John 1 - Jesus, the Lamb of God

These pulpit notes are provided unedited and will thus contain some grammatical or typographical errors.

[SERMON INTRODUCTION]

Who is Jesus and why should you care? Is he a merely fine teacher? A moral example? A prophet who shared the wisdom of God? Another religious figure to add to your pantheon of gods? Who is he?

Is Jesus simply a wise sage who speaks heart-warming things fit to be written on your kitchen décor, and pinterest pages? Is he the unassuming, spiritual life-coach who is always there to whisper words of affirmation in your ears? Who is he?

Is Jesus just one among many religious figures? One among many ways to God?

Is he one who can be rejected or ignored without consequence?

Who is he, and why should you care?

[SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION]

John the Apostle has written his gospel to answer these questions. He wants you to know, without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God’s promised anointed one, and the Son of God. He wants you to know this because it is through Jesus and Jesus alone that one can find spiritual life.

With this purpose in mind, John the Apostle begins his gospel by parading a series of unassailable witnesses before us his readers. Witnesses to the identity of Jesus. Chief among these witnesses is a figure known as John the Baptist.

John, as we saw last time, was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets promised by God in the very last verses of the very last book of the Old Testament. He was to break forth onto the scene after hundreds of years or prophetic silence and announce the coming of God’s promised Messiah. That is exactly what he did.

Look in verse 19 of John 1:

John 1:19-22   ¶ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."  22 So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

And here we come to our passage from last time:

John 1:23   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."

John the Baptist introduces himself as the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He did so to purposefully invoke the language of Isaiah 40. In doing so, he not only presented himself as the prophetic figure in Isaiah 40, but pulled forward the context of Isaiah 40 into his present day. John cast Israel in his day as those who were in captivity, and in need of a deliverer. They were in their land, yet they remained captive. They were captive to sin.

Further, by invoking Isaiah 40, John suggested that the deliverer who would come and free Israel from the captivity of sin would be God himself. The mighty God, and tender shepherd himself would come to deliver and lead his people. John then clearly indicates that in paving the way for God to come to bring about this deliverance, he was paving the way for Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mighty God, the tender shepherd. He is the divine deliverer.

So, John the Baptist's testimony is that Jesus is divine deliver, come to deliver his people from the captivity of sin. He is the one the strap of whose sandal, John says he is unworthy to untie.

John’s Testimony Continues

John's testimony to the identity of Jesus continues in our passage in verse 29.

John 1:29-34   ¶ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' 

John now further identifies Jesus, not only as the promised deliverer, but now he calls him "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

But John says something interesting in verse 31...

31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."

John says that he did not personally know that Jesus was the promised one, until it was revealed to him by the Father, and that he was then to reveal him to Israel. So, if John did not know who the promised one was, how did he come to know that it was Jesus? ...

32 And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

John came to pave the way for the promised divine deliverer. God the Father told him that he would know the identity of that deliverer when he saw the Spirit descend and remain upon him. John testifies, that he saw the Spirit descend upon and remain upon Jesus. Jesus therefore is the promised deliverer.

But curiously, after john recognizes Jesus as the promised deliverer, how does he introduce him to his disciples? "Behold the promised deliverer?" no, rather "Behold the Lamb of God!"

Some Connection Between the Spirit Descending and Jesus’ Identity as The Lamb of God

So, in some way in John's mind there is a connection between the Spirit descending and remaining upon Jesus, and the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. How did John come to this understanding that the one upon whom the Spirit descended would be like a lamb come to remove sin?

Well, what we realize here is that John hasn't yet left the book of Isaiah. Whereas he quoted Isaiah 40 in declaring "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord," he now continues connecting Isaiah's many prophecies of a coming one, to Jesus Christ.

What we will find as we turn again to the book of Isaiah, is that whereas John has first indicted Israel as captive to sin and in need of a deliverer, he now goes back to Isaiah and brings forward the same hope which God initially gave to his captive people in Babylon. This hope, as we will see is wrapped up in the promised coming of a special servant, chosen by God and offered as a covenant to his people.

If you are at all familiar with the book of Isaiah, you will know that there is an unmistakable pattern, or repeated theme throughout the book. Isaiah seems to alternate between painting an idealized vision of what the nation of Israel should have been, and then painting a vivid picture of what a failure Israel actually was. He shows what God intended them to be to the world, and then shows how they utterly failed in fulfilling that calling.

But, because God is a God of steadfast love and faithfulness, he also inspired Isaiah to repeatedly look to the future and foretell of a glorious destiny for Israel in which they will perfectly fulfill their calling as God's chosen, holy, people on earth.

In this way, their calling as God's holy people, and their future, glorious fulfillment as God's holy people, is soberly and sadly contrasted by their present rebellious state.

