Who is Jesus? part 21

In the last post, I used Google to ask about people who are reluctant to speak about themselves. This time I searched for people who talk about others. Google’s AI came up with this:

People who predominantly discuss others are often referred to as gossips, and their behaviour can stem from various factors including insecurity, a need for connection, or even a lack of interesting topics to discuss. 

I tried a few other searches, trying to find a positive answer, but only got “An AI Overview is not available for this search.”

Google, I think you are too negative.

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John 1:29-31

John was not gossiping. He had always believed that while he was not the Messiah, he embraced his role as the messenger, forerunner, and harbinger of the coming Messiah.

This section on John the Baptist is divided into two days.

The previous day:

John was quizzed by the religious authorities; could he possibly be the Christ (Greek for Messiah), the Anointed?

The next day:

I assume the priests are still lingering around like that last guest at a party, because let’s be real, transport was about as quick as a snail back then. But you know what? It’s all good; they were going to find out what he said eventually—like gossip that travels faster than the speed of light! John’s big moment was meant for the folks nearby; it could have been for the curious crowds or just his trusty sidekicks. He’s basically saying his whole mission is to give Israel the ultimate spoiler alert about Christ. And here he is, kicking things off dramatically with a “Behold!”—which I imagine was accompanied by jazz hands, before pointing Jesus out.

I decided to take a little break from diving into John’s Gospel for Lent. During that time, I checked out the various atonement theories that different Christian churches have been into. But now I’m back to this Gospel, just like when John the Baptist talks about how the world’s sins are being taken away. Yup, it’s all part of my cunning plan!

Behold, the Baptist gently proclaimed. Take a moment to truly observe and understand this profound truth. Here stands Jesus, the lamb who lovingly offers to take away the sin of the world. The lamb who doesn’t merely cover up sin, but truly removes it, providing hope and healing.

What I provocatively discovered while examining atonement theories is that the term “atonement” is conspicuously absent from the Greek of the New Testament.

Atonement in the Old Testament beautifully offers a way for people to come into God’s presence, as He graciously chooses to hide their sins from Himself—Atonement signifies at-one-ment, creating a sense of unity and peace—While sacrificing animals doesn’t remove sin, it symbolizes a wonderfully fresh start and the opportunity for renewal.

Jesus is not merely a lamb that covers our sins; He is the Son of God who lovingly takes our sins away. It’s not just about hiding them but about freeing us from their weight and burden. It’s about taking them away forever.

But look again, John does not say our sins were taken away, but our sin. The missing ‘s’ is important.

• Sins (plural):These are the specific acts, thoughts, or words that are violations of divine laws or moral codes. 
• Sin (singular): This term passionately embodies the profound struggle of the human spirit, a battle that pulls us towards temptation and away from the divine light of God. It encapsulates the devastating state of alienation from the sacred, forged by our own missteps, and the insidious power of evil that seeks to dominate our hearts and minds.
• Both sin, a state of being and sins, a collection of actions are taken away and utterly destroyed by Jesus

John’s Gospel does not go further than that at this point. So I’ll leave that for you to ponder.

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