Read John 1:29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
*Why did he call Jesus the Lamb of God? Why is the significance of a lamb? Lamb was sacrificed during Exodus to prevent death from killing the first born. Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.
*Ever wonder why Lambs are good and goats are bad in the Bible?
In North America, sheep and goats are easily distinguishable, due to specialization through breeding. Sheep are fluffy and wooly; goats are not. However, throughout history, and still today in parts of Asia and Africa, sheep and goats are almost identical, and no one but a shepherd can easily tell the difference. There is something that only our Shepherd can see in us, and that unseen thing tells God whether we are sheep or goats. It determines whether God sorts us to the left or to the right.
Sheep have always been, dependent on their shepherd and defenseless. Goats, on the other hand, have a reputation for being independent, opinionated and curious at best—or vulgar, dangerous and destructive at worst.
So I would boil all that down this way: Shepherds protect sheep from their environment, whereas goatherds protect the environment from their goats. So for us to be God’s sheep, we must depend on Him to defend us. If we push, take, destroy and bully, we are goats.
The main thing though—the central difference between sheep and goats—is really simple. It’s an idea that we can come back to when we need to stay on track: A sheep is led by its shepherd. A goatherd is led by his goat.
Sheep follow the voice of their shepherd and trust him to lead them to food, water and safety. A goat, however, doesn’t follow anyone. A herd of goats goes where it wants, and the goatherd follows behind. So that tells us that if we are allowing ourselves to be led, being sensitive to the pull of God’s Spirit, and following the path of our Shepherd, we are sheep. If we are headstrong, going our own way, and pulling back against God’s Spirit, we are goats.
Jesus submitted to God’s will and allowed himself to be led by like a lamb to slaughter
Read Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Read John 1:30-31
30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’
31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
*How was John related to Jesus? Cousins
*Do you wonder why he said he did know Jesus? Maybe they lived too far from each other (Nazareth to Jordan River is about 50 miles away), or maybe he did not know He was the Savior yet when they were younger.
Read Matthew 3:13-15
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.[a]” So John agreed to baptize him.
*Why did Jesus need to be baptized he did not have sin?
Three reasons for the baptism of Jesus by John:
- It was to identify the Lord as the Son of God at the beginning of his ministry.
Accordingly, one of the reasons for Jesus’ baptism was to confirm the Lord’s identity to the prophet, so that John could make “manifest to Israel” (Jn. 1:31) the good news that the Messiah had arrived.
- It was a commencement token of the total dedication of Christ in carrying out Heaven’s plan.
Christ demonstrated by his baptism, therefore, on the very first day of his public ministry, that he was committed to doing his Father’s will. In this regard, as in all others, he is our perfect model.
- It was a visual precursor to the Savior’s ultimate death, burial, and resurrection.
Christ’s burial in the water of Jordan, and his resurrection therefrom, was a visual preview of the burial (which implies a death, of course) and resurrection of the Lord, which would occur three and one-half years later.
Read John 1:32-34
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.
33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God. ”
*Why a dove?
Matthew 10:16: “Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” The dove suggests to Jesus purity, meekness, innocence.
*When did Jesus Baptize with the Holy Spirit?
We can be certain that Jesus did not “baptize with the Holy Spirit” during his three and a half year ministry or during his time with the apostles after his resurrection for our Lord’s departing words to his disciples.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)
Matthew 3:16-17
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
*What does this say about God and Jesus’ relationship?