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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 heaven
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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Raising a child is a challenge. Looking back, I’m sure every parent can share heroic stories of all-nighters, unexpected bills, endless chauffeuring, childhood illnesses, unwarranted fears, and the awful heartbreak that comes when your child’s heart breaks.
When your child erupts into tears, you’d do anything to exchange places, bearing all of their pain in your own body. That’s the nature of love – love bears another person’s burdens and desires their good, even if it comes at great personal cost to you.
But when parents see their child smile back at them, when they watch their child flourish, or walk down the aisle on their wedding day, all of the sacrifice is validated. Most, if not all, would say, “I’d do it again.”
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Jesus feels the same way about us.
He willingly bears our sins, shares our pain, offers us his peace, and rejoices when we flourish.
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Last Sunday, we heard the account of Christ’s baptism according to Saint Matthew. Today we hear about the same event according to Saint John.
Interestingly, John’s focus is not on the actual baptism of the Lord – he barely alludes to it. Rather, Saint John focuses on the profession of faith made by John the Baptist when Jesus’ true identity is revealed.
“Behold, the lamb of God,” he says, “who takes away the sin of the world.”
This title – “lamb of God” – speaks to the very heart of who Jesus is. Yet it’s not found in any other Gospel. John himself only uses it twice.
So, why is Jesus “the lamb of God?” And how might this title shape our understanding of him?
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It is difficult for our modern, Western minds to appreciate the depth of John the Baptist’s words, but his profession of faith would’ve ignited an avalanche of meaning for all of the Jews standing on the banks of the Jordan River that day.
Because John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, he understood the logic and prophecies of the Old Testament. John realized that the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac in the Book of Genesis prefigures the sacrifice of Christ.
Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, so God the Father is willing to offer his only Son for our salvation. And just as Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice, so Jesus will carry the wood of the cross.
And when Isaac saw the altar, the fire, and the knife but no lamb to offer, Abraham assured his son, “God himself will provide the lamb.”
Jesus is that lamb.
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Similarly, John would’ve connected the hundreds of thousands of lambs sacrificed in the Temple on the Feast of Passover with the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
Just as lambs were offered in atonement for the sins of Israel, Jesus is the lamb of God, whose death will atone for the sin of the world once and for all.
Most poetically, John identifies Jesus as the Suffering Servant foretold by the prophet Isaiah.
“We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way,” Isaiah proclaimed, “but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he did not open his mouth… My servant, the just one, shall justify many, their guilt he shall bear.”
Christ, the gentle and pure lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world by loving us and giving himself for us.
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How do I experience God’s parental, sacrificial love for me?
And how does that love spill over into my relationships with others?
As Christ’s disciples, we are called to not only love Jesus, but also to live like him, to embody the lamb by making sacrifices for the good of others – the sick, the suffering, the poor, the stranger, the sinner.
As Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote:
“Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes which he looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses the world. Christ has no body now but yours.”
How are we “lambs” of God, Christ for others?
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Just as parents willingly expend themselves for the good of their children, Jesus offers himself for the life of the world.
As his disciples, we are called to do the same – to embody the lamb. To be his voice, his hands, and his feet in this world.
What might that look like for us this week?
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Image credits: (1) The Abbot’s Circle (2) Francisco de Zubarán, Museo del Prado (3) AZ Quotes