It’s God’s Work in You

Today’s passage is John 1:29-39.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

John 1:29 (NIV)
²⁹  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

On verse 29:  Here John the Baptist is quoted as calling his younger cousin Jesus “the Lamb of God” (see also verse 36).  Just as God provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice in place of his son Isaac (Genesis 22:8), just as Moses called the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb without defect at Passover to atone for the sins of their firstborn sons (Exodus 12:21), just as the Israelites later would regularly sacrifice a lamb without defect as an atoning sacrifice for their sins (Leviticus 9:3), so Jesus Christ would be the lamb that God would sacrifice to pay for our sins.  John, the apostle writing this gospel, would also write the book of Revelation where again he sees a vision of Jesus in heaven looking like a lamb that has been slain (Revelation 5:6).  Praise God!  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins by the shedding of his precious blood.

John 1:30 (NIV)
³⁰  This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’

On verse 30:  John the Baptist is saying that although Jesus (“a man who comes after me”) was born into this world after John the Baptist, Jesus is still greater than (“has surpassed”) John the Baptist because Jesus is the eternal Son of God who existed long before John the Baptist existed (“because he was before me”).

John 1:31-34 (NIV)
³¹  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
³²  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
³³  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
³⁴  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

On verses 31-34: The reason John the Baptist was able to identify Jesus as the Lamb of God is because God the Father (“the one who sent [John the Baptist] to baptize with water” (v33)), together with the Holy Spirit, revealed this to John the Baptist.  When did this happen?  When John baptized Jesus in water, John saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and remain on Jesus. (v32)  What can we learn from this?

1.     All three Persons of the Trinity were involved at Jesus’ baptism:  God the Father (“the one who sent [John the Baptist] to baptize”), Jesus the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit.

2.     The reason why we are able to recognize Jesus as the Son of God is because God the Father and God the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus to us and help us to see who Jesus really is.  So whenever you recognize Jesus as the Son of God, that is not just you, but it is the work of God the Father and God the Spirit in your life helping you to see that life changing truth.

John 1:35-37 (NIV)
³⁵  The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
³⁶  When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
³⁷  When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

On verses 35-37:  John points two of his disciples to Jesus and calls him the Lamb of God.  This causes John’s disciples to follow Jesus.  Like John the Baptist, you and I are called to point others to Jesus.

John 1:38-39 (NIV)
³⁸  Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
³⁹  “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

On verses 38-39:  Jesus invites John’s disciples to “come and you will see” (v39).  Jesus makes the same invitation to us, inviting us to come and find out who he really is.

Jesus, thank You for being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of this world, including all my sins.  Thank You Heavenly Father and Holy Spirit for helping me to see who Jesus really is.  And thank You Jesus for inviting me to come with You and to see who You really are.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!