Look, there is the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29)

There are three terms that emerge in this Sunday’s readings. The first is the Lamb; the second is the dove, the third is the Son. Each of these is significant; each reveals something about Jesus.

It is John the Baptist who points Jesus out to his disciples saying, “Look, there is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. The mention of the term lamb is loaded with meaning. It goes right back to Exodus 12:3 and to the instructions which Moses gave the people of Israel concerning the preparation of the Passover Lamb. That was the sacrificial meal which would seal the death of the firstborns of the Egyptians and pave way for the liberation of Israel from Egypt. In the later celebration of the Passover among the Jews, it fell to the High Priest to take the blood of the sacrificial animal into the sanctuary and perform expiation on behalf of the people. To point out Jesus as the lamb of God was to indicate that he was to sacrifice his life for his people. But he was not just the victim, he was also the priest who alone would enter the heavenly sanctuary to offer the acceptable sacrifice for our salvation.

The second term that emerges is the dove. John indicates that he saw the Spirit descend like a dove on Jesus. This image is one that symbolizes a spiritual anointing characteristic especially of the prophets. Isaiah prophesies in Isa. 61:1 of such a spiritual anointing. The judges equally experienced a certain rush of the spirit upon them. Their stories also belong to the prophetic tradition in Israel. If the Spirit descends on Jesus the way it does to the prophets, it would indicate that Jesus too is a prophet.

Finally, John says the one to whom he bears witness is the “Son” of God. The use of term Son is clearly a Royal title. In Ps. 2, for instance YHWH says to the King “you are my Son, this day I have begotten you” (Ps. 2:7). The same expression is used in Dan 7:13 when God presents his Messiah in the sight of all nations. John the Baptist has therefore used these three terms to reveal who the Jesus is to his disciples. He is their Priest; he is their Prophet and he is their King. Indeed, Jesus is the ultimate and the sole leader in Israel. He is the one we must imitate and one we must follow.