When John the Baptist first laid eyes on Jesus Christ, he shouted, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The Baptist, we are told, had two of his followers with him at the time, Andrew and one who is unnamed, but probably was the apostle John. When the two were pointed to Christ by their teacher and mentor, they went to the Savior and asked, “Where are you staying?” He told them to follow Him and He would show them where He was staying. And so they did follow (John 1:35-40).
Oh what those disciples saw as they followed the Lamb! They saw miracles and they saw faith in action. They saw great crowds gather in wonder and they saw many who rejected all that Jesus was and did. They saw Jesus walk on water, feed thousands, heal the sick, make the lame walk, give sight to the blind, and forgive the lowly sinner. They saw Jesus confront the legalism of His day and embrace the purity of genuine belief.
When Jesus says, “Come,” what is your response? There is no offer of a good life in this invitation. Is Jesus enough? Absent from the Lord’s invitation is any sense of protection from those who hated Jesus and that for which He stood. Jesus was the Light, the Life, the Lamb and the personification of God’s grace and truth. The religious among them were offended by this. They accused Jesus of being of the devil (Matt. 12:24), and they conspired to kill Him, which they did in a most gruesome manner.
The slaughter of Jesus on the cross on Calvary was the most heinous crime ever committed in the history of man. Jesus Christ, sinless, holy, unblemished, was arrested, falsely accused, tortured, falsely convicted and killed by crucifixion. And this crime in all it’s horrible details presents the precise and perfect fulfillment of prophecy and legitimizes John the Baptist’s proclamation: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The perfect, unblemished Lamb of God died the horrible death of crucifixion so that all who would come to Him would find forgiveness from and reconciliation with God Almighty. Jesus served as the Passover Lamb for countless millions of His followers who were born lost in sin and condemned to eternal hell, yet found the hope of the glory to come (Rom. 5:1-8) in the death and resurrection of a living Savior whose name is Jesus.
Join us this Sunday at 10 a.m., this Sunday at Big Woods Church to learn more about the Lamb of God who takes away your sins. We’re located at 3003 N. Eola Rd., in Aurora, Illinois, at the corner of Butterfield and Eola. Stop by early for a cup of coffee. We look forward to meeting you.
Blessings!
Pastor Bill
