The next day, he 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 ranks before me, for He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that He might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on Him. I myself did not know Him; but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on Whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to Him, “Rabbie” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
John 1:29-41
Christ is Risen!
The word “Messiah”, which comes from the Hebrew word “mashiach” appears over fifty times in the Old Testament, but rarely refers to a savior or redeemer. It does, however, mean “anointed one” or “chosen one.” There are between 225 and 425 references in the Old Testament that hint at one chosen by God that would save the people. There are also references to a lamb in the Old Testament being used as a sacrifice, the most prominent being at the first Passover.
In the book of Exodus, we read of the enslavement of the people of Israel in Egypt. After living in slavery for generations, God sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand that he let the people go. Pharoah’s heart was hardened and he would not let them go. A series of ten plagues befell the Egyptians, and after each plague, Pharaoh would say the people could go, only to change his mind. The tenth plague was the death of the first born of Egypt. God told Moses that the people needed to sacrifice a lamb without blemish outside of the city wall and spread the blood of the lamb over their doorposts, and then when the angel of death came, he would “pass over” the homes is the Israelites and their first born would be saved by the blood of the lamb. This is the genesis of the feast of Passover, and also sets in motion how Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed outside of the city wall and would be without blemish or broken bone.
I think of the Old Testament like pieces to a puzzle. God’s plan for salvation is revealed throughout the Old Testament, like bringing pieces of a puzzle out of a box but not putting them together. God was telling people essentially that the Messiah would come and the puzzle would be able to be put together, the plan for salvation would be fulfilled. There was a concept that there would be a Messiah, an anointed one of God, who would redeem the people. (One problem with the idea of redemption was that the people didn’t understand that it would be redemption from sin and death. Many thought it would be political redemption or freedom from the Romans, so when Jesus didn’t appear as a military warrior, they were not only disappointed, but they summarily rejected Him).
The word “Messiah” is used two times in the New Testament, in reference to Jesus. In John 1:29-41, John points out Jesus to two of his disciples as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) John tells his disciples that Jesus ranks before him, that he saw the Spirit descend like a dove from heaven, and can bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God. John’s experience at the baptism of Jesus is very powerful, as he testifies to seeing the Spirit descending on Jesus and the voice of the Father endorsing Jesus as the Son. One of John’s disciples who heard this testimony was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. It is Andrew who first uses the word “Messiah” when he says to Peter “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). (John 1:41)
In John 4, we read about the encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan Woman (the woman at the well). In the course of the dialogue, the woman says to Jesus “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when He comes, He will show us all things.” (John 4:25) Jesus responds to her “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:26) Shortly thereafter, the woman leaves her water jar and the well and proclaims in her city “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29) She is the first to publicly proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, and it is to the Samaritans, who are the sworn enemies of the Jews. The response is that they went out of the city and were coming to Him. (John 4:30)
Just as God the Father has many titles, so also does God the Son. He is known as the Son, the Son of God, Christ, the Messiah, Jesus (His earthly name), Lord, Son of Man, the Word, Logos. Jesus is His earthly name, Christ is His title. The Lord is His identity. The Messiah is who He is to the people of that time, the fulfillment of prophecies.
I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I beseech Thee, save my life!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, He saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes form tears, my feet from stumbling; I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; I said in my consternation, “men are all a vain hope.” What shall I render to the Lord for all His bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. O Lord, I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid. Thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! Psalm 116
Jesus Christ fulfills all the prophecies of the Old Testament through His earthly ministry which is chronicled in the New Testament!
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