#DailyDevotion We Have Found The Messiah, The Christ!
John 135The next day, while John was again standing with two of his disciples, 36he saw Jesus passing by. “Look at the Lamb of God!” he said. 37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned around and saw them following. “What are you looking for?” He asked them. “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?” they asked Him. 39“Come and you’ll see,” He told them. So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about ten in the morning. 40 One of the two who heard John and then followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (The Greek word for Him is Christ.) 42He brought him to Jesus.
The day after the Baptist proclaimed Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, he sees Jesus again. Again he proclaims Jesus the Lamb of God. It’s a rather peculiar phrase. One may wonder if it were popular during the intertestamental period. But I think it may have its reference here, Genesis 22:8 “God will provide Himself with a sheep for the burnt offering, my son.” If this is the reference then we can see that this Jesus will be the substitute for humanity. More than that, just as the LORD had asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son (Ishmael doesn’t count as legitimate since he was born of Sarah), The LORD himself offers up his only begotten son (as Jesus is designated in John’s gospel, particularly chapter one) as the Lamb who is substituted not only for Isaac but for the whole world.
This tells us something very important namely, if we are going to be saved from sin, death and the power of the devil then God is going to have to provide the work. If our sins are going to be atoned for, if our guilt is going to be removed from us, if our shame is to be taken away, God himself is going to have to do it. And God, the LORD, does do it in the person of his Son, the Word made flesh. He is the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. (Rev. 13:8) We cannot save ourselves. We cannot contribute to our own salvation. The LORD provides the sacrifice that saves us.
Note what happens when the Baptist points Jesus out. Two of John’s disciples followed Jesus. They were John and Andrew. The message of the good news of Jesus Christ incites faith in those who belong to Jesus, who have been chosen by him before the foundation of the world. They went to where Jesus was staying and stayed with him that day. They would be his first disciples. Then notice what happened, Andrew went and told his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messiah.” John brought Peter to Jesus.
And so it is with the Church today, people tell other people they have found the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus. They bring those people to Jesus with their words of good news about what Jesus has done for them. They bring those people to the church i.e. their fellow believers where they hear more about Jesus and what he has done for them. Those who are God’s elect when they hear of Jesus will come with you to Jesus. Those who will reject him will reject you. We can only be like the Baptist and Andrew, behold the Lamb of God, we have found the Messiah, the Christ.
Heavenly Father, when we hear about the salvation you have provided us in Jesus your Son, grant us faith to believe and courage to share the good news, so those appointed to eternal life may be saved through our message of his sacrifice for them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.