John 1:29-42

John the Baptist understood the Passover ritual as a picture of the sacrifice of Christ. Seeing Jesus coming toward him John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (vs. 29). John repeated his prophetic proclamation the next day to a pair of his own disciples as they saw Jesus passing by. He said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (vs. 35). Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. Trusting Him, we experience forgiveness of all sin.

Ponder the Passover story. God prescribed that a lamb be selected from the flock and kept under watchful eye for four days to make certain it was without blemish. Then the family sacrificed the lamb on the prescribed day and sprinkled the blood on both doorposts and above the opening. They feasted on the lamb that night and stayed inside as God strictly charged. At midnight God passed through the land of Egypt. The first-born of man and beast in every unprotected house was taken by the death angel. But God promised his chosen people: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:13).

Note four parallels between the Passover ritual and Jesus the Lamb of God.

Step one: the Lamb is qualified.

The Lamb that would satisfy Holy God must be without blemish. It could be from the sheep or the goats, but it must be without disease or deformity. To make sure, it was shut up from the tenth day of the month until the fourteenth and closely watched.

As the sacrificial lamb was without physical blemish, so our Lord Jesus was free from all moral defects. When he stood trial before the Roman governor, Pilate examined him and reported to the murderous mob: “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 19:4-6). What Pilate said of his brief examination could be said as well of our Lord’s whole three and a half years of public ministry and indeed of his whole thirty-three-year life. He was the only totally sinless person; he was therefore the only one who could possibly be the Lamb without blemish.

Step two: the Lamb is sacrificed.

On the appointed evening, each family slaughtered the lamb. The whole community of Israel participated in the twilight ceremony. Christ, in his death, filled that bloody ritual with eternal meaning.

Throughout Christian history theologians have struggled for the best way to interpret the death of Christ. Origen explained the sacri-fice of Christ in term of a ransom paid for captive souls. Anselm emphasized the satisfying of a debt. Peter Abelard saw the death of Christ as more of a moral influence. Socinius spoke of the atonement as an example. A Dutch teacher named Grotius stressed divine regard for the Law of God.