Standing on the river bank is the fiery preacher dressed in the strange clothes of camel hair, eating the strange diet of locusts and honey, but preaching a message that has attracted disciples and crowds. Then one day he points his disciples and those who have come to hear him preach to another one.
Two thoughts came to my mind with this passage, the first of which pertains to verse 29. When John the Baptist, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”, the “world” he was referring to is humanity in general, not every individual person specifically. The sins of everyone aren’t just automatically wiped away without their having to turn in faith to the Savior. Jesus was to die, and later did die, for the sins of everyone. Each individual person, though, has to personally accept Jesus as their Savior. The Blood of Jesus does cleanse from all sin, but only for those who receive Him as Savior. He offers that to everyone, but like a gift, it must be received. Receive His forgiveness today if you haven’t already.
The second thought that came to my mind comes from verse 38. There were two men who had formerly been disciples of John the Baptist, and who now start to follow Jesus. Jesus turns to them and asks them “what do you seek?” These men had heard what John the Baptist had said about Jesus, and He wished to know what was drawing them to Him? That is a question He is asking us as well.
What is drawing me to Jesus? What am I seeking? Am I seeking Him only to try and get something from Him, whether that might be healing or some financial gain? There are some preachers today who promote just that - follow Jesus and He will give you a nice house, a new car, and a bigger bank account.
These former disciples of John the Baptist had heard John’s proclamation that here was the Lamb of God. They were seeking the Messiah that John had talked about, and now they wanted to know if Jesus might be Him. Are we seeking to know more about Jesus and His Word? Are we seeking to know more of His will for me? And if you haven’t already, are you seeking the forgiveness and salvation He offers? If so, come and follow Him.
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