Our scripture this morning is John 1:29-34.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”
John the Baptist is known as the forerunner of Christ, the one sent to tell the world of His coming. He is the first person to recognize Jesus – in Luke 1:44 we read that when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth (John’s mother), he “leapt for joy” at their arrival while still in the womb. When Jesus comes to him to be baptized, John says “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him”.
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, an indication both of His disposition and His role in God’s kingdom. Jesus is gentle and mild in His interaction with us, but He is much more than merely a patient teacher. John continues describing Him, saying He “takes away the sin of the world”. Jesus is the only sacrifice that can save us.
Hear the joy and awe in the way John speaks of our savior! We must cultivate the same relationship and we too may know this excitement. Jesus has come to love and save and free us, but we must be willing to accept His teaching and take up our own cross to follow Him in faith.
Gracious God, in Your immense love You sent Your only Son that we might be saved. Bless us to go to all the world sharing the Good News of His coming. Amen.