What Jesus Does

John 1:29-51

“The next day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

If we’re going to take the time to consider Jesus, then I think it wise to understand early on what He’s really all about. I meet people who tell me, “I tried this Christianity thing, but I never really got to the place where it felt like it should.” Others experiment with Jesus hoping He’ll fix something wrong with their life, their relationships, mental health or finances.

There are sufficient stories where God has healed broken relationships, restored finances and helped drive away the mental demons in order to keep the dream alive. Still, many others walk away if or when they realize they still have problems, even after going to church for a while and reading the Bible. It is here that John declares for us what Jesus was sent to do, and it is this – To take away the sin of the world.

Sin isn’t a complicated church word. Sin is disobedience, or rebellion against the very God who created the universe. It is at the core of what is truly wrong in the world. John’s declaration of who Jesus is appears rather odd in a way. If you know what God calls sin or take the time to look into what He wants for humanity, and then take the time to look at the world we live in, you’ll notice that the sin is still here abundantly. If you’ve made such observations, I hope you might come to the conclusion that we are living in and looking at a world that really doesn’t want what Christ came to do. I gave up trying to change the world a long time ago. I hope it matters that I hold much more hope for you.

Yes. It would be absolutely beautiful if sin was abandoned in this world, and I still have such fantasies. Even if we could take away one sin, a sin like murder, just think about how much more lovely life could be for us all. Add to that human trafficking, and theft.

You might be of the mind that doesn’t think sin should be such a big deal. I would propose to you that it is the very moth that eats away at the very fabric of life. Consider if you will simply sin’s affect on relationships. Sins like lying, jealousy and slander destroy relationships every day. It’s not an ancient concept, but a very real and destructive work in us and in the world now.

Our wounds in life often find their root in some form of sin, and it’s rather odd, because God often gets the blame. If God is so great and powerful, then why is there so much pain in the world? I would present to you two things: 1. God is not a dictatorial tyrant. If tyranny is your flavour, then Jesus really isn’t for you. When we say that Christ came to take away the sin of the world, He didn’t come to do so by forcing our hand. 2. God has not wronged you. He didn’t run away with your husband or wife. He didn’t get drunk, get behind the wheel and kill anybody. He’s against those sorts of things.

Maybe you just want a happy life, spending more time on a sandy beach in the Caribbean somewhere. Jesus didn’t come to help us get wealthy or necessarily even to get our life on track. He came to take away sin. If something about that speaks to you, then let’s keep pressing on together. Shall we?