / and as a lamb before the shearer is silent’ (Acts 8:32); the other refers to ‘the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect’ (1 Pet. 1:19).

Acts 8:32 ^(NKJV) The place in the Scripture which he read [i.e., Ethiopian Eunuch] was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

1 Peter 1:19 ^(NKJV) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Several times in the past I have mentioned the connection between the sacrifice of Christ and the OT requirements of blood sacrifices. We have especially referred to the Passover lamb in reference to Jesus.

“Takes away the sin of the world”

John prophetically announces the mission that the Lord had accepted – to “take away the sin of the world.” Some authors (e.g., Colin Kruse, Tyndale Commentary) do not think that John the Baptist was specifically thinking of sacrificial lamb in his comment, although he says that the Apostle John, while writing this gospel, would have.

Kruse says, “…indications are that he expected the Messiah to carry out judgment against sinners, not to offer himself as a sacrifice for their sins (cf. Matt. 3:12: ‘His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire’). John may have been identifying Jesus as the apocalyptic warrior lamb referred to in Jewish writings (e.g. 1 Enoch 90:9-12; Testament of Joseph 19:8-9) as did the author of the book of Revelation (Rev. 17:14), though the latter fused the idea of the powerful lamb/lion of Judah with the sacrificial lamb.”

Revelation 17:14 ^(NKJV) These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."

Whether John the Baptist was referring to the “warrior lamb” or the “sacrificial lamb,” is not so important for us to decide. The important thing is that both ideas are taught in Scripture, and we can be inspired by both pictures we have.

Peter is highlighting the sacrificial lamb.

1 Peter 1:18-19 ^(NKJV) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Saint Peter reminds us to be sober and serious about our faith and our conduct because we have been redeemed by the infinitely precious blood of Jesus Christ. We haven’t been bought with money (elsewhere referred to as “filthy lucre”), but we have been bought with blood; the blood of the Son of God.

Revelation highlights the warrior lamb.

Revelation 5:6 ^(NKJV) And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain.... (See 17:4 again on opposite page.)

The interesting thing about this passage is this: in this verse Jesus Christ is described as a Lamb as though it had been slain. In the previous verse, the angel refers to Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. It is difficult for me to comprehend what John must have seen. We can’t fully grasp the scene that is described here. But the important truth here again is the significance and symbolism of the Lamb. 

There is coming a day and time when all unrighteousness and evil will be destroyed by the “warrior lamb” – the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” Jesus Christ is truly the Lamb of God that was slain for our salvation.

Conclusion:

Behold! Look! There He is! The Lamb of God. The One who sacrificed Himself to cover the sins of the whole world. The One who will triumphantly destroy and conquer all sin, evil and unrighteousness forever.

Closing Song: Lamb of Glory