"This is what you should have been, and this is what you one day will be, but at the present you are none of these things. You are a people, rejected by the Lord, immersed in your sin and idolatry and ripe for a coming judgment through captivity.

So, if they were called to be God's chosen, holy people but failed, and if they will one day finally fulfill that destiny, then what will change to make it happen? What will transform perpetually rebellious, idolatrous and immoral Israel into the glorious people of God?

Well, God answers this question through Isaiah in a series of hope-filled passages. From chapter 42 forward, Isaiah offers four passages of incredible hope. In these passages, Isaiah looks forward to a time when Israel will be redeemed, their land would be restored, and they would finally fulfill their calling as a holy people of God, set apart for the Lord and a light to the entire world.

This hope, according to Isaiah is wrapped up in an individual who is simply referred to as the "servant of the Lord."

Isaiah’s Servant Songs

This remarkable servant, is described in Isaiah 42, 49, 50, and 53. These 4 passages have come to be known as "Isaiah's Servant Songs."

For the sake of time, I will summarize the character and calling of this promised coming servant as prophesied by Isaiah in these chapters.

In Isaiah 49 we read that this chosen servant of the Lord will bring Israel back to God. He will be honoured in the eyes of God. He will be a light for the nations of the world. He will cause the salvation of God to extend to the end of the earth. Kings of the earth will prostrate themselves before him. Through his ministry, prisoners will be rescued, the hungry will be fed, the thirsty will be satisfied, the suffering will be shown compassion, and the distressed will find rest. Further, we are told that God himself will give this servant as a covenant to his people.

Next, in Isaiah 50 we read that this servant will be a humble and obedient servant. He will learn from the Father, and teach others as the Father instructs him. He will in no way be rebellious and will not turn back from doing right or following God. Isaiah then begins to introduce something else remarkable about this servant. He says that this servant will suffer abuse, and disgrace but will not hide from it. It will not cause him to turn away from his calling as God's chosen servant. Instead, he will be vindicated by God. He will be exalted by God so that to fear God will also necessitate obeying the voice of the servant.

What a remarkable description of an incredible servant. And remember, these promises are given to Israel while they are captive in Babylon. God, in his covenant love and faithfulness is giving his people hope in the midst of judgment. He is helping them see their future return and restoration not merely in their eventual return from Babylon, but in some future, glorious return and restoration which will have global, and eternal significance.

What I'm suggesting to you this morning is that in our passage in the gospel of John, John the Baptist is signalling that Jesus Christ is the promised servant of Isaiah. He is the one who will perfectly obey the father, bringing his salvation to the ends of the earth, will be exalted by the father, and before whom all men must prostrate themselves, and whose voice all men must obey.

How do we know that John has the servant of the Lord from Isaiah in mind?

Two Things in John’s Testimony Signal that Jesus is Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord

We know because of two things in John's testimony. First, we know that John has Isaiah's servant in mind because of the sign which revealed Christ, and because of the title which John ascribed to Christ.

Let's explore these.

First, After John introduces Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", he says in verse 31: "I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."

John actually did not know exactly who the Lamb of God would be. So, how did he come to know it was Jesus?

John 1:32-34   And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

John identified Jesus as the Lamb of God because the Spirit descended upon Jesus.

So, here's a question - how did the Spirit descending upon Jesus signal to John that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?

For that answer, we have to look back to Isaiah and the remaining two Servant Songs.

Turn to Isaiah 42:

Isaiah 42:1-4   ¶ Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.  2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;  3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.  4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

The promised servant will bring forth justice for all people. He will not cry aloud, or lift up his voice. In other words, he will bring forth revolution through meekness and gentleness. He will accomplish all that he is sent to do without fainting or failing.

But notice how Isaiah begins his description, speaking for the Lord: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him."

The promised servant is one upon whom God's Spirit will rest.

This by the way ties in other descriptions of a promised one in Isaiah. In Isaiah 11 we read about a coming Davidic King who is described this way:

Isaiah 11:1-5   ¶ There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.  2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,  4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.  5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

And in Isaiah 61 we read the passage which Jesus quoted at the beginning of his earthly ministry:

Isaiah 61:1-3   ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;  3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.

So, the promised one is one upon whom the Spirit of the Lord will descend and remain.

This is why when John the Baptist sees the Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus, he knows he has found God's promised Messiah. He knows that Jesus is the servant whom Isaiah prophesied.

But, our final question. Why after recognizing Jesus as the promised servant of Isaiah when the Spirit descended upon him, did John choose to introduce Jesus as "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?"

Why? Because John the Baptist knows his Bible, and he really knows the book of Isaiah.

If Jesus is the servant of Isaiah, then he is not only the one upon whom the Spirit descends and remains, but according to the final servant song in the book of Isaiah, he is also the one who would come and suffer for his people.

