Sermon -- 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (January 15, 2023)

JOHN 1:29-41

BEHOLD!  THE LAMB OF GOD!

In the name + of Jesus.

     When John the Baptist saw Jesus walking by, he appeared to be just another Jewish man among the crowds who came to hear John preach.  In fact, John himself did not make much of Jesus when he first saw him.  John admitted, “I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:33).  It is exactly as Isaiah had declared: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). 

     This is the way it always is with Jesus.  When he was born, there was nothing spectacular about the birth itself.  Bystanders would have witnessed a young Jewish peasant who delivered a baby boy.  The spectacular part of Jesus’ birth came out in the fields among the shepherds.  The angels appeared to them to reveal what was really going on in Bethlehem: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). 

     Of course, Mary and Joseph knew, but not because the delivery of the baby was miraculous.  There was no special glow around the manger or halo over Jesus’ head.  Mary and Joseph knew that their baby boy was the Son of God because an angel had made it known to them.  The word of God revealed to them the divine nature of this human baby.  They took it on faith, not by sight.  And so it is with anyone.

     If you want to know who Jesus truly is and why it matters to you, it must be revealed to you through the word of God.  If you don’t have the word of God, you might say some nice things about Jesus, but you will not rightly honor him or benefit from his work. 

     Jesus’ identity was revealed to John by the word of God.  “He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:33).  What was revealed to John he made known to all who were there.  John pointed to Jesus—quite literally—and declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)!  Not only did John identify Jesus, he began to direct his own disciples over to Jesus.  John was a prophet, but Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Lamb of God.  He is the one whom all people need.  So, “the next day again John … looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:35-36). 

     The two disciples followed Jesus and then spent the day with him.  By their conversations with Jesus, those two disciples were even more convinced that Jesus is the Christ.  By the end of the day, Andrew was compelled to find his brother and to spread the news: “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41).

     Behold, the Lamb of God!  Could there be a more vivid description of Jesus?  He is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament—both religious ceremonies and prophecies.  Every day, lambs were presented at the temple.  In both the morning and evening sacrifices, lambs were slain for the sins of the people.  Their blood was shed and splashed against the side of the altar.  Their bodies were put on the altar and turned to smoke.  The smoke was a pleasing aroma to the Lord.  On account of the lambs that were slain, the Lord did not count the sins of the people against them.  When the people saw the smoke rising from the altar, they knew that God’s mercy rested upon them.  This happened every morning and every evening so that the people’s hope and comfort remained constant.  But now, Jesus had come: Behold, THE Lamb of God!

     The sacrifice of lambs goes all the way back to the first chapters of Genesis.  You recall that Cain and Abel presented offerings to the Lord.  Sadly, Cain did not believe the promises of God.  He went through the motions of worship and was angry that the Lord did not accept his bloodless sacrifice of vegetables.  But Abel, trusting in God and his promises, “brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions” (Genesis 4:4).  Now, a question arises here: How did they know that sacrifices, more specifically blood sacrifices, were the way that God wanted to be worshiped?

     I suppose we could chalk it up to conscience.  Our consciences bear witness that we have dishonored the Lord with our lives.  We feel bad when our sins harm other people, and rightly so.  Sins are wicked and they are hurtful.  They cause strife.  They destroy trust.  They show people how little we think or care for them.  It is right to confess our sins against one another, to seek forgiveness from each other, and to turn from our self-centered ways and instead show love, respect, and concern for our fellow man.

     Some sins do not harm our fellow man.  Many people insist that such private sins are fine, but that is a lie.  Every sin—whether it is private or public—is an attack on God.  Every sin—whether it is committed by your hands or only in your head—is rebellion against his word.  Our baptism rite reminds us of the depth of our sinful condition.  You will notice that it is not that it does not address how we treat each other; it speaks about our relationship with God.  It says: “We are without true fear of God and true faith in God.”  In other words, we don’t believe God, trust him, fear him, or love him.  If we did, we would not only keep his commands, we would do it with delight rather than with resentment.  But because we are sinners, we become angry and defensive when his word confronts us.  We insist that God needs to change and not be so rigid that he turns people away.  The sinful condition is turned away from God.  We are turned in on ourselves.  We want our will to be done, to be our own gods.  The devil deceived Adam and Eve that they could be like God, and it still the desire of the sinful heart.

