Seeking Jesus First Jam. 1, 2025
Behold the Lamb of God
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29–31, NKJV)
With these words, John the Baptist brings everything he has been saying into sharp focus. After questions about identity, authority, and purpose, John now points unmistakably to Jesus and declares who He truly is. Not a title drawn from religious expectation. Not a role shaped by tradition. But a revelation given by God: “The Lamb of God.”
This declaration would have carried immediate weight for John’s audience. The image of a lamb was deeply woven into Israel’s story—sacrifice, deliverance, and atonement. From the Passover lamb in Egypt to the daily offerings in the temple, a lamb represented innocence given in place of the guilty. Yet John goes further than anything previously spoken: this Lamb does not merely cover sin—He takes away the sin of the world.
This is a decisive shift. Under the law, sacrifices were repeated continually. They pointed forward, but they could not fully remove sin. John announces that Jesus will do what no other sacrifice ever could. He will not manage sin, restrain sin, or temporarily cover sin—He will take it away. This is not limited to one nation or one group. John says “the world.” The scope of Christ’s work is as wide as humanity itself.
John then repeats something he has already said, but now with greater clarity: “After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.” Though Jesus appears after John in time, He existed long before him in eternity. The Lamb is not a created solution to a human problem—He is the eternal Son stepping into history to accomplish God’s purpose.
John adds an important insight into his own ministry: “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” This statement is striking. John was related to Jesus by family, yet he says he did not know Him in this way. Revelation—not familiarity—was required. John’s ministry was never about gathering followers or establishing a movement. It existed for one reason: to reveal Christ.
Baptism, in this context, was not the goal—it was the means. God was using John’s obedience to prepare hearts and to make room for recognition. The crowds came for water, but God was preparing them for the Lamb.
This passage fits perfectly within the flow of John 1. The Word has become flesh. Grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. Now He is publicly identified as the Lamb sent by God to deal decisively with sin. Everything that follows in the Gospel builds on this revelation.
Though the Lamb has taken away the sin of the world once for all, this life is personally received through faith—by receiving Him, as John has already told us earlier in this chapter.
Today, pause and let John’s words echo in your heart: “Behold!” This is a call to look, to fix your attention, to recognize what God has provided. Jesus is not merely an example to follow or a teacher to admire. He is the Lamb of God who takes away sin.
As you walk through this day, behold Him—not striving to manage your failures, but trusting in the One who has already dealt with them. The Lamb has come. And because He has, grace is not temporary, forgiveness is not fragile, and redemption is complete.