Jesus The Lamb Of God
JESUS THE LAMB OF GOD
JOHN 1:19-34
What can we learn from John the Baptist’s attitude to Jesus?
One of the most important themes of the Gospel is that of the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. Here is the evidence of John, whose ministry had the essential purpose of giving testimony to him (cf. 1:7,8,15). He was the last of the prophets, but while they had spoken in general terms of the Messiah, it was John who was actually to identify him. He is the first to give evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, in order to induce that faith which is the object of the Gospel (20:31).
John’s evidence is in the first place negative (1:19-21). His ministry and unusual appearance and habits had aroused curiosity. What did it all mean? Who was he? he explains in shorter and shorter sentences that he is neither Messiah, nor Elijah reincarnate, nor the prophet promised by Moses and said to be like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). In answer to repeated questioning he claimed the rôle of forerunner (1:22f.) as shown in Isaiah 40. The emphasis was not on his person but on his message. He insists on directing attention away from himself (cf. 3:30).
The supplementary question inevitably followed. Why then was he baptizing? For a ministry of baptism was generally thought to be the preparation for the messianic age (1:24f.). He replies that his baptism is only an outward symbol and his own dignity is nothing compared with the coming One (1:26f.).
The Gospel does not mention the baptism of Jesus, and the evangelist may assume that it is well known to his readers (cf. also the omission of the transfiguration and the institution of the Holy Communion). He does, however, record John’s allusion to the descent of the Spirit on Jesus to commission him for his work, and his description of his own baptism as a foreshadowing of the baptism with the Holy Spirit (1:29-34). The title which he applies to Jesus, “the Lamb of God,” is of considerable importance and may combine ideas of the lamb of the sin offering, the Passover lamb (cf. 19:36) and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. He deals not just with individual sins, but with the sin of the whole world. Such was the price of our rebellion against God! John’s solemn declaration (1:29), probably coming immediately after Christ’s temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), would underscore vividly his renunciation of any short cut to success. Christ’s ministry began under the shadow of the cross. The promise contained in John’s statement must not, however, be eclipsed by this note of foreboding. The cross, finally, was a place of triumph.
Note 1:21: in the Synoptic Gospels, John is said to be Elijah, but this was presumably in a typological sense (Matthew 11:14; 17:10-13; Luke 1:17). Jesus fulfilled the rôle of the prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22).