     Our consciences testify against us that we have sinned against God.  That is why we feel guilt and are afflicted with fear.  We deserve God’s punishment.  Why else would we feel guilty?  “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and after death comes judgment.  Why else would we fear death?  So, how do we fix it?

     When a husband does something to upset his wife, he will perform some act of kindness to try to show he is sorry.  He may try to make amends by buying a bouquet of flowers, making a meal, or completing a project he had promised to do.  It may or may not work.  But how can we make amends with God?  Throughout all generations and cultures, many have concluded that some act of sacrifice is needed.  Something must be put to death to atone for people who deserve death.  Whether it is an animal consumed on an altar or a virgin thrown into a volcano, people have used sacrifices to appease God’s wrath.  Perhaps that practice goes all the way back to Cain and Abel.  Cain and Abel likely worshiped that way because that is what God told them to do.  Perhaps the practice continued, though corrupted over time by sinful people.

     But not all the blood of beasts on Israel’s altar slain could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain.  Morning and evening, lambs were slain.  It had to be done day after day and year after year, because they could not atone for our sins.  But God had commanded the Israelites to worship this way because it pointed to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Behold! The Lamb of God!  Jesus is the fulfillment of every blood sacrifice.  For, Jesus Christ is not just another person who was put to death.  As John the Baptist declared, “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34).  It is the Son of God in the flesh who dies for your sins.  His holy body was consumed in the fiery wrath of God’s judgment.  His divine blood was splashed on the cross to atone for the sin of the world.  Jesus is the propitiation for sins; that is, Jesus’ sacrifice appeases God’s wrath.  Isaiah foretold it: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

     Behold, the Lamb of God!  He is also the true Passover Lamb.  The first Passover lambs were slain when the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt.  The Lord had told them that he would kill every firstborn in Egypt.  But to deliver the people of Israel, the Lord told them to take a lamb without defect and slaughter it.  They were to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their houses.  When the angel saw the blood of the lamb, he would pass over their homes so that death would not come to them.  The Israelites celebrated this deliverance annually.  It was ingrained into them: The blood of the lamb delivers us from death.  The blood of the lamb delivers us from death.  Behold, the Lamb of God!  He is the true Passover Lamb who delivers you from death.  He died the cursed death you deserve so that you will not be consumed in God’s fiery wrath.  He has also conquered death so that the grave must give you back.  Through holy baptism, the blood of the Lamb marks you so that the curse of death passes over you.

     Behold, the Lamb of God!  We feast each week on the Lamb of God to partake in his benefits.  In some churches, when the bread and the wine have been consecrated according to God’s word, the pastor will present them and declare, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  These words proclaim the death of Jesus by which we are forgiven, and they declare that Jesus is truly present to make us partakers of his death and resurrection.  The pastor makes the proclamation, and the people respond with their own confession, singing, “O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world.  Have mercy upon us.  Grant us your peace.”  In the sacrament of holy communion, we are marked once again by the blood of the Lamb.  Jesus comes to us to have mercy upon us.  We feast on the Lamb who grants us his peace. 

     Just as the appearance of Jesus was common and unspectacular, so the appearance of the bread and wine are common and unspectacular.  This is why God must reveal what is really going on.  The word of God reveals that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  The word of God reveals that this bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ for you, for the forgiveness of sins.  And you, who may seem common and unspectacular to the world, are the redeemed of God, the children of the resurrection, and the heirs of eternal glory.  God has revealed that to you so that you can have comfort through this life and confidence for the world to come.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.