Going Deeper: Meeting the Messiah in John 1-4Sýnishorn

Day 1: The Lamb of God (John 1:19-34)

Read John 1:19-34

If you were to think of the most important, powerful and influential people in the world, who would you pick? Maybe a famous politician, someone running a business empire, a music icon, or a record-breaking sports star?

These verses give us John the Baptist’s verdict on who really matters. Did you notice that twice in this short passage, John’s words are described as ‘testimony’ (1:19, 1:32)? This is serious, like witness evidence for a court.

John the Baptist was a famous preacher and an important man. No wonder the religious leadership in Jerusalem (priests and Levites) come to find out more about him (1:19). Notice the question behind v. 20. They want to know if John is the Messiah, the King that God promised in the Old Testament who would rescue His people and bring in a new age of blessing. But John is clear it’s not him (1:20). And he isn’t Elijah either, an Old Testament prophet many expected to return (1:21). Nor is he the Prophet, the one Moses prophesied would be even greater than him. You can almost feel their frustration in verse 22 – who is he then?!

John’s answer comes straight out of the Old Testament. He quotes the prophet Isaiah, who spoke 600 years before Jesus was born. John’s job is to prepare people, to make the way straight, for the Lord, the Messiah (1:23). And John tells them that the Lord is right there with them and is infinitely greater than him. In fact, important as he is, John says he doesn’t even deserve to touch the Messiah’s dirty shoes (1:27).

Who is it? Well, the very next day John tells us. He sees Jesus and gives Him an amazing title – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29). This looks back to God rescuing his Old Testament people from slavery in Egypt, when the blood of a lamb put on the doorpost meant that God’s judgement passed over them. Jesus is the one whose blood will take away sin. How does John know? He has seen the Holy Spirit come down and remain on Jesus (1:32). The Bible tells us that God is three in one: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would usually come to prophets and kings for a particular time or situation. But here, the Holy Spirit comes to Jesus and stays.

The Lamb of God. The Chosen One. However important we think politicians, preachers or sportspeople are, the apostle John, who wrote John’s Gospel, thinks there is no one like Jesus. He alone is the one who fulfills all the Old Testament promises. But John doesn't leave it at that. Over the next eight days we’ll see how John pulls together the evidence to convince us that Jesus really is the Messiah... and to show us how life-changing it is for all of us that He has come.