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John the Baptist, with his baptism and his new order of things, was neither the Messiah,
nor Elijah, nor "that prophet", by what authority did he baptize? We learn from the
account that those who asked the question were "of the Pharisees", a sect which was most
scrupulous regarding ceremonial. Hitherto baptism had been employed when Gentile
proselytes were admitted into the commonwealth of Israel, but now John is baptizing
Jews as well, and they naturally ask for an explanation. John is only too ready to give the
answer. He tells them that his baptism is but an introductory ceremony. Someone
infinitely superior to himself was already among them, for Whose advent it was John's
office to prepare.
Following this catechism of John, comes his own spontaneous testimony in
verses 29-34. Here we come at once to the heart of the Gospel. At one step we leave the
arguments of the Pharisees and their scruples concerning baptism, for the clear and
evangelical testimony of verse 29:
"Behold the Lamb of God Which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1: 29).
Here, in one brief, clear-cut sentence is crystallized the supreme purpose of the
prologue. It was for this purpose that the Word was made flesh.
"In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in His sight" (Col. 1: 22).
"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, even the devil,
and deliver . . . . ." (Heb. 2: 14, 15).
This same purpose, expressed in varied language, is the testimony of prophet,
evangelist and apostle alike.
Throughout the sacrificial system of the law of Moses, the offering of a lamb is of
constant recurrence. No Jew could forget that at the beginning of every year (Ex. 12: 1)
there was the offering of the Passover lamb, and at the beginning and end of each day the
sacrifice of a lamb upon the altar. There would be one passage, however, that would be
uppermost in their minds when they heard the cry, "Behold the Lamb of God"--the
well-known passage in Isa. 53::
"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter" (verse 7).
"He shall bear their iniquities" (verse 11).
"He bare the sin of many" (verse 12).
It was John's testimony that he was the forerunner of the Lord of Isa. 40:, and the
Lamb of Isa. 53:
The phrase, "That taketh away the sin of the world" is not recorded by the other
evangelists. Matthew, for example, says, "He shall save His people from their sins".
John, however, rejoices to put on record this early testimony. It also is interesting to
note, in passing, that the next occurrence of the word, kosmos, "world", is in John 3: 16.