John the Baptist is the only person to call Jesus the lamb of God as he prepared the way for the ministry of the Messiah. This God-given discernment about the identity of the Messiah must have stirred his heart for what the Lord was unfolding. John 1:35 The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.[1]
What did John mean when he described Jesus as the “Lamb of God?” John was saying that Jesus would be the perfect sacrifice. 1 John 2:2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. [2] Also, he was saying Jesus would be the Passover lamb. During the days of Moses, shortly before God freed the Israelites from Egypt, He commanded them to place lamb’s blood over their doorposts. In doing so, this was a sign for the angel of death to pass over their home. Similarly, Jesus’ blood would cover us so as believers, our sins could be forgiven, taking us from death to life.
The Sacrifice of Lambs
John called Jesus the Lamb of God just as Jesus began His ministry. Three years later, during Passover, Jesus died for our sins as the Passover Lamb. When Jesus died at 3:00 pm on Good Friday, it was the same time the priests sacrificed the Passover lambs in the Jerusalem Temple. The Old Testament law required the followers of God to sacrifice animals to provide temporary payment for their sins.
Often, the sacrifice would be a lamb that would be the most perfect one they could find. Jesus was God’s son, perfect in every way, and was indeed the Lamb of God. He is our Good Shepherd and the sacrificial Lamb who died for our sins. Jesus was the final sacrifice, and any further sacrifices of animals for our sins would not be necessary. Hebrews 10:10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. [3]
The Names of God
Each time God is given a name in the Bible, it tells something about Him. You may think of a lamb as a furry little animal playing in the meadows or carried in the arms of the shepherd. We think of the lambs in the Bible as being gentle, pure, and innocent, which was also true of Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to be our sacrificial lamb whose blood would be spilled on the cross, enduring a painful death to pay the debt for our sins.
When John the Baptist spoke the words of the Lamb of God, he told us what Jesus’ mission was. When we pray to Jesus, the Lamb of God, we pray to the one who willingly laid down His life as a ransom for many.
To learn how Jesus is the lamb of God, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/from-johns-disciples-to-jesus
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.