John 1:29 Meaning and Explanation
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →John the Baptist points away from himself to Jesus, the one sacrifice who carries away the sin of the whole world.
The Context of John 1:29
By the Jordan River, where John the Baptist has been preaching and baptizing. As Jesus walks toward him, John interrupts everything to name who is coming. For centuries, lambs had been offered at the temple for sin; John sees the living person all of it was pointing to.
What Does John 1:29 Mean?
John has spent his ministry pointing forward, telling crowds that someone greater is coming. Now that someone arrives, and John gives Him a title no one had heard before: the Lamb of God. Every Israelite knew what a lamb was for. At Passover its blood marked the doorposts, and at the temple lambs were offered daily for the sins of the people. John gathers all of that into one man walking toward him.
And he says this Lamb takes away the sin of the world. The verb is one of lifting and carrying off, bearing a weight away so it no longer rests on us. What the old offerings could only picture, Jesus would actually accomplish at the cross. The sin John names reaches beyond one nation to the whole world's, ours included. Here at the very start of the Gospel, the end is already in view: the Lamb has come to carry away what we could never lift ourselves.
John 1:29 in the Original Language
amnos (ἀμνός), 'Lamb' -- a sacrificial lamb, the innocent offering given in place of the guilty.
How to Apply John 1:29 Today
When the weight of our own wrongs feels impossible to carry, John points us to the One who came to carry it. The Lamb of God lifts away the sin of the world, and that includes whatever we have been unable to set down ourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions About John 1:29
What does John 1:29 mean?
John the Baptist points away from himself to Jesus, the one sacrifice who carries away the sin of the whole world.
What is the context of John 1:29?
By the Jordan River, where John the Baptist has been preaching and baptizing. As Jesus walks toward him, John interrupts everything to name who is coming. For centuries, lambs had been offered at the temple for sin; John sees the living person all of it was pointing to.
How can I apply John 1:29 today?
When the weight of our own wrongs feels impossible to carry, John points us to the One who came to carry it. The Lamb of God lifts away the sin of the world, and that includes whatever we have been unable to set down ourselves.