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!
As you read the entire first chapter of John, we see the introduction if John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus and the Saviour himself. John was popular; his message was not the usual and the normal that the people had heard from the Pharisees and the priests of their day. This was a message with a different perspective: the law was good, as it pointed us to God's standards for us, but this was a new dispensation of grace and enablement to help us please God. The law could command obedience, but it could not initiate or nurture a relationship with God. This is what John was preaching about and what Jesus came to do. John was quite popular and was mistaken for the Messiah. In fact, the leaders of his day sent high-profile leaders to ask him if he was indeed the Messiah, but of course, a man with no identity crisis does not need human appeal or applause to know, understand, follow and fulfil his purpose.
A desire for the physical and the mundane is what drives men to the extreme and the absurd, where we think we can play God or assist God to make us known to the world. Right from the days of the men of the bible, it has not worked, and it wil not work. Am I one who God can entrust with the deep mysteries of His kingdom? Can He trust that I will not seek glory for myself or try and draw attention to myself? John the Baptist was quick to point men in the right direction: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John knew the limits of his ministry and the purpose of his calling, and he stayed in it. Men could not sway him otherwise, or suggest alternative options to popularity or acceptance. Can this be said of me too? How is my focus at the moment? Is my heart set on the things that God considers important, or are there other 'viable' options fighting for attention?
I must remember that whatever holds my heart defines and dictates my eternal destination. Eventually, the one John had been speaking about approached. Men of the world would seek ways to deflect; John went on to declare publicly, pointing men to the One sent by God to be the Saviour of the world. By John's statement, a lot of things were laid out: the identity of the Saviour, His mission and purpose in the world, and the target audience of his assignment. As John took time to publicly point to the One who can save and deliver from sin, so is God relying on those who know Him now to also be quick to draw the attention of men to Him. The Lamb has come and has been offered as the perfect sacrifice for sin. The gift is given; once and for all. What is your response? May His sacrifice not be in vain over my life? God's time of favour is here.
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