The prophet John preached to the people out of doors, in the plains near the Jordan river. At that time all were “in expectation”, looking for the promised Messiah, as it was near the time foretold He should appear (Luke 3:1515And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; (Luke 3:15); Dan. 9:24-2524Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:24‑25)).
When the leaders in Jerusalem heard of the earnest words of John, they sent men to ask him if he were the Messiah.
John told them he was not, that he was instead “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,” as written in Isaiah 40:33The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3). To “make straight the way of the Lord,” the people must be sorry for sins and be baptized, which showed to others that they knew they deserved death because of sins.
Behold the Lamb of God
God had sent John to baptize, and he was called John the Baptist. He said there was One to come who would be far greater than he. The next day Jesus came there, and John called to the people to “Behold!” He did not say to behold the Messiah; he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
It would be strange to us to hear a man called “a lamb”. We call a little child “a lamb”, meaning it is a pet, or gentle as a lamb. But the men who heard John understood. They had seen a lamb offered because of sin many times, and the man would put his hand on the lamb’s head to show it was taken in his place.
Who Jesus Was and Is
John said the Holy One who had come was chosen and anointed by God, that He saw the Spirit descend and remain on Him. His record or report and message was that Jesus, who stood among them, was the Son of God.
That was wonderful news to the people who were looking for the prophesied Holy One: to know He had come to earth. The next time he spoke we read of men who believed John’s words.
Trust the Sent One
We must believe those same words “Behold the Lamb of God,” for we cannot take our sins from God’s sight either. We can only trust the One God sent, His own Son, that He took our place. When we believe and think of Him as dying for us, we behold Him as God’s Lamb.
Note: “Elias”, verse 21, is the Greek form of Elijah; “Esaias” (v. 23) the Greek for Isaiah; and “Messias” (v. 41) for Messiah, the anointed; in our language, the Christ.
Further Meditation:
1. What did John say he was not worthy to do?
2. How did John know who was the Holy One?
3. The book of Exodus presents the passover Lamb for the first time. There is a nice discussion on the Lord as the Lamb of God in the book Typical Teachings of Exodus by E. Dennett. You might have access to that book and enjoy reading the relevant section about the Lord.