Behold, the Lamb of God
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From God’s Word: John 1:29-31
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
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Notes on the Scripture:
As with the verses just before, the Gospel of John has prepared us to understand fully what John the Baptist is saying. When he says, "A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.," we remember the words from the beginning of John 1. From the beginning of time, Christ ("the Word") was with God. John the Baptist was sent from God, and was actually born about six months before Jesus. But the Christ, who had existed since the beginning of time, existed before John the Baptist or any other man.
John also counts himself among the ranks of those who "knew him not". He did not automatically know that his cousin Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Apparently, he learned this only by doing God's will — by abandoning wealth and comfort, and going into the wilderness to baptize people who came to him. It isn't completely clear whether John knew Christ when he saw him at the river, or only recognized Him after he saw the Holy Spirit descend upon him after baptizing him.
When we pray "Thy will be done" in the Lord's Prayer, it is good to remember this example of a person who abandoned his life to do God's will. God has a purpose for us. It might not be as exalted as the purpose given to John the Baptist; but if we follow God's will with courage and cheerfulness, we will know His purpose in due time, and know the great reward that God has in store for us, just as John the Baptist did.
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