Behold, the Lamb of God

Today, we are continuing our study of the Gospel According to John. John, the beloved disciple, records for us the initial words of John the Baptist regarding the Lord Jesus. He is the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world. This statement of the greatest of prophets would have brought so many of the Biblical themes as a flood to the minds of the hearers. God had given His people many symbolic examples of their need for a substitute and a sacrifice. They were guilty. They needed a representative and a substitute. Their substitute needed to be perfect; without spot or blemish. There had to be an exchange of death. The innocent needed to be given for the guilty. Justice needed to be done. And here is introduced the true Lamb of God. The perfect, true, and final substitute had entered their world and their experience. He was finally here. His appearance signaled the fulfillment of all of God's promises of redemption. May God bless us with an understanding of this truth that will strengthen us, cause us to rejoice, and fill us with big faith.