John 1:29 - Meaning and Application

These verses give us John’s testimony about Jesus Christ, which he spoke to his own disciples. Right after Christ was baptized, he was driven into the wilderness to be tempted, and he stayed there forty days. While Jesus was away, John kept speaking about him and pointing people to him. Now John sees Jesus coming back from the wilderness, after that struggle was over, while John is still preaching and baptizing.

Christ was tempted for our example and encouragement. This teaches us that hardships in times of temptation should lead us to stay close to God’s worship and appointed means of grace, and to go into God’s sanctuary (Psalm 73:17). Our battles with Satan should also keep us close to the fellowship of believers, because two are better than one. It also teaches us that victory and honor must not make us think we no longer need these ordinary means of grace. Christ had defeated Satan and had been served by angels, yet he still returned to the place where John was preaching and baptizing. As long as we are still on this side of heaven, we should keep walking with God through these ordinary helps, even after special experiences of God’s grace.

John gives two testimonies about Christ here, and both agree. First, when he saw Jesus coming from the wilderness, he said that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). This teaches us that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. That name shows him to be the great sacrifice through which sin is atoned for, and people are brought back to God. John points especially to the lambs in the law, because a lamb is a picture of meekness, and because Christ was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7). He likely has in view the daily sacrifice, a lamb offered every morning and evening (Exodus 29:38), which pointed to Christ as the lasting sacrifice whose blood keeps speaking for us. He also has in view the Passover lamb, whose blood protected Israel from the destroying angel’s judgment. Christ is our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). He is God’s Lamb, appointed by God (Romans 3:25), dedicated to God (John 17:19), and accepted by God.

Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world. That was his mission. He came to put away sin by giving himself as a sacrifice (Hebrews 9:26). John the Baptist had called people to repent so their sins might be forgiven. Now he shows how that forgiveness comes, and where our hope rests, even though our repentance does not pay for our sins. Our hope is this, Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God.

He takes away sin in two ways. First, he removes the guilt of sin by the value of his death. He cancels the judgment against us and overturns the legal sentence that stood against mankind, so that penitent, obedient believers may receive pardon. Second, he removes the power of sin by his grace through the Holy Spirit, so that sin no longer rules over us (Romans 6:14). As the Lamb of God, Christ washes us from our sins in his own blood, which means he both makes us right with God and makes us holy. He is “taking away” the sin of the world, which shows this is not a one-time act only, but a continuing work. He keeps on taking away sin through his ongoing intercession in heaven and the continuing power of his grace on earth.

He takes away the sin of the world. That means he secures pardon for all who repent and believe the gospel, no matter their country, nation, or language. The law’s sacrifices dealt only with Israel’s sins, but the Lamb of God was offered as the sacrifice for the sin of the whole world (1 John 2:2). That should encourage our faith. If Christ takes away the sin of the world, then why not my sin? He aimed at the main force of sin, struck at its root, and worked to destroy the wickedness that holds the whole world. God was in him, reconciling the world to himself.

He does this by taking sin upon himself. Some read it this way: he bears the sin of the world. He carried our sin, and in that way he removes it from us. He bore the sin of many, like the scapegoat that had Israel’s sins laid on its head (Leviticus 16:21). God could have taken away sin by taking away the sinner, as he did with the old world. Instead, he found a way to end sin while sparing sinners, by making his Son sin for us.

It is our duty to look at the Lamb of God with the eye of faith as he takes away the sin of the world. We should see him removing sin, and that should make us hate sin more and fight it more firmly. We must not keep holding on to what the Lamb of God came to remove, because Christ will either take our sins away or take us away. This should also increase our love for Christ, who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5). Whatever God may take from us, if he also takes away our sins, we have reason to thank him and no reason to complain.

Second, John says that this is the same person he had spoken of before: “This is he” (John 1:30, John 1:31). He points directly to Jesus and says, this is the one I told you about, the one who comes after me. John had a greater honor than the prophets who came before him, because they spoke of Christ as one who would come, but John saw him already come. He could say, “This is he.” He saw him then, he saw him near, like Balaam’s prophecy said of one to come (Numbers 24:17). There is a great difference between believing now and seeing later. Now we love one we have not seen. Then we shall see the one our souls love, and we will be able to say, “This is he of whom I spoke, my Christ and my all, my beloved and my friend.”

John also calls Christ a man, saying that after him comes a man. The word suggests a strong man, one like the man, the branch, or the man at God’s right hand. He is careful to refer back to what he had already said about Jesus. Those who have spoken the highest words about Christ will never have reason to take them back. The more they know him, the more certain they become of his worth. John still thinks as humbly of himself, and as highly of Christ, as he ever did.

Even though Christ did not come with outward show or royal splendor, John was not ashamed to say plainly, “This is the one I meant, the one who ranks before me.” It was important for John to identify Jesus this way, because people would not easily believe that such an ordinary-looking man was the great person John had announced.

John also makes clear that he had no secret agreement with Jesus: “I did not know him.” Even though there was some family connection, since Elisabeth was Mary’s cousin, John and Jesus were not close acquaintances. John had lived in the wilderness, and Jesus had lived in Nazareth, so there had been no personal contact between them. This shows that the matter was arranged entirely by God, not by any plan between the two men.

John also removes any idea that he spoke well of Jesus because of friendship or bias. He could not be accused of partiality, since he was not personally familiar with Jesus. In fact, he could say nothing about him except what God had revealed. As he later says, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven” (John 3:27). Those who are taught by God believe and confess the One they have not seen, and blessed are those who believe.

