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tran c e u p o n H is public m inistry shou ld b eg in w ith th is te stim ony to H im b y H is h e ra ld , J o h n th e B a p tist. Som e h av e b e e n puzzled b y th e fact th a t J o h n m akes no m e n tion o f th e tem p ta tio n o f Christ, b u t th e re is no difficulty h ere w h atev er, w hen w e b e a r in m ind th a t J o h n ’s G o sp el w as in a sense supp lem en ta l to th e o th e r G ospels an d in M atthew a n d L uke th e re h a d b e en a full re c o rd given o f th e b ap tism an d tem p ta tio n o f ou r L o rd . F u rth e rm o re , th e tem p ta tio n o f o u r L o rd , though a m o st im p o rta n t an d significant in cident, w as n o t in line w ith th e p u r po se o f J o h n 's G o spel— n e ith e r J o h n n o r th e o th e r evangelists m a d e any a ttem p t to re la te all th e y knew a b o u t Jesus. J o h n w as led b y th e Sp irit o f G o d to select such inci d e n ts as he knew in th e life o f our L o rd Jesu s as p ro p e rly belong ing to th e design o f his Gospel. T h e testim ony itself is m o st re m a rk ab le— it con tain s th e substance o f th e w ho le G ospel. In calling Jesus “ th e L am b o f G o d ” doub tle ss Jo h n th e B ap tist h a d tw o th o u g h ts in v iew : F irst, th a t Jesu s w as th e ful- filler o f th e fifty-third c h a p te r of Isaiah. T h e re can b e little d o u b t th a t J o h n h a d this p ro p h e cy in view. O n ly th e d a y b e fo re h e h a d q u o ted a n o th e r p ro p h e cy o f Isaiah referring to him self (v . 2 3 ) , a n d now while n o t d ire c tly quoting, h e sums up th e co n ten ts o f Isaiah 53 a n d a p plies it to th e L o rd Jesus. D o u b t less J ohn h a d also the passover lamb in m ind. T h e p a ssov e r w as n o t far off (Ch. 2 :1 2 , 1 3 ), th e lam b s w ere a lre a d y on th e ro a d to Je ru sa lem fo r sacrifice a n d J o h n th e B ap tist p o in ts to Jesus as th e O n e w ho w as th e real P a ssov e r sacrifice. T h e first th o u g h t th a t is co n ta in ed in th e w ords, “T h e L am b o f G o d ” is th a t o f Isaiah’s p rophecy , v iz .: vicarious suffering en d u red w ith m eekness a n d -w ithou t com plaint. But this is n o t th e w hole
th o u g h t— th e fu rth e r th o u g h t is th a t o f b lo o d shed as a g ro u n d u p o n which G o d passes o v e r a n d p a rd o n s th e sinner (E xod . 12 :13 , 2 3 ) . T h e w ho le of th e g re a t tru th of redemp tion through shed blood is con ta in ed in th e se few w o rd s o f J o h n th e B ap tist. By calling Je su s n o t m erely “ th e L am b ,” b u t “ th e L am b of God” J o h n sets fo rth th e tru th th a t th e L am b w as o f G o d ’s own p ro v id ing, a tru th set fo rth in ty p e as fa r b a c k as G enesis 2 2 :8 . But m o re th a n this is ta u g h t b y th e a d d itio n o f th e tw o Words “of God.” T h ey set fo rth th e tru th th a t ou r L o rd Jesu s w as a L am b w o rth y of, an d belong ing to,- a n d w ell-p leasing to G od . T h e B ap tist spok e o f Jesus, n o t m erely as “ a ” L am b o f G od , b u t “the” L am b o f G od . A ll th e o th e r Iam bs slain th ro u g h o u t th e centuries as sacrifices p o in te d fo r w a rd to H im , th e one L am b o f G od . T h e w ords, “which ta k e th aw ay th e sin o f th e w o rld ” define th e office a n d w o rk of th e L am b o f G od . “T a k e th aw ay” m ig h t b e re n d e re d “ ta k e th u p o n H im self.” In fact, this is a m o re p rim a ry m e an ing o f th e G re ek w o rd used h ere in th e o rig inal th a n th e one given in th e A u tho riz ed a n d in th e R ev ised V e r sions. But th e usage o f th e S ep tu a- gin t tran sla tio n o f th e O ld T e sta m ent, an d th e usage o f th e New T e s tam en t, an d J o h n ’s own u sage as seen in 1 J o h n 3:5 (a n d elsew here) requ ire th e ren d e rin g given in ou r English V ersion. H ow ever, th e th o u g h t o f tak in g up o n H im self th e sin o f th e w o rld is here, fo r it w as b y tak in g up o n H im self ou r infirm ities th a t ou r L o rd to o k th em aw ay (M att. 8 :1 7 ) , an d this th o u g h t is clearly p re sen ted in th e passage th a t Jo h n th e B ap tist h a d in m ind in calling Jesus th e L am b o f G o d (Isa. 53:1 1). T h e G re ek w o rd re n d e re d ta k e th aw ay is in th e p re sen t tense an d suggests th a t as th e result o f our
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