St. John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’

This wonderful Gospel, of course, is not just about an encounter that occurred two millennia ago. It is very much about us.

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This weekend, we begin “Ordinary Time” once again (marked by the green vestments that the priest and deacon wear for Mass). In the first few weeks of this season in our Church’s calendar, we usually hear passages from the Gospel of St. John about the beginning of Jesus’ three-year public ministry and so it is with our Gospel reading this weekend.

Our Gospel begins in a very ordinary and human way. St. John the Baptist is standing around and, as he does so, he sees Jesus coming toward him. Then he says something very significant, as the Holy Spirit moves his heart. In fact, it is a pivotal moment in the Gospels. Notice that John does not say something like “there is the Messiah” or “there is Jesus of Nazareth.” Instead, he uses a phrase that is loaded with a special meaning: “Behold the Lamb of God.” Of course, these words are ones that are echoed at every Mass, as we prepare to receive the Lord, truly present body, blood, soul and divinity. As St. John Paul II has commented, “these are wonderful words, mysterious words, powerful words.” Not only that, but the image of Jesus as the Lamb of God is one of the most ancient and popular icons we have of our Lord. 

When St. John said these words 2,000 years ago, anyone who heard him would have caught their deeper meaning instantly. In fact, these words would have struck a chord with them on a number of levels. In the Jewish faith, each household would sacrifice a lamb once a year, at the Passover, as a powerful remembrance of how the Jewish people were led out from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. In the Temple in Jerusalem, a lamb was sacrificed also to recall the special relationship, or covenant, that God had made with His chosen people. Finally, the sacrificing of these lambs also carried a strong sense of a promise: that God would visit his people to redeem them from their sins and to restore them to true life.

In other words. St. John the Baptist is saying two crucial things about Jesus: who Jesus is and what Jesus has come to do. Jesus is indeed the “Lamb of God”, or, as St. John says later, the one on whom the Spirit has rested (as we heard last week in the Gospel about the baptism of Jesus). Jesus is the anointed holy one of God. John then continues, Jesus “ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.” John recognizes fully who Jesus is: not just a prophet, or teacher, or wonder-worker, but God. In this same vein, St. John concludes his words by using a very special title or designation of Jesus: Jesus is the “Son of God.” 

What is more, John’s whole mission or purpose in life (how he has been called to make a difference) is to make Jesus known. We can imagine John’s joy as he sees his mission now being fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. However, St. John not only speaks of Jesus as the “Lamb of God” or of how his mission is now complete, but he also makes very clear the mission of Jesus. The Lord has come to “take away the sins of the world.” Not only that, Jesus will baptize not simply with water, but with the Holy Spirit. 

This wonderful Gospel, of course, is not just about an encounter that occurred two millennia ago. It is very much about us. The Church continues that wonderful purpose and mission of the Lord, not least through the Sacraments of Baptism and of Reconciliation. We were given a mission when we were baptized and, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we ask the Lord’s forgiveness and healing when we have failed in that mission. The truth is that the Church does not so much have a mission but, rather, is mission: that is to continue the saving work of our Lord. Furthermore, we are certainly called to be disciples, recognizing and proclaiming who Jesus is. We also need to see our further mission or purpose in life: that is, to make Jesus known. Indeed, we are called to bring others to encounter Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world and who grants us peace. In the year ahead, may we do just that!