John The Baptist
John 1:29
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
St. John 1:29-34 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who [k]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ our Lord… Tattoo parlors need a sign over their entrance that announces, “Think Before You Ink.” Maybe they should also place a recording in the background that says, “Do you really want to carry your girlfriend’s name on your shoulder for the rest of your life?” Maybe you have seen the commercial – and I can’t remember what the product was – of the guy who wanted the words “No Regrets” tattooed on his arm, but, regrettably got “No Regerts” instead.
And tattoo removal has become big business. More and more people who have gotten tattoos experience what is called “tattoo regret syndrome.” According to a 2018 Harris Poll survey, the number of Americans with tattoos and those considering tattoo removal is on the rise. And it’s not cheap to have one removed. Removal of one single tattoo can take up to twelve sessions spaced out over the course of two years, and each treatment can cost anywhere from $100 and $400.
If your regrets showed up as tattoos, how marked up would you be? What pictures would you see in the mirror? Would you see the face of someone you hurt? Would you see the amount of money you wasted? You might even see a pile of could’ves and should’ves: “I could’ve been a better parent.” “I should’ve paid closer attention.” “I could’ve been a better student.”
And when you dig around in the basement of your life, what do you find? Wasted years. Selfish greed. Destructive diversions. Anger. Arrogance. Selfishness. Racial slurs. And what can you do with all of your unwanted marks?
Well, you can be defensive. But when you’re defensive, you don’t admit anything; you don’t tell anyone. When you’re defensive you keep the skeletons safely locked up in the closet. Your sinful nature seeks innocence, not forgiveness. When you’re defensive, you reduce life to one goal – hide the secret; cover it up; don’t address it; don’t admit it. And whatever you do, never, ever confess it.
There is another option when you see marks of regret; that option is to be defeated. When you’re defeated, you feel as though you don’t just make mistakes – you are a mistake. You didn’t foul up – you are a foul-up. You beat yourself up repeatedly with blame and shame, and you assume the role of judge, jury, and accusing attorney. And the verdict? Guilty forever!
Defensive people hide marks. Defeated people replay marks. Is there a better way? You bet there is! You can be delivered from all of your ugly marks.
As we begin Lent on this Ash Wednesday, we also begin a sermon series called “Witnesses to Christ.” And the first person who helps us follow Christ to the cross in John’s Gospel is John the Baptist. What does John the Baptist say when you’re defensive about sin or defeated by sin? “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). When it comes to all ofy our ugly marks of sin, you can be delivered.
“Behold.” Behold literally means “see.” The verb can be translated “Look! Gaze! Stare! Take note!” Behold means “Here is the whole point of what I am saying!” John the Baptist says it again in John 1:36: “Behold!”
In both John 1:29 and 1:36, John the Baptist says, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” This isn’t an ordinary Lamb of God. This is the Passover Lamb of God. John uses the word Passover eleven times in his Gospel. The entire Gospel is structured to help us behold, see, gaze, and take note of Christ the Passover Lamb of God.
Exodus 12:5 says that the Passover lamb was a male lamb, perfect, spotless, and without defect. Exodus 12:7 says that Israelites were to place the Passover lamb’s blood on the sides and tops of their doorframes. This blood would set the Israelites free – free from bricks, free from whips, and free from Pharaoh’s countless bag of tricks!
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away.” The verb takes away is in present tense. What does that mean? It means that Christ still takes sin away. Today, He takes sin away. Tomorrow, He takes sin away. Next week, He takes sin away. He takes away the sin of the world. And that includes your sin, your ugly sin, your shameful sin, your haunting sin. Every single one of your sins He takes away. And Christ not only takes away your guilt, He also takes away your shame. Guilt is what you feel when you have done wrong. Shame is what you feel when someone has wronged you.
We all know what public shame looks and feels like. We have seen people branded by a divorce, marked by a handicap, saddled with alcoholic parents, crushed because of a child’s arrest. There is also a stigmatism that comes with the loss of a job or loss of a spouse or a house, or one’s life savings. And in your mind, all you hear is, “Now everybody knows.”
There is also private shame. We have all felt that too. Maybe you have been pushed to the edge by the abusive behaviors of friends, family, employers, or employees. No one else knows, but you know. And that is more than enough to bury you in shame. You put your hands over your ears, you splash water on your face, you go for a long drive. But nothing takes away your shame. Nothing takes away your guilt. Sin has marked you…
But that is not the end of the story. You don’t have to drink your sin away, or worky our sin away, or explain your sin away, or eat your sin away, or cry your sin away, or bury your sin away. Listen to John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
I know this may be hard to believe, but most of us have carried our ugly marks for so long that we can’t imagine life without them. Maybe we can’t imagine it, but God can, and He does. But God does more than just imagine it. He sends John the Baptist, who says, “Behold. Look. See. Gaze. Here is the whole point of what I’m saying! The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world!” The Passover Lamb of God does it all, for the whole world. The Passover Lamb of God does it all for you.
And so, we pray this prayer: “Jesus, please take it all away.” Tell Jesus what you did. Tell Jesus what you said, what you saw, what you took, how you feel. Tell Jesus what you thought. And, by the way, you may do this also in the wonderful Gospel gift of Private Confession and Absolution where your pastor is Christ’s ears to hear your confession, and Christ’s mouth to speak grace and forgiveness into your ears. Pray this prayer as often as needed. One time, two times, ten times a day. Hold nothing back. No guilt is too ancient or too recent. No shame is too evil or too insignificant. No marks are so malicious that they can’t be completely removed. “Jesus, please take it all away. For remember, marks are removed only when they are exposed to grace.
Confession isn’t punishment for sin. Confession names sin so it can be exposed to God’s amazing grace.
Be firm in this prayer. Satan specializes in guilt and shame. He won’t give up without a fight. Say to him, “I left my sin with the Passover Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Dear fellow redeemed, it is time for a clean start, a fresh slate, a new beginning. That is what Lent is about. You don’t need to be defensive or defeated. Today, you can be delivered.
And you do that by looking at God’s marks. Yes, God has marks on His hands. Behold. Behold! Look, see, gaze! Your God has said, “I have engraved you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:16). Jesus has your name written where He can see it. Your name is on His bloodstained hands. Yes, Jesus loves you in that extremely intense and personal way.
If you have ever wondered how God reacts when guilt and shame have you cornered and are ready to swallow you whole; if you have ever wondered how God feels when you are lost, abandoned, and helpless; if you have ever wondered what God would do if He ever found out about it all, then frame these words and hang them on your wall. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Trust these words. Believe these words. Stand below these words, and trust that Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, has indeed taken ALL of your sin upon Himself out of His great and unfathomable love for you.
Jesus took the nails on a God-forsaken cross. And in His taking the nails, Jesus has paid for all of your sin and shame. He hung there, for you. And He still says, “I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.” And in the end, those are the only marks that matter. And unlike a tattoo, these marks on Christ’s hands will never, ever be erased.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
