HERE IS THE LAMB OF GOD

JOHN 1:29-34
Question: "What does it mean that Jesus is the Lamb of God?"
Let us pause here and think about the testimony of the prophet John. Did you hear how he referred to the Messiah? He says: 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" We know how the prophets of God called the Messiah by many names such as the Redeemer, the Savior, the King, the Lord, the Word of God and the Son of God. Now we hear that He was called "the Lamb of God." This is a very important title which deserves clarification.

Why did John call Jesus the Lamb of God? Was Jesus a lamb? No, Jesus was not an actual lamb. But why did the prophet John call him the Lamb of God? Why would anyone want to be called a lamb? Why did John point to Jesus, and say to his disciples, "Look! Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"?
When Jesus is called the Lamb of God it is referring to Him as the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. In order to understand who Christ was, what He did, and why he was called so, we must begin with the Old Testament, which contains prophecies concerning the coming of Christ as a “guilt offering” (Isaiah 53:10). In fact, the whole sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice God would provide as atonement for the sins of His people (Romans 8:3; Hebrews 10).
The sacrifice of lambs played a very important role in the Jewish religious life and sacrificial system. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”, the Jews who heard him might have immediately thought of any one of several important sacrifices. With the Passover feast being very near, the first thought might be the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. In fact, the slaying of the Passover lamb and the applying of the blood to doorposts of the houses is a beautiful picture of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Those for whom He died are covered by His blood, protecting them from the angel of (spiritual) death.
Another important sacrifice involving lambs was the daily sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem. Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42). These daily sacrifices, like all others, were simply to point people towards the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The Jews at that time would have also been familiar with the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, who foretold the coming of One who would be brought “like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Jeremiah 11:19; Isaiah 53:7) and whose sufferings and sacrifice would provide redemption for Israel. Of course, that person was none other than Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God.”
While the idea of a sacrificial system might seem strange to us today, the concept of payment or restitution is still one we can easily understand. We know that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and that our sin separates us from God. We also know the Bible teaches we are all sinners and none of us is righteous before God (Romans 3:23). Because of our sin, we are separated from God, and we stand guilty before Him. Therefore, the only hope we can have is if He provides a way for us to be reconciled to Himself, and that is what He did in sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Christ died to make atonement for sin and to pay the penalty of the sins of all who believe in Him. God found that the blood of a lamb could not be accepted as a sufficient payment for sin forever, because the value of an animal and the value of a man are not equal. The lamb was only a shadow and an illustration of the holy Redeemer who was to come into the world and shed His blood to deliver sinners from God's righteous judgment.
That is why, dear friends, when the prophet John saw Jesus coming toward him, he pointed to Him and said to his disciples, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Jesus is the holy sacrifice who came into the world to die in the place of the children of Adam so that God can forgive us of our sins forever!
It is a well fitting gospel on Christmas time to invite us to contemplate Jesus, the new born as the Holy Sacrifice for our sins. Let us praise the Lord for his infinite love which he reveals in this baby who has come as sacrificial lamb for our sins.