in their Old Testament. “Are you Elijah then,” they asked, and he answered, “No, I am not.” “Are you any one of the other great prophets?” they asked. Again he answered, “No, I am not.”
John then told those who were sent to ask Him these questions that he was only like the voice of one crying in the wilderness calling for the nation to make ready for and accept Jesus the Messiah. His questioners appear perplexed at John’s answers. They asked him another question, “Why are you baptizing Jews in the Jordan?” His response to this question gave John occasion to do what God had called him to do—to introduce them to Jesus. Here then we have the beautiful portrait of Jesus as the Lamb of God, His sacrifice for sin.
This Lamb is God’s Lamb. Unlike any of the lambs sacrificed by the Jews before, Jesus “takes away the sin of the world” (v. 29). This is the key verse for this portrait of Jesus. Among the Jews there had to be repeated sacrifices of lambs year after year continually. Why was this necessary? It was because the sacrifice of those lambs merely covered sin for the period between the sacrifices. In striking contrast, the one sacrifice of Jesus, God’s Lamb, on the cross took away the sin. It was a full, final, forever sacrifice, not just for the sin of some but for the sin of the whole world of mankind. However, just as in the old economy’s sacrificial system where the one making the sacrifice needed to believe God—that the sacrifice covered the sin until the next time of sacrifice—so the sacrifice, the substitution Jesus made, must be received by faith in order to be beneficial (v. 12).
The second witness John the Baptist gave of Jesus as the Lamb of God was of Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit. This baptism was still future when John wrote. He contrasted his baptism of Jews who had repented with that of Jesus’ baptism “in the Holy Spirit” (v. 33). Jesus was the all-important One, not John. What John the Baptist did was prepare the way, remind the Jews that their Messiah had come and would identify them with the Holy Spirit, the Third Member of the Godhead.
John tells us in another portrait he paints of Jesus that Jesus would send the Holy Spirit after His return to the Father (John 16:7). The apostle Paul made clear that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would baptize believing sinners into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–13). So, who then would be the Agent in this Spirit baptism, Jesus or the Spirit Himself? The answer is that both the Spirit and Jesus are Agents in Spirit baptism. Jesus is the Agent because He sent the Holy Spirit. So is the Spirit the Agent because of Paul’s clear statement in 1 Corinthians 12:12. This baptism in the Spirit and by the Spirit began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
This portrait of Jesus as the Lamb of God included Him as the Son of God (John 1:34).
Jesus’ Disciples’ Witness of Jesus as the Lamb of God, vv. 35–51
Andrew and Simon apparently followed after Jesus in response to John the Baptist’s calling Him “the Lamb of God” (vv. 36–37). When Jesus saw them following Him, He asked them what they wanted. Their answer was, “Where are You staying?” Jesus then invited them to come with Him. They stayed until about “the tenth hour” (v. 39) which was 10:00 a.m. Roman time and 4:00 p.m. Jewish time.
Andrew and Simon Peter were brothers and the former introduced the latter to Jesus. What a beautiful picture we have here of how without any formal Biblical training, Andrew introduced his brother Peter to Jesus. As far as we know, Andrew was not a great preacher, not very famous. However, one thing he knew for sure, he had found the long-awaited Messiah. And from that day on in every reference of him in Scripture he is bringing someone to Jesus (John 1:42; 6:8–9; 12:20–22)
Philip and Nathanael also were a part of this portrait of Jesus as the Lamb of God. In the case of Philip, Jesus sought him out. Would he have come to Jesus on his own later? We do not know for sure but very likely he would have come. When Jesus found Philip, He said to him, “Follow Me” (v. 43). This man was from the same city as Andrew and Peter were. That was the city of Bethsaida, north and east of Nazareth in Galilee.
After Philip met Jesus, he wasted no time to introduce Him to his friend Nathanael. We have found the Messiah promised in our Scripture he told Nathanael. He is the One whom Moses wrote about. He was fully convinced that Jesus met all the requirements predicted of the Messiah.
At first Nathanael was not so sure that Philip was right about his claim. The city of Nazareth had a bad reputation in those days. Many questioned whether any good thing could come out of it. Philip knew all about what many thought of Nazareth; but to convince his friend that Jesus was a unique exception to the damaging slogan, he said, “Come and see” (v. 46).
When Jesus, the Lamb of God, saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He commended him for being an Israelite without deceit or guile (v. 47). This shocked Nathanael, and he bravely asked Jesus how He knew him. Remember, as far as we know, Nathanael had not met Jesus before this encounter. Jesus obliged him with His answer. “I saw you one day when you were under a fig tree before Philip ever called you to come and meet me.” That commendation from Jesus and the fact that He had seen Nathanael under the fig tree convinced Nathanael that Jesus was all He claimed to be, very God of very God. Most certainly the Spirit of God had prepared him for this encounter with Jesus. Because he had believed the minimal revelation about Jesus, God would grant him greater and fuller revelation.
Personal Application
You may be asking, So what? Jesus is the Lamb of God whom John portrayed in the passage studied here. How does that relate to me or affect me? First, this portrait should remind us that we all need a sacrifice for our sin that satisfies God. Adam and Eve tried to make themselves acceptable to God by covering themselves with fig leaves. That did not satisfy God. He rejected their efforts and made them a covering from an animal caught in a thicket. And remember, God requires a perfect sacrifice and only He could provide that. Second, if we have accepted God’s Lamb as our Savior, our Sacrifice, we should be sharing Him with others just like Andrew and Philip did.
Study Questions
1. Name some unique things about John the Baptist.
2. Why did the Jews think they did not need John’s message?
3. What exactly was the heart of John’s message?
4. When did the baptism by the Spirit occur?
5. What examples did Andrew and Philip set for us?
6.
7.
The One with Divine Authority
Portrait 3
John 2
Genuine credentials are always necessary to establish one’s authority over others. Such authority may be verified in a number of ways. A policeman’s uniform, his badge, and his revolver by his side silently announce his authority. When the president of the United States chooses and sends an ambassador to another country, that person must have the credentials to verify his role as ambassador. From that point on he or she is then acknowledged as an official representative of the USA.
Jesus’ Authority at a Wedding, vv. 1–11
As Jesus began His public ministry as the Son of God on earth, He early on gave convincing evidence that He was who He claimed to be and whom He had come to make known. In John 2 we see that Jesus chose to demonstrate His authority to two different groups of people at two different occasions and locations. The first was at a wedding. This first group was for the most part His friends. At least those present at the great social event were not trying to find fault with Him.
The wedding incident took place soon after Jesus
