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, "Look, 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!

Verse 29 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. Instead of a lamb, the sin offering specified in the book of Leviticus is a goat. Lambs were sacrificed in the temple for Passover, but goats were cast out of the camp. Jesus will be taken outside the walls of the city to be sacrificed on the cross.

This verse is also the first of seven "witnesses" in the gospel of John. These 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 of verse 29 occur the day after the Baptist's conversation with the Pharisees' messengers. It's likely that many of the same people were there once again.

John 1:29–42 is a conversation between Jesus and John the Baptist, and records the moment when 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 tells two of his followers, 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 identical to 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 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.