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Wednesday, December 11
John 1:19-34 | Lamb of God
Author: David Bibee

Peter Leithart somewhere described the Old Testament as the biography of Jesus. This might seem like an odd claim to modern readers—and quite an anachronism—since Jesus doesn’t show up until the New Testament. But Leithart is right, if not quite in the way we might expect. The Old Testament is the biography of Jesus in the sense that his life mirrors the lives of the patriarchs, kings, and prophets of Israel.

Adam met Satan in the Garden, failing to stand firm against temptation, whereas Christ met Satan in the desert and defeated him with the word of God (Gen. 3, cf. Matt. 4. Like Abel, Jesus was killed by envious brothers who could not handle that Jesus was more righteous than they (Matt. 27:18, cf. Matt. 7:28-29). Like Israel fleeing Pharaoh, the infant Jesus escaped Herod by taking refuge in Egypt to fulfill God’s words concerning Israel, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I have called my son” (Hosea 11:1, cf. Matt. 2:15)

In our passage today, John the Apostle introduces John the Baptizer, Jesus’ cousin, who preached repentance to the people. John had grown in popularity, and many were becoming his disciples. Still, John testified that he was not the coming Messiah. Rather, he was the one whom the prophet Isaiah would come to prepare the way for the coming Lord. The Father appointed John as a prophetic herald, born to announce the arrival of his Son, the King.

It should interest us that when the Spirit descended upon Jesus, anointing him with the divine power and glory that is his birthright, John calls Jesus “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus, the Lord who was now in their midst, is hailed as the Lamb that removes sin. The word should immediately conjure images of blood and fire and smoke, the scent of roasting meat and dripping fat. Lambs that take away sin are spotless, perfect, without blemish—and they are born for ritual slaughter. Jesus, John does not want us to miss, is the King that was born to die.

But perhaps even more, the word Lamb should remind us of the beginning of Israel’s existence—when God chose Abram and promised him a coming Son. Once Isaac, the miracle child, was born, God commanded Abraham to take Isaac to the mountain and sacrifice him (Gen. 22). For three days Abraham and Isaac journeyed to the place, and Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice. Abraham was willing to make this sacrifice because he trusted God’s promises. If God promised Abraham a son who would inherit the land and bring blessings to all the nations, then God would have to raise Isaac back up from the dead (Heb. 11:19). God stops Abraham before the killing blow can be struck. He praises Abraham saying, “I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Gen. 22:12).

The great miracle of Advent is that, with the coming of Jesus into the world, the Father has revealed to the whole world that he never demands us to do something he isn’t willing to do himself. With the coming of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, we have come to know that God will not withhold his Son, his only Son, the Son whom He loves, from us (Gen. 22:2). And because Jesus was willing to come and to die, God fulfilled Abraham’s hope—raising Christ from the dead, so that all the nations would become his inheritance.

This Advent, rejoice! The Lamb of God has come, the Lamb of God has been slain, the Lamb of God has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God! If God was willing to go to such great lengths to redeem us, may we trust that his mercy, bought with the blood of Christ, is sufficient.