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Gospel: John 1: 29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The first time John the Baptist lays eyes on Jesus in John’s Gospel, he cries out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”
The priest repeats these same words every time he presents the Eucharist to the faithful at Mass. So, where do these words come from? Or, what, exactly, do they mean?
As with many questions about Christianity, the answer is rooted in the Old Testament.
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The Old Testament is a story of covenants – or agreements – between God and his people, Israel.
After Israel officially became a nation, God made his first covenant with them, the 10 Commandments. So long as the Jews followed the commandments faithfully, they would remain bound and blessed as God’s people.
However, if the covenant were broken, then, according to covenantal law, blood had to be shed, which is why animal sacrifice develops in the Book of Leviticus.
Each time Israel broke one of the Commandments, they had to atone for their sins by offering a sacrifice. Poor lambs!
Although this sounds strange to us today, God was using this ancient sacrificial system to prepare the way for his Son, who in John’s words is, “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
At the Cross, Jesus becomes the spotless Lamb, the God-man, who atones for the sins of the entire world by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice.
What he has left behind is a new, eternal covenant sealed in his Blood: the Eucharist, which renews God’s commitment to us – and ours to him – daily.
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The next time you are at Mass, look upon Jesus with eyes of faith. There he is in that little Host, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Yours and mine.
Now and forever.
Thanks be to God.
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Image credits: (1) Behold the Lamb of God, Fr. Gabriel Stack (2) Van Eyck, Lamb of God (3) The Catholic Leader