The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
“Lamb of God” is the name John the Baptist gave Jesus when he saw him coming: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” In one phrase, John summed up why Jesus came.
The image reaches back through all of Israel's history — the Passover lamb whose blood spared God's people, the lambs offered daily for sin. All of it pointed forward to one final Lamb who would take sin away for good.
What no animal sacrifice could truly accomplish, Jesus did. As the Lamb of God, he took our sin upon himself and bore it to the cross, so that we could be forgiven and made clean.
This name holds the gospel in miniature. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain in our place — and the wonder of it is that God himself provided the sacrifice his justice required.
See also
The Good Shepherd
Jesus' own name for himself — the shepherd who knows his sheep and dies for them.
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Christ's title in Revelation — the royal Lion who has triumphed.
Immanuel
The name of the promised child — God himself come to be with us.
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