John 1:29 – The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

The next day after the visit of the Pharisees from Jerusalem, John looked up and saw Jesus coming toward him. In the thrill and excitement of that moment, he cried out, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The lamb was a sacrificial animal among the Jews. God had taught His chosen people to slay a lamb and to sprinkle its blood as a sacrifice. The lamb was killed as a substitute and its blood shed so that sins might be forgiven. However, the blood of the lambs slain during the Old Testament period did not put away sin. Those lambs were pictures or types, pointing forward to the fact that God would one day provide a Lamb who would actually take away sin. All down through the years, godly Jews had waited for the coming of this Lamb. Now at last the time had come, and John the Baptist triumphantly announced the arrival of the true Lamb of God. When he said that Jesus bears the sin of the world, he did not mean that everyone’s sins are therefore forgiven. The death of Christ was great enough in value to pay for the sins of the whole world, but only those sinners who receive the Lord Jesus as Savior are forgiven.

Challenge:

You and I live during a time in history, where the sins that we commit can be taken away, for good. The perfect life, the substitutionary death and the glorious resurrection of Jesus, were all enough to satisfy God’s requirement to atone for the sins of the world. John says “Behold!” and this means look at Jesus, observe the One who takes away all sins from sinners. Is your life proclaiming to others that they need to look to Jesus to be their Savior? Your challenge for this week is to let others know how strong your relationship with Jesus is, and to help them see their need for Him in their own lives. When you notice someone that is hurting, help them see that the Lord is more than willing to help them out of their pain. Do you know someone who is burdened with their past mistakes and poor choices? They certainly could use some assistance getting their focus off of themselves, and onto the One who can set them free from their past. This world could definitely use a fresh perspective on what life really means, and learn to come back to the Lord, who loves them and died for them. Will you help them find Him? God bless you.