The year was 2019. The month was November, the day, the 6^th. The venue: Our first-born son, Ekow’s primary school, and the occasion, parents’ evening. Nothing could have prepared me for what awaited me that evening. I will never forget the expression on the teacher’s face as I entered the room. I hardly sat myself down when she said: “How do you do it? What is your secret?” The question completely threw me off. Before I could respond, she continued, “I wish I had 23 Ekows in my class!”. “He is so polite, so well-behaved, he is such a delight to have in my class!” She added, “So, how did you raise him? How did you do it?”

I stuttered. “Err…erm…” “At home, we try to erm…”, “It’s their mum… erm…”. Finally, I managed to say, “It’s so kind of you to say… I’m so pleased to hear you say that!” I missed a golden gospel opportunity. Ekow’s light shone brightly in his new school (he had started there only the previous year), and his teacher noticed it and wanted to know our secret.

Did we have a special formula for raising our kids? No, we didn’t. Did Ekow eat different meals from his classmates? Perhaps. But was it down to anything in us that he was shining in school? Of course not! However, we did have something up our sleeves! We had Jesus; our kids have been learning about Him at home from infancy and have grown to love Him for themselves. So, if there was any praise, if there was any virtue, or if we had anything to boast of, it was to boast that Ekow knew the Lord, which was why he was who he was. This was the perfect opportunity to point Ekow’s teacher to Jesus, but I blew it! Perhaps you, too, can identify with a time when you were presented with the ideal gospel moment where you could testify about your faith, but you failed to “carpe momentum!” (Seize the moment!).

Not John the Baptist. When faced with an enquiry about who he was and the secret to his ministry, he was able to milkshake the situation into one of the most powerful witnesses about Jesus in holy writ. That inquiry sets the scene for our opening passage. You will find that in John 1:19-28.

A little introduction to John’s gospel is fitting. John, the beloved’s goal in his gospel is to prove “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31). And in so doing, he marshals at least seven powerful witnesses. John’s (the baptist’s) witness in our opening text is the first witness John presents. The Wycliffe Bible commentary notes,

“In his burning desire to magnify Christ, John turned an inquiry about himself into a strong witness to the greater One about to manifest himself.”

In this series of articles, we will explore John’s (the baptiser’s) testimony about Jesus in detail. First, we will set the scene and situate our passage within its proper context. Then, we will focus our attention on, “Who is this Lamb who takes away the sin of the world”? We will then seek to understand what it means to take away the sin of the world. We will probe the question, “Why did John use this description of Christ as a Lamb and not any other, for example, a Lion?” And finally, we’ll look at the response of John’s hearers and what our own response should be.

Setting the scene

Let’s recount the events of that fateful day. The Jews (by which John the beloved means the Jewish authorities, who were often opposed to Christ) had sent priests and Levites to ask John whether he was the Christ, Elijah or the prophet. John did not mince words. He declared unwaveringly: “I am not the Christ, nor the prophet – I am only the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

But his inquisitors were not satisfied. They pressed further, “If you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, then why are you baptizing?” To which John (the baptiser) waxed even more eloquent. “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” John (the beloved) does not record it in his gospel, but this was the same day that John (the baptiser) baptised Jesus. John’s (the baptiser’s) words in vv. 30-34 give this away. Matthew 3:11-17 places John’s words in that passage squarely at the baptism of Jesus.

Now we’ve got to ask why the Jewish authorities interrogated John this way. We can point to at least two reasons.

First off, the strong preaching of John, which had captivated the multitudes, had piqued the interest of the Jewish leaders. Who was this new preacher who was drawing masses to the wilderness? Matthew 3:5-6 records that “Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” So, given the size of John’s congregation, the authorities were beginning to wonder, “Could this be the Messiah?”

