“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29) John was in the wilderness on the other side of the Jordan River, immersing Jews who had heard him preach and were interested in turning from their sins and preparing for the Lord’s coming. While he was doing this, men sent by the religious leaders came and questioned John. They wanted to know by what authority he called the children of Abraham, the only true followers of God, to repent. John did not approve of them but pointed out that the prophet Isaiah had promised the Lord himself would come and display his glory among men. He was already there among them, but these religious people didn’t realize it.
Jesus the Lamb
The very next day John saw Jesus walking toward him and shouted out, “Look! It’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Notice that he didn’t say Jesus was a teacher who could explain God’s rules or a religious guru who could explain the secrets of the spiritual life. He said Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the world’s sin. What did John mean when he said Jesus was a lamb? Lambs are not majestic creatures, nor are they known for their courage or nobility. To call someone a lamb might even rise to the level of an insult, yet Jesus received and even embraced this title. He humbled himself, not just by becoming a man, but by becoming a lamb. What is more, his purpose in being identified as a lamb was to die as a substitute for sinners. John used this title to remind his Jewish audience of all of the times in the Old Testament and in their own experience where a lamb was killed in the place of a sinner.
We can’t be certain, but John may have been thinking about Isaiah 53:7, where the prophet says, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Jesus is the Lamb in that he humbled himself and became the substitute for sinful men. You could go up to the courthouse and sit in on every trial and never see the judge volunteer to serve the prison sentence for a convicted felon or agree to pay the defendant’s damages, but that is exactly what it meant for Jesus to become a lamb.
This is no self-improvement strategy, it’s not man reaching up to God, but God reaching down to man.
Jesus the Lamb of God
John did not identify Jesus simply as a lamb but as the lamb of God. What did he mean by that? Jesus was God’s Lamb, the divinely appointed One who would fulfill the divine purpose. It was no accident, nor was it done haphazardly; the Father sent the Son to be the Lamb who would die in place of guilty sinners. This is no self-improvement strategy, it’s not man reaching up to God, it is God reaching down to man. Everything the apostle John has written so far confirms this: Jesus is the eternal Word, the all-powerful Creator who gives life to all men and reveals truth, so we can see God’s glory. Jesus is the Lamb sent to fulfill God’s plan to show grace to sinful mankind. There is a story of a native of interior China wanted to become a Christian but couldn’t understand how Christianity was superior to Confucianism and Buddhism. One morning he came to the missionary in a happy mood saying, “I dreamed last night, and now I understand. I dreamed I had fallen into a deep pit where I lay helpless and despairing. Confucius came and said, ‘Let me give you advice: if you get out of your trouble, never get in again.’ Buddha came and said, ‘If you can climb up to where I can reach you, I will help you.’ Then Christ came, climbed down into the pit, and carried me out.” That is Jesus, the Lamb of God!
Jesus the Sin-bearer
What did John mean by describing Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? Since he was God’s Lamb, his very presence among us is an act of grace, a gift of God, but it is also God’s gift that he would bear our sins away. The way John speaks of him excludes any sense of self-righteousness or self-effort. If Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, it follows that we are in need of having our sins taken away. That this could only be done by the death of a substitute is very clearly seen in the OT. The Jews offered sacrifices in order to receive forgiveness for their sins, but those sacrifices were limited both in extent and duration. Their priests had to offer sacrifices repeatedly, because no animal could actually remove sin. The author of Hebrews says it very plainly: “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). But Jesus could offer himself for sins and completely and permanently cleanse sinners. In this way, his sacrifice is infinitely superior to any mere creature. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Of course this does not mean everyone is automatically forgiven and cleansed of sin, or else no one at all would be condemned. If that were the case, there would be no reason to preach the gospel or call men to repent. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but you and I must believe in him in order to receive the benefit of his sacrifice. You do not need to turn over a new leaf or become religious. You need to believe that Jesus humbled himself and died in your place, carrying all your sin and shame, so that you could receive his righteousness as a gift.
