John 1:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

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

NASB: The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

CSB: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

NLT: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

KJV: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

NKJV: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This uses the fourth of John's seven names for Jesus: "the Lamb of God."

Lambs were required as a yearly sacrifice for all Jewish families. This was for the celebration of Passover. This holiday looked back to the days of Moses, when lambs' blood covered the doors of Israel, and allowed God's judgment to "pass over" them (Exodus 12:22–23). Isaiah 53:12 predicted that the Messiah would "bear the sins of many." The connection to Passover is the primary reason Jesus is referred to as "the Lamb of God." His crucifixion also symbolizes other Old Testament sacrifices. Specifically, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), two male goats were presented for a sin offering. Lots were cast to determine which would be killed and which would be presented alive before God prior to being sent into the wilderness. The high priest would "lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness" (Leviticus 16:21). Jesus was taken outside the walls of the city to be sacrificed on the cross, to bear our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This verse refers again to the first of seven "witnesses" in the gospel of John, namely John the Baptist. These seven "witnesses" are people who specifically state that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. The others include Nathanael (John 1:49), Peter (John 6:69), the blind man (John 9:35–38), Martha (John 11:27), Thomas (John 20:28), and Jesus Himself (John 5:25; John 10:36).

The events mentioned here occur the day after the Baptist's conversation with the Pharisees' messengers (John 1:19). It's likely that many of the same people were there once again.

John 1:29–42 describes more conversations, these between John the Baptist, his disciples, and Jesus. It includes the moment Jesus recruits His first two disciples. Jesus is identified as "the Lamb of God," and "the Son of God." The Baptist describes his vision of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, landing on Jesus. This confirms that He is the Messiah. The Baptist seems to tell John and Andrew to go and follow Jesus. They, in turn, introduce Jesus to Peter.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as "the Word," from the Greek logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names or titles for Christ in this chapter, including "the Son of God," "the Word," and "the King of Israel."

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including "the Word," "the Son of God," and "the King of Israel." This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.