unimaginably good news

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:29

This is how John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world. Right from the beginning, John was clear that Jesus came to save us. He heralds the gospel in pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who takes the world’s sin away. Any Jew hearing these words from John knew what he was saying. Jesus would be a perfect, sinless, holy, atoning sacrifice, given by God for the entire world.

For those under the Old Testament Law this was an unimaginable, breathtaking, even scandalous announcement. For at least three reasons, this was groundbreaking news. First, Jesus was a man who was the Lamb. The sacrificial system given to Moses explicitly forbade human sacrifice, as animals were substitutionary. That meant that Jesus was the substitute for us, dying in the place of sinners. It meant He was spotless, perfect, and would give up His life for sinners. 

Secondly, Jesus was the Lamb sent from God, not provided by us. Every other sacrifice was provided by sinners to offer on the altar to God. This time, God Himself provided the Lamb. God was making the effort to save because we could not save ourselves. God did what sinners could not do.

And finally, and most unexpectedly, Jesus would take away the sins, not just of Israel, but of the world. His atonement for sin would be global. That meant that the Gentiles would be included in this sacrifice, a concept totally new to those who heard it and offensive to the ethnic sensibilities of the Jews that guarded their exclusive relationship with Yahweh. God was in Jesus reaching all the world, atoning for all sin, for all people, for all time, everywhere!

O Lamb of God Who takes away the world’s sin,

I come to You, Jesus, thankful for Your sacrifice, knowing You took my sin upon You on the cross so that I can be forgiven, have life, and follow You, my Lord!

Amen