John 1,29-34. 1st Sunday after Epiphany

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

John 1,29-34   813

1. Sonntag nach Epiphanias  014 

Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, France † 368

13. January 2013

1. O God, Father of all grace and mercy, we praise You that You have also revealed the Redeemer of the world unto us unenlightened Gentiles, and has enlightened us to realize that Jesus is the Light of the Gentiles and our salvation unto the ends of the earth. Grant us Divine grace to walk worthily of our heavenly calling (Löhe 455-56), receiving Him by faith whom You verbally declared to be Your beloved Son with whom You are well pleased, Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Amen.

2. The next day John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him, and said: „Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said: ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, so that He might be revealed to Israel.“ And John bore witness: „I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I myself did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me: ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.“

3. As He approached John the Baptizer for baptism, Jesus said to him: „Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.“ For John and Jesus, it is all about δικαιοσυνην, righteousness, justification. Jesus manifests this justification throughout the Holy Gospels. The reason Jesus assumed human flesh, was born of the virgin Mary and was baptized were all on account of justification﹣the world’s justification and yours. 

4. John the Baptizer attests to this justification when He prepares the way for Jesus by calling Him the Lamb of God. John proclaims: »Behold, the Lamb of God, this Jesus who takes away the sin of the world!« (John 1,29). 

5. How did lambs in the Old Testament take away Israel’s sin? A person went the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for his or her sin. The person could either bring their own lamb or buy one in the temple’s outer courtyard. The priest then took this lamb, laid his hands upon the lamb, thus conferring upon the innocent lamb the sin of the individual and then cut open the lamb’s neck with a knife, caught this blood in a bowl and burned both the lamb and his blood on the altar of burnt offering. »Thus the priest makes atonement for the transgressor for the sin which he or she has committed, and he or she is forgiven« (Leviticus 4,35). John the Baptizer says that Jesus is this innocent lamb offered up for sacrifice for the atonement of our sin. 

6. Yes, it is not polite to talk about sin and sinners in public company. It is not politically correct to mention mankind’s sin and damnation. The average person does not want to be reminded of the truth that he or she is a sinner. We spend an exorbitant amount of energy silencing our conscience and ignoring the law, both of which remind us of this truth that we are sinners. 

7. Jesus did not shun sin or talking about sin. He acknowledged people’s sin but He also absolved them of their sin. If one is going to speak about justification, then one must first speak of condemnation. Those who are under condemnation need a savior. No amount of denial, good works or any other tactic will negate the penalty of sin and sin’s punishment, which is suffering, death and everlasting separation from God. Thus the only remedy for sin and condemnation is to have a savior. 

8. When John calls Jesus the Lamb of God he is rightly calling Him our Savior. John saw this Savior manifested before the world when he baptized Him and saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus and the Heavenly Voice of God the Father declared: »This Jesus is My Beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased« (Matthew 3,17). 

9. Thus far in the season of Epiphany, St. Matthew has listed in his Gospel two manifestations of Jesus’ glory: the miraculous star that led the Gentiles to Him and the Divine revelation at His baptism acclaiming Him as the very Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world and our Justifier. 

10. The Apostle Paul proclaims: »the justified shall live by faith alone« (Romans 1,17). Here the will and love of the Triune God are manifested to men and women: God desires that you be forgiven and saved. The only way to do this is for God Himself to purchase our forgiveness and merit our salvation. Jesus the Justifier therefore makes you righteous and you receive this righteousness by believing on Him. What flows from this is God the Father’s approval: You are His son, you are His daughter, by Holy Baptism, and He is now well-pleased with you on account of Jesus. 

11. From righteousness and faith flow hope and love. Hope is the certainty of things yet to come, for we have the promise and we patiently await the fulfillment of the promise, that is, life everlasting in God’s holy presence. Love is the water that nourishes all good works. All that we do for God: worshipping Him, giving offerings and such are works borne from love so that God and His gospel are glorified and proclaimed to the next generation. All that we do for our neighbor: helping them, uplifting them and such are works flowing from love so that the neighbor is encouraged and supported. 

12. The righteous life is a life of faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin, death and the devil that is lived out in this temporal life in love to both God and the neighbor. Jesus, the Righteous One, merits us righteous on His own account and merit. He sends the Holy Spirit to manifest this righteous life of faith and love in our lives, beginning with Holy Baptism and seeing it through to completion on the last day with the resurrection of the body unto life everlasting on the new heaven and earth.  Amen. 

13. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, the Justifier of the unjust, teach us to do Your will, for You are our God, so that Your Good Spirit leads us on level ground to be a rich blessing to our neighbor.  Amen.   

To God alone be the Glory 

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

Cynewulf, Crist. Copyright © 2000 In parentheses Publications. Translation © 2000 Charles W. Kennedy

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Evangelien-Postille für die Sonn- und Festage des Kirchenjahres. Copyright © 1859 Samuel Gottlieb Liesching. A sermon preached on Luke 2,41-52 for The 1. Sunday after the Epiphany. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2012. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.