On the next day again John was standing there, and two of his disciples, and looking at Jesus as he was walking by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus, turning around and seeing them following him, said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means when translated “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see!” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day (it was about the tenth hour). Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “Christ”). He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is interpreted “Peter”).
This passage takes place the day following John’s confrontation with the emissaries of the high council. Here we see that John finally reveals who he was speaking about the previous day – the man Jesus. You can almost hear the excitement in Johns’s voice as he makes this proclamation, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” I can’t help but read it with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas, finally seeing the gifts that have been given to them. For that is what Christ’s coming was – a gift – one that would provide an answer to the problem that has plagued man almost since his creation.
This passage is rich in depth covering Christ being the Lamb of God, prophecy, preeminence, baptism, the Trinity, and likely more. The purpose of this testimony is to be a confirmation to the reader that the fulfillment of John’s ministry is in this man, Jesus Christ. That Jesus is the one who would save the world for their sins. Jesus is the one who would baptize people with fire. That Jesus was the chosen one of God – the long-awaited Messiah.
Christian, this is still true! Christ is the answer to the problem that every one of us faces day in and day out. Sin still roams around looking for victims, the answer to that disease is Christ. Christ is the answer to the question “How can I be free from my sin?” He is the answer to the question “How can I be saved from death?”He is the answer to “How can I have peace in my life?” Christian, Christ is the answer to your problem! He is not some genie who will make it all go away if you click your heels 3 times and say a magic word, but He will redeem you, He will preserve you, and He will love you.
Suffering is the wage that comes with being sinners in a sinful world, He will not save you from it, but He will save you in spite of it.
