Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

- John 1:29-34

On Tuesday we read the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."   In today's reading we are given the second day in John's Gospel, in a parallel with the creation story of Genesis.  John declares Jesus to be the Lamb of God.  My study bible points out that this recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  (In our previous reading, the Baptist also referred to himself as Isaiah's "voice of one crying in the wilderness" to prepare for the coming of this "Servant of God" -- see Isaiah 40:3.)  Christ is the true Paschal or Passover Lamb, who offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  My study bible notes the teaching of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism in order to wash away sins.  This statement is at once an explanation of who Christ is, and also a statement of the Baptist's identity in relation to the Christ.

And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Here is John the Baptist's statement of witness, of what has taken place at the baptism of Jesus.  My study bible explains that the fact that the Spirit remained upon Him was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  This is not an event in which Christ received the Holy Spirit.  On the contrary, it is a revelation to John of the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ, and is present with the Son.

To whom is John the Baptist speaking?  Surely he is revealing Christ to his own disciples.  As we shall see in the readings that follow, John introduces his disciples to the Christ, from whom come Jesus' first disciples.  Why is Jesus baptized?  He doesn't need baptism for repentance.  He is already the spotless Lamb of God, the perfect Paschal sacrifice.  Here we have encapsulated the reality of what Christ has come to accomplish, and what is going to happen.  Jesus is the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah, the One who has come for all of us, for each of us.  It is truly quite remarkable to understand Scripture and see the echoes and references that preview everything to us, reveal what we will read about later in great detail.  Even today's very passage is an echo of something else, an event that took place apparently understood only by its witness, John the Baptist.  As John reveals Jesus as the Christ, the Lamb of God, he also reveals his own divine inspiration, "He who sent me to baptize with water."  Everything in Scripture, all the revelations and echoes, the truths and all the things we learn, reflects a relatedness to this Lamb of God, to the Christ.  Why was John sent to baptize with water?  In preparation for the One revealed in today's reading, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is His to give to the world at Pentecost, and through the mission for which He has been sent by the Father.  It is Christ who will make possible the gift of the Spirit at baptism for each of us, which Jesus will explain to Nicodemus in chapter 3.  John the Baptist uses water to baptize, but only in preparation for the fullness of the baptism which Christ will bring into the world.  Isaiah, before John, testifies to Christ as the Suffering Servant of God.  Once again, the Baptist reveals to us that all things exist in relation to Christ, and from this we take our own understanding of ourselves and our identity.  John serves the revelation of Christ to the world, and each one of us, in some way, has an identity in that mission as well.  It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that helps us to find what that is, that reveals the identity of Christ in each one, and which is given to us at our own baptism.  Through faith and grace, we enter into this relatedness, this family, and we may find our own image as given by Christ.  We find our identity, as does John.  We each are called to reveal qualities of Christ in this relatedness made possible through the Spirit, to live the mission of Christ in the world.  This is a mystical reality, for which we need both the humility to allow it to live in us, and also the courage to face our own suffering in the world through the lens of faith.  The Baptist lives his life in full commitment to this mission, and calls all of us to do so as well.  What does it take for your commitment?  As Lent begins, let us consider what it is we might cast off in order to be more fully committed to this process in us, and cherish more dearly the value of this gift.