Day 240.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 ESV)
John the Baptist was baptizing people in order to prepare the way for Jesus. Those he baptized were people who knew they were sinners and were felt the weight of their own guilt. They were people filled with regret for their past and wanted to repent, to turn away from it and be rescued from it. This is still how we are prepared for the Lord. It isn’t until a person is broken down by his own failures and guilt and realizes that no amount of trying harder is going to fix him that he comes to Jesus for rescue. But those that do come looking for rescue, find it. Jesus is “the Lamb of God that comes to take away the sin of the world.” In the Old Testsment the Jews sacrificed lambs for their sin. The picture was of the lamb taking their place in paying the penalty they deserved. Of course, a lamb can never really take away sin because it bears no real relationship to the sinner. But Jesus does. Jesus was baptized himself to identify with the sinner, even though he was not a sinner, so that his death would be for those who repent and receive him as he is, Lord and savior. To those who receive him, that is, put their trust in Him as Savior and Lord, become children of God. The guilt of their sin is taken away and they are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who opens their eyes to see and understand the greatness of God’s love for them and give them the strength to say no to sin.
Have you wrestled with your sin to the point of giving up on your own attempts to overcome it? Have you received Jesus as your savior and Lord?
McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: 1 Sa 20, 1 Co 2, Lam 5, Jn 1
