Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ''John 1:29''
There were a lot of people in Jesus` day who were trying to claim the title "Messiah." Guess how many people were trying to claim the title "Lamb of God?" Nobody. What happens to the Lamb of God? Each year at Passover, every family would select a lamb to be sacrificed. It was a way of expressing that something`s gone wrong with us that the human race has made a mess of our world, and we can`t make it right. We need forgiveness. We need for it to be atoned for, and we can`t do it ourselves. When He is twelve years old, Jesus goes to the Temple where they are celebrating Passover. He sees the lamb laid on the altar. He sees it slain, its blood shed. I wonder what He thought. Behold the Lamb of God.
Jesus` message is that our problem is not just a Roman problem; it`s not just a problem out there; it`s a sin problem. Messiah has come, but He hasn`t come just for Israel. He`s come for the whole world the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. The way that Messiah will bring the Kingdom to earth is not by conquest, power, violence and anger, but through love and sacrifice the way of the Cross.
We all have our own stories. We all want a Messiah who is strong, who will fix things up out there, make our circumstances the way we want them to be. But we need a Messiah who will fix things up in here"in our hearts.
By: John Ortberg
Category: Paul Describes Jesus as a Sacrifice for Humankind
