If I could entitle the next passage that we're going to look at, I would title it this: "Hope Has Come and His Name Is Jesus!" This is John 1:29-34:
The next day he 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, 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."
What I've just read is one of the most amazing and important passages in the early chapters of the Gospel of John. There are four things that John declares without equivocation. Here's the first one; John declares that Jesus is the final sacrificial lamb who will finally pay the final penalty for sin. Second, he wants us to understand Jesus' eternality. Although he was physically born after John, he existed before John; that means he had to be eternal--he had an existence before he was born. Third, John wants us to understand that the Holy Spirit's anointing on Jesus is God's endorsement of Jesus' identity and mission. And then the fourth thing is, John says, "Jesus is in fact the Son of God."
Now, put yourself in the scene; this is the scene. I love this; it's almost humorous. This ordinary man just looks like any other guy, walks toward John, and when John sees him, John the Baptist goes off with these amazing declarations. This is the sacrificial lamb! This is the eternal one! This is the one anointed by the Holy Spirit! This is the Son of God!
Now, if you were standing in that crowd, what would you be thinking? "Either John is just nuts, or this is the transformational moment of human history." If you're going to put your trust in Jesus, these are the four things that you have to believe. If you're going to look to him for forgiveness for your sins and your acceptance into the family of God, if you're going to trust in his presence with you and his promises to you, right here, right now, you have to accept everything that John declares. We just cannot make Jesus into whom we want him to be. And here's the truth of this moment in the life of Jesus--Jesus either is who John the Baptist declares him to be, or he is a massive fraud and unworthy of your trust.
But because he is who John declares him to be, there's hope for this fallen, groaning world. There's hope for you and me. There's hope for your marriage and your family. There's hope for our churches. There's hope for our victory in our battle with sin. There is hope that someday this struggle will be over, and we will live forever in peace and righteousness with our Lord. There's hope because Jesus is the sacrificial lamb. He's the eternal Son of God. His ministry was endorsed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Why do you think it's difficult for us to believe and accept everything that John the Baptist declares about Jesus Christ? Why is it simply easier to make Jesus into whom we want him to be? Why is it ultimately impossible for us to make Jesus into whom we want him to be instead of who he really is?
2. Why is Jesus hope for this fallen, groaning world? Why is Jesus the ultimate hope for you personally? How does Jesus provide hope for your struggles with sin? How does Jesus give you hope for the power to change and become more like him? How is Jesus the hope for people who don't know him?
3. How does the fact that Jesus is eternal affect you in your day-to-day life? If Jesus' eternality doesn't seem to impact or affect you, what might be the disconnect for you?
4. Why is the Holy Spirit's anointing of Jesus something completely relevant to you today? How is God's endorsement of Jesus' identity and mission (through the anointing of the Spirit) connected to your personal identity and mission as a Christ follower?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why is it important to understand who Jesus is? How is the identity of Jesus connected to who we are as his followers? Why is it important to understand our personal connection to Jesus as we're looking to understand who we are as Christians?
• What does "hope" mean? Why can someone truthfully say that Jesus is their hope? How is Jesus your hope and my hope?
For Older Children:
• Why is it so important to understand the authentic identity of Jesus? How is his identity connected to you and me today? Why is that connection important to us?
• Why should you and I care about the element of hope in our lives? Why can someone truthfully say that Jesus is their hope? How is Jesus your hope and my hope?
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