Day Two: A Stunning Proclamation
Like Elijah and Isaiah, the great prophets of the Old Testament, John the Baptist was a mighty prophet in the same line. God ordained John the Baptist for a particular ministry, to prepare the way of the Lord. Much like a red carpet might be laid down before those of high honor, John was sent to prepare the hearts of Israel for the coming of their King.
On one occasion, men and women of faith came from all over Israel to be baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist after hearing about his ministry. On this occasion, the crowds swelled, and the air was thick with anticipation when John had his breath taken away—there amidst the crowd appeared Jesus, who had come to be baptized by John.
John had known Jesus as a result of the familial relationship of their mothers, but he did not yet understand Jesus’ true identity. John had been told by God however that one day he would see the Spirit of God descend on Christ (John 1:33), so when the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, John immediately made a declaration that struck the hearts of every man, woman, and child present: “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The imagery of a lamb being slain was important imagery for Israel and carried grave connotations. For the Israelites, these words pointed back to the ancient sacrificial system given to them by Moses in the book of Exodus where lambs were slain regularly as an offering to stand between a Holy God and a sinful people. The lamb imagery also would have pointed back to the Passover celebration in which God’s people remembered how they were slaves in Egypt, and that God spared the Israelites when they took shelter underneath a home marked by the blood of a lamb.
While these sacrifices of blood are not the most appealing images for us to dwell upon, they are the key to unlocking the great mystery of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Here at the baptism of Jesus, John the Baptist made a stunning proclamation: Jesus would become the final sacrificial lamb whose bloodshed would take away the sins of the world. Jesus’ death on the cross would not just function as a martyr’s death for a religious belief, but Jesus would offer his own life to God as a substitute for our own, thereby becoming the sacrifice himself.
As we prepare our hearts through this Lenten season, it is good for us to reflect on the fullness of what Christ came to do. His life was like no other, as John the Baptist so clearly declared when he said, “After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me (John 1:30)." But more importantly, his death was like no other. All men die, but only Christ’s death could take away the sins of the world.
On one occasion, men and women of faith came from all over Israel to be baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist after hearing about his ministry. On this occasion, the crowds swelled, and the air was thick with anticipation when John had his breath taken away—there amidst the crowd appeared Jesus, who had come to be baptized by John.
John had known Jesus as a result of the familial relationship of their mothers, but he did not yet understand Jesus’ true identity. John had been told by God however that one day he would see the Spirit of God descend on Christ (John 1:33), so when the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, John immediately made a declaration that struck the hearts of every man, woman, and child present: “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The imagery of a lamb being slain was important imagery for Israel and carried grave connotations. For the Israelites, these words pointed back to the ancient sacrificial system given to them by Moses in the book of Exodus where lambs were slain regularly as an offering to stand between a Holy God and a sinful people. The lamb imagery also would have pointed back to the Passover celebration in which God’s people remembered how they were slaves in Egypt, and that God spared the Israelites when they took shelter underneath a home marked by the blood of a lamb.
While these sacrifices of blood are not the most appealing images for us to dwell upon, they are the key to unlocking the great mystery of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Here at the baptism of Jesus, John the Baptist made a stunning proclamation: Jesus would become the final sacrificial lamb whose bloodshed would take away the sins of the world. Jesus’ death on the cross would not just function as a martyr’s death for a religious belief, but Jesus would offer his own life to God as a substitute for our own, thereby becoming the sacrifice himself.
As we prepare our hearts through this Lenten season, it is good for us to reflect on the fullness of what Christ came to do. His life was like no other, as John the Baptist so clearly declared when he said, “After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me (John 1:30)." But more importantly, his death was like no other. All men die, but only Christ’s death could take away the sins of the world.
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