Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)

These are words ascribed to John the Baptist - teacher, colleague, cousin, and precursor of Jesus. Of him Jesus said, "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." (Matthew 11:11). Outside the Bible we know more of John than of Jesus.

Jesus as Lamb of God is a principal theme of the fourth gospel and of Christian theology. It suggests that through the sacrifice of Jesus at the crucifixion the sin of the world has been redeemed. This is often understood as trading our sins for the blood of Jesus.

I hope and trust in atonement. But I am not sure this trade-off is how it is achieved. With Pierre Abelard and others I am inclined to see the self-sacrifice of Jesus as an example that might inspire me to trust in a loving God. It is this healing reconciliation with God that I perceive to be the foundation of atonement.

This the beginning of the Second Part of the Messiah, more often associated with the Easter season. You may listen to Behold the Lamb performed by the Bethany College choir (available on YouTube).

Above is Adoration of the Lamb by Jan van Eyck