God answers for your sins in Jesus
The sacrifice of Jesus is the answer to all questions and unknowns.
John the Baptist didn’t have a funny joke nor did he have an engaging story for one the most popular sermons ever preached. John didn’t spend pages articulating minute points of doctrine. 13 words. “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The two disciples who heard him say this and they followed Jesus.
Short and sweet and to the point, but loaded with doctrine. The holy Spirit doesn’t need a certain number of words but he does use THE word and sinners are converted. However these weren’t the only words these men had heard in regards to the Messiah. A life of Passover readings and Sabbaths and home catechesis had led to this point. Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Year after year, reading after reading these men were no strangers to lambs what their role was in Israel. They were the sacrifice. Things did not end well for the lambs in OT Israel and yet these two disciples followed him. By following him were they too going to be sacrifices? Why did they begin to follow Jesus and not John? John wasn’t a lamb, he was a prophet from God who spoke with mighty words and now they follow a lamb.
Jesus too was interested in what they were seeking. “What are you seeking?”
An important question for us to ponder as well. We have heard preaching. The sermons you hear are a few more words than the thirteen John preached. We are what you might consider Jesus followers. What are you seeking from Jesus or are you here reluctantly?
It is the season of epiphany where we study the ways in which Jesus is revealed, but today God is asking us to reveal something to him, What are you seeking?
It’s not that God doesn’t know the thoughts and motivations of your heart but in asking us and these first disciples he is doing two things. First he is asking not for his own knowledge but for us to learn to repent. Second he is asking so that we might proclaim who he is and what he has done.
They heard the sermon, “The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Now the question Jesus asks as they follow him, “What are you seeking?” or translated into Lutheran lingo, “Are you just here for the potlucks and beer?” No, Jesus essentially asks, “what does this mean?” What does it mean to you that I am the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?
This isn’t the first time God asks people a question about what they are seeking. God asked Adam and Eve after the fall, “where are you?”
God also asked Elijah after he showed his power on Mt. Carmel. Elijah had the showdown with the prophets of baal involving sacrifices and blood. After this Elijah was afraid and fled to the caves and was hiding. God asked Elijah, “Why are you here?”
God asked Solomon, after Solomon taught Israel to seek God and they offered thousands of sacrifices and the blood flowed. God came to Solomon, what do you want me to give to you?
Also later in Jesus’ ministry he asked the disciples who were talking about the crucifixion of Jesus on the road to Emmaus, “What are you guys talking about?”
God asks not for his own knowledge but to pull out of us a confession of who he is and his mercy. It is a priviledge to confess the identity of God. It is a cosmic event to proclaim the name of God, Jesus, he will save his people from their sins. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow. So why are we so afraid to share that name? Why is it we are so shy to share this fact? Why are we so reluctant to put aside all other things that we think are so important in our lives and come to our rabbi and he asks you, “what are you seeking?”
Now surely we can answer this question with all genuine and say, “Lord I seek you above all things.” But would your actions match that? What are you seeking in word and deed, what do you spend time contemplating? Where is it that your heart stays? Is it worry? Do you worry too much?
Are you anxious about many things or perhaps one big thing? Is that where you stay too often? Worry about your loved ones, worry about health. Worry about the Christian church and whether or not we will weather the world’s attack on us. Worry, that is no place for a disciple of Jesus to stay.
John preached Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Maybe that’s where you stay too often, in the world. It comes to easy to us to speak as people of this world instead of disciples of Jesus and for that we should repent. John preached in language of the scriptures confessing Jesus, we don’t do that enough. We should speak the truth in love to one another but we must first speak the truth about our own sins. This is what these discples did when they heard who Jesus was.
These disciples confess their need for Jesus. Rabbi, teacher. Sure they confessed they had a lot to learn but really they wanted to know what this lamb business was all about. Steeped in the language not of the world but in the OT they knew what lambs were for, sacrifices for sinners. They wanted this lamb to dwell with them.
The discipes on the road to Emmaus said to Jesus, “Lord Jesus abide with us, stay with us.”the same thing the disciples today ask of Jesus. You see that’s where sinners want to be, with Jesus. But also remember that if see you are too often dwelling or staying with the world or your sins hear again John’s sermon, The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
If you find yourself too close to the world take heart. John didn’t say the lamb of God who takes away the sins of those who have it all under control. John didn’t say the lamb of God who takes away the sin of those who have it all figured out. The lamb of God who takes away the sins of those who never falter in their faith. No. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That includes you. The Lamb has come for those with sins that need to be taken away!
But also hear who it is that is sacrificing, it is God’s lamb. Given by God, sacrificed by God. Not because he needed it but because we do. We don’t sacrifice to God to earn our salvation, we are saved in believing that Jesus’ death on the cross was all sufficient for us to know for certain that our sins are gone!
Look, see, behold, the lamb! Not just once but every time your sins seem to get the upper hand. Look, behold, Jesus the lamb. Jesus the sacrifice. These disciples knew what lambs did, they died for the benefit of others. The lamb had no sin of it’s own but the lambs were sacrificed, their blood spilled so that sinners would go free. This is Jesus, the lamb of God.
Every other religion in our world requires you to sacrifice to whatever god they advertise to make yourself right with their god. Christianity is unique in that it goes the other way around. God doesn’t need anything from us but God sacrifices his own precious son so that we are made right by him. Your salvation is sure because God did all the work. God did all the sacrificing and raising of his son, the lamb.
Each time God asked a question in those examples I gave you there were always sacrifices in the immediate context. Adam and Eve were covered in the first sacrifice when God gave them clothes. Elijah went and found Elisha and sacrificed his oxen. Solomon had sacrificed nonstop. We don’t sacrifice Jesus again but now we eat the sacrifice and God still asks questions. What is it that you seek? Does Christ dwell with us still in his body and blood with the bread and wine? Do you seek this out to have Christ dwell in you?
What a relief to confess our sins to a God who doesn’t hold our sins against us but forgives. You need not fear except that you grow cold to the warmth the blood stained fleece gives to those who have ben clothed with Christ in baptism.
There were many who heard the sermons of John but yet they didn’t see a need for a lamb of God, they didn’t care where Jesus would stay. Let that not be the case for you. Our salvation is closer today than it was yesterday. Keep the faith. The disciples were ready to follow the lamb that they too would be living sacrifices. Follow the lamb, dwell with the lamb daily by prayers and do not grow weary of doing good. For all of us will have to answer for where we dwelled in our life. But be sure, when God asks you the question, there will be his lamb, the sacrifice who has answered and says I dwell with them so they may dwell with you forever.