A Message For The Ages

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 1:29

John the Baptist was an utterly unique individual.  From the angelic announcement of his birth, to his bizarre attire, to his rough-hewn message and ministry, he captivates our attention.  When he beheld Christ ‘coming toward him,’ he spoke clearly and unmistakably about the Person and Work of Christ.  He said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’  This is a message for the ages.  It spans the whole of the Old and New Testaments.  The first acceptable sacrifice, made by Abel to God, was the sacrifice of a lamb.  Later, Abraham testified, and in his testimony prophesied, ‘The Lord shall provide Himself a lamb.’  When God set the annual calendar for the nation of Israel, He began their year with the sacrifice of the lamb.  Central to the worship of the Tabernacle and the Temple was the sacrifice of the lamb.  John’s message of ‘Behold the Lamb of God would continue on throughout the New Testament.  The once-for-all sacrifice of Christ came at the time of the Passover.  Paul reiterated the message with ‘Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us.’  John saw Christ in Revelation as the ‘Lamb as though it had been slain.’  When he came to the end of his work, he again showed us in the New Jerusalem, ‘the throne of God and of the Lamb.’  This is the message for the ages.  This is the Message which surpasses all others.  ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that You have set forth
the message of Christ, throughout history.
We praise You that we may look backward
and forward and find Christ all along the way.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning