Rev. Troy Lynn Pritt January16, 2011 Page 1 BEHOLD! THE LAMB OF GOD John 1:29-42 I became a member of the Armistead Gardens Presbyterian Church when I was twelve years old. This was at the end of several months of classes on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, memorizing it, and then being questioned by the members of the Session. I was a member of the church but I had not been born again. I had not had a saving encounter with Jesus Christ. I was approved by the Session but I was not approved by God. When I was fourteen years old, I was listening to the radio one Saturday morning. A program came on and the speaker was Percy Crawford. He spoke briefly and I knew I had to hear more of what he had to say. It was announced that he would be speaking at a Youth For Christ rally in the Odd Fellows Hall in downtown Baltimore. I went to Marjorie Eisinger, the leader of our church youth group, and told her about this exciting preacher and that we ought to take the whole youth group to hear him. About a dozen of us took the city transit bus to downtown Baltimore and went to this Youth For Christ rally. It was in a huge room on the second floor of the Odd Fellows Hall. There were hundreds of young people there. The music was terrific, the singing was uplifting. From the moment the speaker began I was riveted to what he was saying. When he gave the invitation to come forward, I was embarrassed but I had to go up and find out more. I accepted Christ as my Savior that day in March. I still have the card I signed that night. The preacher s sermon had the effect of saying to me Behold, the Lamb of God.
Rev. Troy Lynn Pritt January16, 2011 Page 2 1.) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! "This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." (John 1:29-31 NKJV) The preaching of John the Baptist was attracting a lot of attention. The religious leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to investigate. They asked John if he was the Christ or if he was the Prophet or if he was Elijah. He said that he was not any of these. They asked him why he was baptizing if he wasn t Christ, the Prophet, or Elijah. He told them that there was one standing among them that they didn t know. He was coming after him; He was greater than him. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' On the night before the people of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt, every household was commanded to kill a lamb, daub its blood on the lintel of the doorway to their house, roast the lamb, and eat it as a family. That night the angel of the Lord passed over all the homes in Egypt. In those homes (mostly the Egyptians) where the blood of the lamb had not been smeared, the first born child was slain. The Jews still celebrate the Passover every year. In one church that I served there were at least half dozen sheep farmers. A week or so before Passover they shipped boxcar loads of lambs to Philadelphia to be sold to Jews for their Passover. Jesus, the Lamb of God, by His one sacrifice paid for the sins of the world. not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-- He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (Hebrews 9:25-27 NKJV)
Rev. Troy Lynn Pritt January16, 2011 Page 3 2.) "I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." (John 1:31-34 NKJV) John s account of Jesus baptism is not as detailed as the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John the Baptist s account of Jesus baptism is bracketed by the statement I did not know Him. The first time he says this he says all that he knew about the Christ is that he would be revealed to Israel and that his role in this was to go forth preaching a baptism for repentance. The second time he says I did not know Him. He tells us that God revealed to him, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' When he baptized Jesus, John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus as if a dove. John the Baptist then knew and began testifying that Jesus is the Son of God. We are not told of any reaction by the priests and the Levites. Did the priests and Levites dismiss his testimony as the ravings of a wild man in the desert? This is just as strange as the fact that none of the priests, scribes, or Levites followed the Wise Men to Bethlehem. It is ordinary people, poor people, shepherds, fishermen, sinners, the homeless who hear the Gospel gladly. When John the Baptist was in prison a couple years later, he sent disciples to Jesus to ask, Are you He who is to come, or do we wait for another? What proof did Jesus send back to John that He was indeed the promised Messiah? Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Luke 7:22 NKJV)
Rev. Troy Lynn Pritt January16, 2011 Page 4 3.) Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). (John 1:35-42 NKJV) The priests and Levites went back to Jerusalem with their report. Maybe the religious leaders appointed a committee to discuss their report. The next day John was standing with two of his disciples they were Andrew and John. Again he pointed to Jesus who was walking by and said, Behold the Lamb of God. This time the disciples heard him. And they followed Jesus. Jesus turned to them and asked, What do you seek? You might be puzzled by their answer and Jesus reply. Rabbi, where are You staying? Come and see. Why did they ask Him that? The Carpenters recorded a cute song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David: Why do birds suddenly appear? Everytime you are near. Just like me They long to be Close to you. Why do stars fall down from the sky? Everytime you walk by. Just like me They long to be Close to you. Andrew and John, followers of John the Baptist, wanted to follow and be near Jesus, the Lamb of God and learn more about Him. We now see almost a chain reaction of people wanting to meet and follow Jesus Christ. Andrew found his brother Simon and told him, We have found the Christ. and brought him to Christ. The next day Jesus goes to their town and finds Philip. Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus.
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