John Identifies
Jesus as the Messiah
John 1:29–34
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away
the sin of the world! 30This is the One I told you about: ‘After me
comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ 31I
didn’t know Him, but I came baptizing with water so He might be revealed to
Israel.”
32And John testified, “I watched the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested upon Him. 33I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit descending and resting—He is the One baptizing in the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!”[1]
[1]
Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (pp.
31–32). Holman Bible Publishers.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sin! He is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Soon a man far greater than I am is coming, who existed long before me!' I didn't know he was the one, but I am here baptizing with water in order to point him out to the nation of Israel." Then John told about seeing the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending from heaven and resting upon Jesus. "I didn't know he was the one," John said again, "but at the time God sent me to baptize he told me, 'When you see the Holy Spirit descending and resting upon someone—he is the one you are looking for. He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' I saw it happen to this man, and I therefore testify that he is the Son of God."
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
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Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the Temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42). Isaiah 53:7 prophesied that the Messiah, God's servant, would be led to the slaughter like a lamb. To pay the penalty for sin, a life had to be given—and God chose to provide the sacrifice himself. The sins of the world were removed when Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice. This is the way our sins are forgiven (1 Corinthians 5:7). The "world's sin" means everyone's sin, the sin of each individual. Jesus paid the price of your sin by his death. You can receive forgiveness by confessing your sin to him and asking for his forgiveness.
John the Baptist's baptism with water was preparatory, because it was for repentance and symbolized the washing away of sins. Jesus, by contrast, would baptize with the Holy Spirit. He would send the Holy Spirit upon all believers, empowering them to live and to teach the message of salvation. This outpouring of the Spirit came after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven (see 20:22; Acts 2).
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