But John’s statement contains the acknowledgment that Jesus would be put to death. Even Peter, one of His disciples, tried to protect Him when He was arrested (John 18:10).
Not all the Jews understood this at first. It was prophesied to happen in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:7). He told His disciples that this would happen (Matthew 16:21). Second, the scapegoat would be “ presented alive before the Lord” and would be released alive “ in the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:10, 22). First, Jesus is never compared to the scapegoat in the New Testament. There are a couple of problems with this comparison. Jesus would have to die – Some have compared Jesus with the scapegoat of Leviticus 16. Like the lamb that was sacrificed, Jesus was perfect. It was also a challenge to watch Him closely (which many did) to see if He would sin, but He did not sin (1 Peter 2:22). Those who were listening could try to check His past to see if they could find any fault or sin in His life, but they would find none. It is significant that John made this proclamation at Jesus’ introduction. Jesus “ offered Himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14). This perfect high priest would offer the perfect sacrifice – Himself. The Hebrew writer said it was “ fitting” for us to have a high priest that was “ holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). In giving the Israelites instructions about this sacrifice, the Lord said, “ Your lamb shall be unblemished” (Exodus 12:5). Jesus was perfect – In declaring Jesus to be the “ Lamb of God,” he turned their minds back to the sacrifices under the old covenant – particularly the Passover lamb. But as time went on and different things happened (Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, the establishment of His church, etc.), those who heard him could go back to declarations like this one and see more clearly the clues that were given and confirm the fact that God was behind all of this. Much of it may not have been understood at first. On a day when he saw Jesus coming to the place he was preaching and baptizing, John announced, “ Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ (Isaiah 40:3 Malachi 3:1).
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