Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 283

October 9;   John 1:29;   69/260(II);   ‘The Lamb of God’

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John the Baptist had already water baptized the Lord Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit descending and coming upon the Lord Jesus.  God revealed to John that the One that the Holy Spirit came upon and remained on, was the Son of God.  Now, after this had happened, John sees the Lord Jesus coming and calls Jesus the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’  Who Jesus was, was revealed to John supernaturally.  Why was Jesus called the Lamb of God?  The Old Testament sacrifices were all types of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, on our behalf, for our sins.  The animal sacrifices were a preview of what Jesus was to do for us.  The innocent blood of the animal was shed for the sins of the Jews.  The sacrifices were done continually, year after year, because the blood of animals could not cleanse the people of their sins, the animal blood could only cover the sins of the people.  The continual sacrifices of the animals for the sins of the people was a continual reminder that they were sinners.  Remember also that it was the blood of a lamb that was spread around the sides and top of the outside of the door of the Jews’ homes on the Passover.  This is what was done to protect the first born of the Jews when they were still in Egypt.  The death of the first born was the last plague upon the Egyptians, and by it the Jews left Egypt.  The lamb’s blood protected the first born of the Jews from the death angel.  Jesus’ blood was shed once for the cleansing of our sins.  Our sins are not covered by animal blood, they are cleansed by Jesus’ blood.  Jesus was our Passover Lamb. His blood saved us from eternal death.