What Isaiah eventually reveals in his servant songs is that the incredible spiritual redemption and renewal which the promised servant will accomplish, will in some way be accomplished by the servants own suffering. More than that, his suffering, death, resurrection and exaltation. It all comes to a climax in the final servant song in Isaiah 53.

Exposition of Isaiah 53

I am going to read this section and make some comments as we go along.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12   ¶ Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.  14 As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-- 

The Lord's servant will act wisely. He will know exactly how to accomplish all that he must do. He will do so with the wisdom of God. As a result, he will be exalted.

Shockingly however, immediately after indicating that this wise servant will exalted, Isaiah states that something tragic and appalling will happen to this servant. Something which will shock men. Namely, he will be marred and disfigured so that he is not recognizable.

Isaiah continues:

15 so shall he sprinkle many nations;

Through the servants suffering, he will sprinkle many nations. Isaiah alludes to the purification ceremony in which purification and atonement is made through the sprinkling of blood. The suffering of this servant will purify or make atonement for the sins of many nations. That is, not just the Jewish nation, but many nations - that is the world over. He will make them acceptable to God and fit to be in his presence.

...15 kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. 

A servant who is rejected, disfigured, but who is then exalted above all? A servant who is rejected as unclean and unfit, who makes countless others spiritually clean from their sin and fit for the presence of God? It is unheard of! It is a scandal which shuts the mouths of world rulers who could never imagine such a thing. it is unbelievable!

1 ¶ Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

That is, who believes that this is the means by which the Lord would exercise his mighty arm to rescue a people?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

Why is it so hard to believe that this would be the means by which God would save his people? Because this deliverer had nothing to commend himself to the human understanding of what a deliverer should be! His ministry would be counter-intuitive; it would defy the senses of those who thought they knew better.

3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Because he would come in an unexpected manner, and accomplish God's plan through meekness and suffering instead of flashy, conquering might, men would not esteem him. They would reject him. Nothing to see here. Nothing to value in him. So, he is rejected, despised and ultimately killed.

But there would be far more to this servant's death than meets the eye:

4 ¶ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 

In his death, he actually bore our griefs and sorrows. While we thought he was suffering justly at the hand of God, he was actually suffering for us.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 

He did not suffer at the hand of God for his own sin, but for ours. Our transgressions, and iniquities. The punishment which our sin deserved was laid upon him. By bearing this penalty, he brought us peace and healing. And who is it that needs such a substitute willing to suffer in their place?

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Here we find that it is the Lord himself who lays our sin on his own chosen servant. Now look at how the servant handle this suffering:

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 

Meekly, quietly, obediently and willingly, he suffered. And to what is he compared? He suffers like a lamb led to the slaughter. Like the Passover lamb which was killed to provide deliverance and redemption for the Israelites who were captive in Egypt, or like the countless spotless lambs which were slain in observance of the Passover feast every year after, so the servant would suffer like a lamb.

A lamb provided by God himself. A lamb bearing sins which God himself placed upon it. A lamb slain, by God himself. In other words, the suffering servant would suffer as THE LAMB OF GOD.

Isaiah continues:

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?  9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.  10 ¶ Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.  12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The chosen servant of the Lord would redeem his people, cleansing them from their sin, through his own suffering. He would do so as a precious gift from the Father. The Lord provides the servant as his own lamb, to bear the sins of the world, in order to cause a people to be accounted righteous.

The servant would not only suffer like a Passover lamb but notice in Isaiah 53:10 it indicates that he will make his soul “an offering for guilt”. He would suffer like a lamb offered as a guilt offering. In doing so, he would take away the sins of the world! Subsequent to this suffering, he would then be exalted like a conquering hero. He would be granted spoils of victory, which he would then pour out upon his people.

Now, look again at Isaiah 53 and verse 10. Notice it says that the servant of the Lord who has offered himself as a lamb, also makes his soul “an offering for guilt.”

This is interesting because lambs were not guilt offerings. Guilt offerings were goats. Yet, the servant is a suffering lamb, who also serves as a guilt offering. Why so? Because Isaiah is signalling that the coming suffering servant will actually be a final fulfillment of all of the sacrificial system. He will be the final Passover lamb and he will be the final guilt offering.

John follows this same pattern when he introduces Jesus as the “Lamb of God” who “takes away the sin of the world.” He is the Passover lamb who turns away God’s wrath, redeems his people and rescues them from captivity, and he is also the guilt offering which actually TAKES AWAY sin.

Summarize

So then to summarize, why after seeing the Spirit descend upon and remain on Jesus did John declare him to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?

