Jn. 1:29-34
“God desires for you to be involved in drawing people to His Word through a dedicated life to Him and an active witness for Him.” (Paul Chappell) In today’s gospel, we see the testimony of John the Baptist concerning Jesus. John the Baptist began his mission of preparing the people to welcome Jesus. His baptism was an external expression of the inward repentance that a person should undergo. While he was entrusted with administering the baptism of repentance, Jesus himself approached John the Baptist to receive the baptism. It was absolutely not required for Jesus, who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. However, he identifies himself with sinful humanity and accepts his destiny as the paschal lamb who carries the burden of human sin.
At that juncture, John rightly calls Jesus the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Paschal Lamb has a significant place in the history of Israel. When they were in bonds, the Lord asked them to prepare the Passover, sprinkling the blood of the paschal lamb on their doors, and they were asked to eat it along with the unleavened bread. In the New Testament, Jesus is the paschal lamb, and through his meritorious sacrifice, humanity would be freed from the bondage of sin and become the children of God. John refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God, revealing his true identity and mission.
John clearly knew that his mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah. He was aware of the greatness of the one who came after him, particularly his divine identity; this is why he claimed to have existed before him. But John did not know who that person was and never expected he would come to him to receive the baptism of repentance. John’s baptism was meant to prepare oneself to receive the saviour by feeling remorse for one’s past failures. He knows, however, that the baptism the Saviour would administer is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which would empower humanity to reestablish their lost relationship with Abba Father. John himself witnessed Jesus receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit as he received the baptism of repentance from John. It was a sign for John to believe that he is the Messiah and to proclaim to the world his true identity as God’s lamb and the world’s savior.
As we reflect on this passage today, let us be inspired by the witness of John the Baptist. John lived solely for the purpose of pointing out the Lamb of God to the world. He spent his entire life preparing the people of Israel to receive their Saviour with a prepared and welcoming heart. Like John the Baptist, let us be pointers who point out Jesus to the world as its redeemer.