This is the second day of the week that the Apostle John recorded, and no doubt some of the same committee members were present to hear John the Baptist’s message. This time, he called Jesus “the Lamb of God,” a title he would repeat the next day (John 1:35–36).

In one sense, the message of the Bible can be summed up in this title. The question in the Old Testament is, “Where is the lamb?” (Gen. 22:7) In the four Gospels, the emphasis is “Behold the Lamb of God!” Here He is!

After you have trusted Him, you sing with the heavenly choir, “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev. 5:12)

What does John’s baptism have to do with Jesus as the Lamb of God? Baptism was by immersion. It pictured death, burial, and resurrection. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, Jesus and John were picturing the “baptism” Jesus would endure on the cross when He would die as the sacrificial Lamb of God (Isa. 53:7; Luke 12:50).

It would be through death, burial, and resurrection that the Lamb of God would “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15).

Perhaps John was mistaken. Perhaps John was not sure that Jesus of Nazareth was the Lamb of God or the Son of God. But the Father made it clear to John just who Jesus is by sending the Spirit like a dove to light on Him. What a beautiful picture of the Trinity!

JOHN THE BAPTIST PROCLAIMS JESUS AS THE MESSIAH / 1:29–34

John 1:29 (ESV) — The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1:29 “Behold! The Lamb of God.”  The title “Lamb of God” would be associated in the minds of the Jews with the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) and the lambs used in the daily sacrifices for the sin offerings (see Leviticus 14:12, 21, 24; Numbers 6:12).

In calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John pointed to Jesus as the substitutionary sacrifice provided by God. Had the Jews considered the Messiah would be a lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7ff.)?

PAID IN FULL

Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38–42). Isaiah 53:7 prophesied that the Messiah, God’s servant, would be led to the slaughter like a lamb.

To pay the penalty for sin, a life had to be given—God chose to provide the sacrifice himself. When Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice, he removed the sin of the world and destroyed the power of sin itself. Thus God forgives our sin (1 Corinthians 5:7).

The “sin of the world” means the sin of each individual. Jesus paid the price of our sin by his death. We claim the forgiveness he provided by first taking ownership of our sin. If we insist we have no sin, then we gain no forgiveness. Repentance precedes forgiveness. If you don’t think you need to repent, check your life again. The Ten Commandments can help you evaluate how you’re doing by God’s standards.

“Who takes away the sin of the world!”  The Greek word for “takes away” can also mean “take up.” Jesus took away our sin by taking it upon himself. This is the image depicted in Isaiah 53:4–9 and 1 Peter 2:24.

1:30 “This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”

30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

This verse, which reiterates 1:15, is here put in its chronological context. Although John the Baptist was a well-known preacher who attracted large crowds, he was content that Jesus take the higher place. John demonstrated true humility, the basis for greatness in preaching, teaching, or any other work we do for Christ. Accepting what God wants us to do and giving Jesus Christ the honor for it allows God to work freely through us.

1:31 “I myself did not know him.”  31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Since John and Jesus were cousins, John must have known Jesus before this time. But this statement means that John had not realized that Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah, until God provided the sign of the Spirit descending upon Jesus.

“The reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”  Though John had not yet clearly seen the Messiah, he knew that the Messiah was coming and that his mission was to prepare the nation of Israel for the Messiah’s arrival. But, as John would soon explain, he had been instructed to baptize, and as he was baptizing he saw a sign that indicated the arrival of the one he had come to announce.

1:32 “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.”  And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

Evidently, the action of the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove was a sign for John. Only John and Jesus saw this (see Matthew 3:16). The other Gospel writers tell us that a voice accompanied this divine sign: A voice came out of heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17 ). John the Baptist did not add this detail; rather, he himself declared—“this is the Son of God” (1:34 ).

1:33 “I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me”  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

The phrase, I would not have known him repeats the statement in verse 31. The one who sent me is God, who had sent John to baptize and to prepare the way for the Messiah. This same God would reveal the Messiah to John by sending his Spirit upon the Messiah.

“The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”  In well-known prophetic passages, the Messiah was depicted as having the Spirit resting upon him (see Isaiah 11:1–2; 61:1ff.). The statement that he will baptize with the Holy Spirit foretells Jesus’ divine mission. It does not just point to the Day of Pentecost on which Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to baptize the disciples (see Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:4); it characterizes Jesus’ entire ministry. Jesus came to give eternal life to those who believe in him. But no one could actually receive that life apart from receiving the life-giving Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist’s baptism with water was preparatory because it was for repentance and symbolized the washing away of sins. Jesus, by contrast, would baptize with the Holy Spirit, imparting not only forgiveness but also eternal life. He would send the Holy Spirit upon all believers, empowering them to live and to teach the message of salvation. This outpouring of the Spirit came after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven (see 20:22; Acts 2).

All true believers have been baptized by Jesus in the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:9). As such, we have been immersed in Jesus’ Spirit. Now we can experience the life-giving Spirit and enjoy his presence day by day.

1:34 “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”  34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John was declaring Jesus’ special position with God. God had told John that he would reveal his sent one to John—the Spirit would descend upon the Messiah and remain upon him. John saw this and declared his belief in Jesus as God’s identified Son. Those who receive the Spirit can also declare that Jesus is the Son of God, for the Spirit enables us to believe and confess (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).

Today people are looking for someone to give them security in an insecure world. We must point them to Christ and show them how Christ satisfies their need. They must hear it first from us. We cannot pass on to others what we do not possess.

If we know Jesus, we will want to introduce others to him.

The Lamb of God

• Acts 8:32: “The place in the Scripture which he read 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 1:18, 19: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
• Revelation 5:6: “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, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
• Revelation 5:12, 13: “saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ ”
• Revelation 12:11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”^[1]

^[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), Jn 1:32.