Because John understood that God was pointing him to the book of Isaiah. The one upon whom the Spirit would be poured out would be Isaiah's promised servant. The one who would be filled with the Spirit would be the one to whom all the servant songs pointed. And, how did the climactic servant song in Isaiah 53 present the servant? As the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

So, in our last message in the gospel of John we saw John casting all of Israel in his day as still captive to sin. Although they may have scoffed at the idea that they were in bondage, the fact of the matter was that they were slaves to their own sin and needed deliverance. John came to pave the way for the divine deliverer who would come to rescue them from their slavery.

Now in today’s passage we see John’s testimony to Jesus continuing. He goes on to show exactly how the promised deliverer would deliver his people from the captivity of sin. He, as the promised servant would give himself as a sacrificial lamb to bear the sins of the world.

He would take upon himself the penalty due their sin, bearing the wrath of God, satisfying his justice and then causing those who trust in him to be declared righteous. After suffering for the sins of others, he would die, rise again and be exalted. Through his victory, he would be given the spoils of his spiritual war, and would pour them out upon his people. This we see in John 1:33 as God promises to John the Baptist that Jesus would baptize his people with the Holy Spirit.

It is in this way that Jesus accomplishes everything promised in Isaiah’s servant songs.

[CALLBACK]

So, who is Jesus and why should we care? In the words of John the Baptist:

• Behold!
  
  All eyes on this Jesus! Look, and behold something amazing and eternally significant!
  
  
• Behold, the Lamb
  
  This is he has come in meekness and gentleness, and obedience to the Father. He has come to offer himself a sacrifice. A sacrifice to end all sacrifices. A sacrifice which is the final fulfillment of every sacrifice offered under the Old Covenant. 
  
  
  • He is the lamb whose blood, when applied, turns away the wrath of God like the Passover lamb.
    
    
  • He is the lamb whose blood serves as the final guilt offering, actually eradicating sin and guilt forever.
    
    
  • He is the lamb whose blood is sprinkled, in order to cleanse and set apart a multitude of men and women as a kingdom of priests.
    
    
  • He is the lamb whose blood is greater than the goats offered on the Day of Atonement. His blood makes full and final atonement, bringing all who believe in him into an eternal relationship with the Father.
    
    
• Behold, the Lamb of God
  
  
  • This Jesus is a lamb offered by God himself.
    
    
  • Just as God provided the skins of an animal to cover Adam and Eve after they sinned and were ashamed of their nakedness, so God has provided Jesus as our covering.
    
    
  • Just as God provided the ram to spare Isaac’s life, so God has provided Jesus to spare our lives.
    
    
  • Just as God provided every lamb, ram and bull presented in the tabernacle and temple, so God has provided his own lamb to atone for the sins of humanity.
    
    
• Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away [the] sin
  
  
  • This Jesus, the perfect lamb offered by God himself, unlike the sacrifices under the Old Covenant, actually takes away sin.
    
    
  • Through his sacrifice, we are cleansed forever on the inside. Whereas the lambs under the Old Covenant could only purify the flesh for a time, Jesus purifies our conscience so that we can forever serve the living God.
    
    
  • Whereas the continual offering of sacrifices under the Old Covenant signified that sins were never really eradicated, Jesus by offering himself once and for all has made us holy once and for all.
    
    Hebrews 10:11-13   And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,  13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
    
    
• Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
  
  
  • Whereas the Old Covenant was given to the Jews, sanctifying and setting them apart as God’s chosen people, Jesus is drawing men and women to himself from every tribe, nation, and tongue.
    
    
  • Jesus is the one saving sacrifice offered for the entire world.

So, who is Jesus and why should you care? Jesus is the lamb of God, God’s own son, offered as the perfect sacrifice to once and for all take away your sin. No matter your nation of origin, the language you speak, or the religion you grew up with. There is no other sacrifice for humanity fit to remove our sin, and its penalty. Jesus and Jesus alone takes away sin, makes men spiritually alive, and reconciles them to the Father. It is through Jesus and Jesus alone that the forgiveness of sins can be had and eternal life can be gained.

CONCLUSION

If you are a Christian this morning, know that God has performed an incredible deliverance for you. The Exodus of Israel from Egyptian slavery pales in comparison to what God has done for you through Jesus Christ. The return of the exiles from Babylon does not rise to what God has done for you through Jesus.

Through Jesus, God has delivered you from the captivity of your own sin. He’s freed you from the slavery of your own iniquity. And he has done so at great personal cost.

God has provided his own lamb as a guilt offering for your sin. He has provided his own lamb as a Passover to redeem you from sin. He has done so at enormous personal cost, because according to John in verse 34, the lamb, the promised deliverer, the suffering servant, is his one and only Son.

              John 1:34   And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

If you are here this morning and you are not yet a Christian, you remain captive to your own sin. You are separated from God and culpable for the penalty of your own sin. Know however that God has provided the means of deliverance for you. Through Jesus your sins can be forgiven, you can be declared righteous and be reconciled to God.

Through Jesus, the lamb of God, your sins can be taken away.