A sacrificed lamb referred to the provision of God for escaping His wrath. But those lambs were placeholders. They could not take away the sin of human beings. They were animals. They pointed to the day that God would provide the true Lamb who was able to take away sin by His death. That’s the lamb John testified to when he identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who could actually take away the sin of the world.
This 7-part series explores John’s Gospel descriptors of Jesus as the Word, the Lamb of God, the Bread of life, the Light of the world, the good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, and the true Vine.
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NKJV)
John’s first words of witness about Jesus at the Jordan River were not, “Behold, the promised Messiah” or “Here is the one I spoke about when I said I was not worthy to even untie His sandals.” No, when John saw Jesus coming to him he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
What an odd introduction, to identify Jesus as an animal! Unless, of course, we are versed in the Old Testament and understand the role of John in preparing the way of the Lord (Isa. 40:3; John 1:23).
John represents the Old Testament witness to Jesus.
