Behold the Lamb of God!  (Jn. 1)

Editor's Note: "There he is!" That's what we shout when we see someone famous, lost, or who we've long anticipated seeing. 

The next part of Handel's Messiah alludes to the moment John the Baptist sees Jesus for the first time, recorded in the opening chapter of the Gospel of John (not the Baptist, but the Apostle). 

It's as if John the Baptist shouts, "That's him;  I told you he was coming! Pay attention to him. That's the real Lamb of God!"

The opening chapter of the Gospel of John mimics the opening of the Old Testament Book of Genesis. Compare the two: 

• Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

• John 1:1-2 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God." 

John  (the Apostle) points to a new genesis, inaugurated by the Word (Jesus the son) coming into the world: a world created through the son in the first beginning. 

God used the Old Testament sacrificial system to symbolize the gravity of sin and its deathly consequences. It also foretold the real and ultimate sacrifice of his son's death as the true and only real sacrifice for sin. The Jews believed, and Scripture tells us, that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." (Heb. 9:22)

All are invited to be freed entirely and forever from their sin, be reconciled to their Creator, and enjoy eternal fellowship with God and his people, beginning now!   

"BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!"

Video Performance (3:45)

22. Chorus – “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1, v.29)