The main purpose of John’s ministry and baptism was to prepare people for Christ. “He must be made known to Israel,” John says, “therefore I came baptizing with water.” John did not know Jesus by sight at first, but he did know that Christ would be revealed. We can be sure of something even when we do not yet understand all its details.

John’s sure confidence that Christ would be made known gave him strength to keep working faithfully, even while many things were still hidden from him. “Therefore I came,” he says. The reality of things we cannot yet see is enough to move us to duty. God also reveals his purposes step by step. John first knew only that Christ would appear, and then he was granted the sight of him. Those who believe God’s word before seeing it will soon see what they believed.

The ministry of the word and the sacraments exists for one purpose, to lead people to Christ and make him more clearly known. Baptism with water prepared the way for Christ’s appearing, because it pointed to our sin and uncleanness and to the cleansing he gives as the opened fountain.

John also points to the sign that Christ had the Spirit descend on him from heaven like a dove. To strengthen his witness, he refers to what happened at Jesus’ baptism, where God himself gave testimony. This was a strong proof of Christ’s mission. John says clearly that he saw it and bore witness to it, speaking as a true eyewitness. He saw the Spirit descending from heaven, though of course he saw the dove, the sign of the Spirit.

The Spirit came on Christ both to fit him for his work and to make him known to the world. Christ was not announced by a crown or by a display of glory, but by the Spirit descending like a dove, to show that he was equipped for his saving work. In the same way, the first proof given to the apostles was the coming of the Spirit upon them. God’s children are made known now by their graces, while their glory is kept for the life to come.

The Spirit came from heaven, because every good and perfect gift comes from above. He came like a dove, which fits his meek, gentle, and mild work. The dove that returned to Noah with the olive branch pointed to peace (Genesis 8:11). The Spirit also remained on Christ, as Isaiah had foretold (Isaiah 11:2). He did not come and go as he did with Samson (Judges 13:25), but stayed with Christ always. Christ received the Spirit without limit, so he was never unfit for his own work or unable to supply the grace others need.

John also had been told beforehand to expect this sign, and that made his testimony even stronger. He was not guessing when he concluded that the one on whom he saw the Spirit descend was the Son of God. He had been given a clear sign in advance (John 1:33). John keeps stressing that he knew nothing about Jesus beyond what God revealed. The One who sent him to baptize had told him, “The one on whom you see the Spirit descend, this is the one.”

This gave John solid ground for his ministry. He was sent by God, so he did not act on his own. A minister’s call is a great comfort when it is clear, even if success is not always immediate. He was also sent to baptize with water, but he was directed to the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. That means Christ would give the repentance and faith that John called people to, and he would bring to completion the work John was preparing. It is a great comfort to Christ’s ministers that the One they serve can give the grace their outward ministry points to. He can speak to the heart what they speak to the ear, and give life where they can only preach.

John also had clear grounds for naming the Messiah. God had given him a sign, like the one given to Samuel about Saul: the one on whom the Spirit descended would be the chosen one. This protected him from error and gave boldness to his testimony. Since he had such assurance, he could speak confidently. When the sign matched the event exactly, John’s faith was strengthened all the more. These things are written so that we may believe.

John ends with the great conclusion of his witness, the point to which everything else leads: “I saw, and I bear witness that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34).

The truth John declared is that Jesus is the Son of God. The voice from heaven had already said it, and John agreed with it, not only that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit by divine authority, but that he has a divine nature. This was the central Christian confession, that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 16:16), and here we see it taking shape clearly.

John also gave his own witness to this: “I saw it, and I have testified to it.” He did not mean only that he was testifying now, but that he had done so as soon as he saw it. What he saw, he was eager to report, just as the apostles later said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen” (Acts 4:20). And what he testified about was something he had seen for himself. Christ’s witnesses were eyewitnesses, so they were more trustworthy, because they were not passing on secondhand reports (2 Peter 1:16).

The next day, John gave the same testimony about Christ again, as seen in John 1:35-36. He kept taking every chance he had to lead people to Jesus. John was standing there and looking at Jesus as he walked by. It seems John was apart from the crowd, speaking closely with two of his disciples. Ministers should witness to Christ not only in public preaching, but also in private conversation, and use both to serve his cause.

John saw Jesus walking at some distance, yet he did not go to him himself, so no one could suspect any secret arrangement. He looked steadily at Jesus, fixing his eyes on him. Those who want to lead others to Christ must spend much time thinking about Christ themselves. John had seen Christ before, but now he looked on him again (John 1:1).

John repeated the same testimony he had given the day before, though he could have said something else important about Jesus. In this way, he showed that his witness was steady and consistent. What he taught in private matched what he taught in public, as Paul’s teaching did (Acts 20:20-21). It is good for us to hear again what we have already heard (Philippians 3:1). Above all, ministers should keep stressing Christ’s sacrifice for the removal of the sin of the world: Christ the Lamb of God, Christ crucified.

John especially meant this for the two disciples standing with him. He wanted to turn them over to Christ, and that is why he spoke of Christ in their hearing, so they might leave all and follow him, even if that meant leaving John. He did not think he lost disciples when they went to Christ, any more than a schoolmaster thinks he loses a student whom he sends on to the university. John gathered disciples, not for himself, but for Christ, to prepare people for the Lord (Luke 1:17).

So far was John from being jealous of Christ’s growing influence that nothing pleased him more. Humble and generous people gladly give others their due without fearing it will lessen them. What we have in honor, as well as in other things, is not made smaller when we give each person his own.