John 1:29-34 (WEL) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 30 “This is the one about whom I said, ‘A man comes after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ 31 “I did not know him, only that he should be clearly seen by Israel. For this reason, I came baptizing with water.” 32 John also testified, saying, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and staying on him. 33 “I didn’t know him, only that he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘On whom you will see the Spirit coming down and staying on him is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 “I have seen this and testify that this is the Son of God.”
V29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The day following his response to the Pharisees concerning his identity, John sees Jesus coming towards him. John identified Jesus as God’s Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. This is very important. When Adam and Eve sinned, the Creator (Jesus Christ) sacrificed a lamb to cover sins (Genesis 3:21). A lamb cannot pay the penalty for human sin. The only lamb that can must be human. Jesus Christ is that Lamb (John 1:36, Revelation 21:20, and 1 Corinthians 5:7).
Comments:
(Ironside): “And you will notice this. He does not say merely “sins.” It is sin, in the singular. I think that you will find that when people attempt to quote this verse, they generally say sins. Sins are only the effect of a cause, and the Lamb of God came, not only to take away the individual’s sins, but to take away or deal with the sin question as a whole.”
(Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary) “The word signifies both, as does the corresponding Hebrew word. Applied to sin, it means to be chargeable with the guilt of it (Exodus 28:38; Leviticus 5:1; Ezekiel 18:20), and to bear it away (as often). In the Levitical victims, both ideas met, as they do in Christ, the people’s guilt being viewed as transferred to them, avenged in their death, and so borne away by them (Leviticus 4:15; Leviticus 16:15, 21, 22; and compare Isaiah 53:6-12; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
AskAndyAI:
The title “Lamb of God” in John 1:29 is rich and central to who Jesus is and what He accomplished.
What the title points to
• Fulfillment of Old Testament types. The Lamb language ties Jesus to the sacrificial system (Passover lamb, Day of Atonement, spotless offerings) so that all those shadows find their ultimate reality in Christ. He is the one the Law and the Prophets pointed toward.
• Substitutionary sin-bearing. As the spotless Lamb, He willingly bore God’s wrath and the punishment due sinners, absorbing that wrath in our place so God can remain holy and yet forgive sinners.
• Universal scope. John’s phrase “takes away the sin of the world” emphasizes that Christ’s atoning work is for sinners everywhere—He is the global Savior whose sacrifice deals with the problem of sin.
• Moral and eternal qualification. The Lamb had to be unblemished—Jesus is sinless and perfectly acceptable to the Father as the once-for-all sacrifice.
• Twofold meeting with Christ. The same Jesus is presented as the Lamb who saves; He will also be encountered as the Judge and King (the Lion) by those who reject Him.
What this means for you
• The atonement is substitutionary and sufficient: Christ paid the penalty we deserved. Salvation is by grace through faith in what this Lamb has done—faith alone in Christ alone. When a person trusts Christ, that faith is fully saving and results in eternal security.
• The Lamb imagery calls us to behold Jesus—trust His sacrifice for pardon and live in the gratitude and obedience that flow from being forgiven.
V30 “This is the one about whom I said, ‘A man comes after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’
John had already been teaching the people that the Messiah was coming soon. No doubt John was quoting Old Testament passages regarding Messiah’s suffering ministry as the Passover Lamb, which is foreshadowed by OT sacrifices and more direct passages as Isaiah 53.
John may be important, but he clearly states that Jesus, the Messiah, is in a different class, hierarchy, authority, etc., since Jesus is God’s Son. One proof of this is that Jesus existed before John was born. According to the Scriptures, John was born first, but John knew the eternal existence of Jesus, God’s Son, the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 41:14, and Isaiah 43:15).
V31 “I did not know him, only that he should be clearly seen by Israel. For this reason, I came baptizing with water.”
John did not know who the Lamb of God was until the sign—the Spirit of God as a dove descending from heaven and resting on Jesus. This is a sign, not an adoption as some heretics teach.
V32 John also testified, saying, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and staying on him.
John was an eyewitness. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit which is clearly taught in the Old Testament (Isaiah 63:10 and Job 33:4).
V33 “I didn’t know him, only that he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘On whom you will see the Spirit coming down and staying on him is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
Since John the Baptist is a prophet, God communicates to him directly. The Holy Spirit did not make a temporary visit but stayed.
V34 “I have seen this and testify that this is the Son of God.”
John gives a direct eyewitness to whom this man (Jesus) is.
We learn:
- The eyewitness regarding whom Jesus Christ is.
- Facts concerning the Lamb of God.
Questions:
- Do you believe the witness of the Bible?
- Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as your Savior?