But even more important was that he was baptising those who came to him. You see, one of the things baptisms symbolised to the Jewish people was leadership. This is implied in Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2:

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.“

What does Paul mean by the Israelites being baptised into Moses? Let’s unpack this. The children of Israel had just been freed from slavery in Egypt and were on their way to the promised land. They were camped at Pi hahiroth, by the sea, when they saw Pharaoh and his army hard in pursuit, hoping to capture and send them back to bondage. God commanded Moses to stretch out his rod over the red sea, at which it parted in two for them to walk through. So, as they marched through the red sea, following Moses, we see a clear sign of their freedom from slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh and their submission to the leadership of Moses, who would lead them into the promised land. Thus, the Holy Spirit writing through Paul indicates that at that point, they were being baptised into Moses—i.e., they had severed their ties with Pharaoh and Egypt once and forever and were now following Moses’ leadership. (Just as the believers’ baptism signifies our being buried to the old nature (freedom from sin and the devil’s tyranny) and our new life and decision to follow Jesus). That is why God consistently warned them not to return to Egypt because it represented a return to the leadership of Pharaoh, if you like.

So here was John the baptiser, baptising the multitudes who came to him. And the Jewish leaders wondered with what authority was he baptising the people. Could it be he was the Christ? So, you see why they asked those piercing questions. And thus, John had to clarify. He said, “I merely baptise with water – indicating that you have a sin problem and need purification. But I cannot take away your sin, no. There is One among you, whom you do not know; He will perform the ultimate work of purification.”

So, we arrive at the next day after all these have occurred. John is once more thundering from the wilderness, calling the people to repentance in preparation for the Messiah, in true fashion to his calling. Then he sees Jesus coming toward him and declares to his multitudinous congregation: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John says, “Look, guys, you’ve got it all wrong! You’re making a big fuss about me, but your attention is in the wrong place. You are focusing your energies on me, a mere messenger. I am only a shadow; this is the real thing! Focus your attention on Him! He’s the one I want you to fall in love with, not me.” And so, that’s what we’ll do in the subsequent posts.

And like John, that’s what we ought to call those around us to do, in our words and deeds.

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For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. Romans 10:12

Perharps, humans rights are the most discussed and debated topic worldwide. Sinclair Ferguson, in his book Child in the Manager, wrote that “Equality is one of the big words of our time. Equal rights, equal opportunity,  equal remuneration, and of course equality of sexes. ‘Equality and justice for all’ is the slogan of our day as activists and politicians clamour for a fair and equal society'”¹

We live in a world of entitlements and ‘rights movements’ are ubiquitous. A plethora of legislation are in place by various bodies with the aim of protecting the rights of people. The most sensitive is the fight against racial discrimination. It manifests in various forms. I was born in 1978 and I grew up to witness stories of the apartheid regime of South Africa through the media; especially television and movies.

As the equal right movements rises to its crescendo, it is worth noting it is not a modern phenomenon though. Ancient civilisations encountered their own problems with racial discrimination. Even in first century Christianity for example, there was racial discrimination manifested in the upkeep of some widows: “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution”. (Acts 6:1).

‘The Hebrews against the Hellenist– Greek speaking Jews’. This shouldn’t happen among Christians you may say, but right there in the bible, we see discrimination manifested. This clearly tells us it is an age old problem and its root is sin. All humankind are image bearers of God and we ought to love one another: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26).

But as image bearers of God, do we love one another? The solution lies in the Gospel. In Christ, there is no Jew nor Greek nor Gentile nor babarian. There is no African, no European, no Asian, no American—–we are one body in Christ (see Ephesians 2:13-18). Legislation and human will may deal with the problem superficially, but the Gospel will uproot it from the heart of sinners. God is no respecter of persons. The Gospel breaks racial barriers. Jesus calls everyone — irrespective of your race or tribe or skin colour — to salvation through faith in Him. Come just as you are without one plea and He will receive you.

Behold a beautiful sight John beheld in heaven:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10).

Notes

1: Sinclair B Fegurson, Child In The Manager (2015). Reprint, Edinburgh, Truth For Life (2016) Pg 107.

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