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 ESV
The great
proclamation of John the baptist! The whole purpose of John's
ministry was coming to it's fulfillment when Jesus came walking
toward him that day. John had been preaching to Israel about Jesus
coming and had been preparing the way for Jesus, he said "I
am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the
way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." John1:23
John
was testifying that prophesy was being fulfilled.
Think
of the significance of that moment, God's plan for man's salvation
was falling into place. The messiah that God had promised is now
there. Four hundred years of silence on God's behalf and now the “the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” is
walking toward him.
We
can look back in John chapter one and see that His own people didn't
recognize Him. Even after John's proclamation those that had claimed
to be followers of God did not know Him, even when He was right
before their eyes. We can look back and say, why didn't more people
see who Jesus was.
When
the apostle John makes this statement about Jesus; And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John
1:14 ESV He
is looking back in retrospect. He is talking about the facts, after
the fact of Jesus appearance. As he was writing his gospel he was
writing about what he had witnessed. He now had clear hindsight of
who Jesus was. Even the apostles didn't really understand who Jesus
was until after His death, burial and resurrection. So, we shouldn't
be too hard on the average Jew in the time of Jesus earthly ministry.
We
should however be eternally grateful for the gospel accounts of the
appearance of Jesus and the fulfillment of God's plan to reconcile
man with Himself. The purpose of the Gospels is to show the world who
Jesus is. Let's read the gospels and get to understand for ourselves
the facts about Jesus. Then we too can proclaim with great
confidence. “Look this is Jesus (the Lamb of God), he came to take
away the sin of the world!” We can help others to see that the sin
of the world includes their sins. They too can have forgiveness of
their sins if they believe in Jesus and are obedient to His commands.
Read
all of John chapter one today and see anew Jesus as He begins to
reach out to the world of lost souls. See God fulfilling His
promises. See Jesus, really see Him! Remember what He has done for
you and determine to share that with others.
©
2012 Leo J. Woodman
