The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world

The Baptist’s Declaration. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he announced, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29). How is Jesus a lamb? How does Jesus take away sins?

The Paschal Lamb of Passover. On the night before the first Passover, God told Moses to tell the Israelites that each family was to procure a lamb, a one-year-old male without blemish, and that it was to be slaughtered. Then, its blood was to be applied to the two wooden doorposts and the lintel, the horizontal wooden crosspiece over the door (see Ex 12:1-7). Then, later that night when the firstborn of the Egyptians died, the Destroyer, upon seeing the blood on the lintel and doorposts, would pass over the Israelite homes and no destructive blow would come upon them (Ex 12:12-13). It was by the blood of the paschal lamb that they were saved.

Jesus, the Paschal Lamb. The apostle Paul explained, “Our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7). The paschal lamb was a male; Jesus was a male. The paschal lamb was without blemish; Jesus was without sin. The paschal lamb was slaughtered; Jesus was crucified. The homes of the Israelites had wooden doorposts and a wooden lintel; the cross had wooden beams. The blood of the paschal lamb was applied to the doorposts and lintel; the blood of Jesus was applied to the crossbeams. The Israelites were saved from the destructive blow of the Destroyer because of the blood of the paschal lamb; the world is saved from the destructive power of sin and eternal punishment by the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross. The apostle Peter explained that humanity is ransomed “with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb” (1 Pt 1:19).

The Sacrificial Lamb in the Meeting Tent and the Temple. Moses also instructed the Israelites that “you shall regularly offer on the altar: two yearling lambs as the sacrifice established for each day; one lamb in the morning and the other lamb at the evening twilight” (Ex 29:38-39; see also Nm 28:3-8). The lamb was to be a male, and it served as a reparation offering made by the priest at the altar in atonement for the sins of the people (see Lv 14:12-24).

Jesus, the Sacrificial Lamb. The sacrificial lamb was offered on an altar; Jesus was offered on the altar of the cross. The sacrifice was offered by a priest; Jesus is both priest and victim. Sacrificial lambs were offered every day, and the sacrifice was repeated indefinitely; Jesus was offered only once, and the sacrifice was so efficacious that it never needs to be repeated. “The blood of … Jesus cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7b).

The Suffering Servant. Isaiah speaks of the Servant of the Lord who was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Is 53:7). He is the just one who had done nothing wrong (Is 53:9). The Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all (Is 53:6). He was pierced for our sins and crushed for our iniquities (Is 53:5). He surrendered himself to death and justified the many (see Is 53:11,12).

Jesus, the Suffering Servant of the Lord. Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus, the lamb, had done nothing wrong, yet the Father laid upon his Son the guilt of us all, and Jesus surrendered himself to death on the Cross to wash away our sins. It is by the blood of the Lamb that our sins are washed away, and we are saved.