Daily Devotions
Today’s Reading: John 1:1-34 & Psalm 51
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
I have long desired to own and drive a Cadillac. My wish has been fulfilled, but before deciding to take the plunge, I noticed something. It seemed wherever I went, I saw Cadillacs.
There’s a saying that simply announces: What we need—and want—is what we see. In other words, our wants and needs, our wishes and desires, color the way we see things. We find in Scripture, too, that different people see Jesus according to the wants and needs they have.
Take John the Baptizer. He had a sharp awareness of sin and of the great need to repent. It has been said that John preached only one sermon in his entire ministry—the sermon on the repentance of sin. John saw, as the great need for himself and for all people, the need for someone to take away the guilt of sin. It really does not surprise us, then, to hear John call Jesus the Lamb of God.
Lamb of God? John knew the rich symbolism of the sacrificial lamb. Throughout centuries of Old Testament worship, priests sacrificed unblemished lambs to symbolize the removal of sin. In our text, John—moved and directed by God—publicly testifies that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the one who will remove sin, once and for all. The life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has removed the guilt of sin from John … from me … from you … from the whole world.
Prayer
Lamb of God, because You have forgiven our sins, we come to You as Your beloved sons and daughters to worship and praise You, who lives and reigns to all eternity. Amen.
Response
Reflect on the biblical facts of Galatians 4:4-7. Say to the Lord God Almighty, “Abba, Father,” because He graciously receives you as His son, His daughter by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.