THE 3 DAYS OF VISION

THE 3 DAYS OF THE VISION OF JOHN

It is probable that John had never seen Jesus, or if they had known each other in boyhood's days, long years had elapsed since their last meeting. John having turned his back upon the priesthood, had gone to the splendid isolation of the wilderness in preparation for the great work that lay before him; while Jesus had remained in the midst of the commonplaces of every-day life, in the carpenter's shop at Nazareth. At last the moment came when the forerunner was to look upon the face of the King, and it was a wonderful vision that broke upon this stern and burdened soul, when for the first time he looked into the face of Him, Whose advent he had so magnificently fore­told.

The story is recorded in detail by the apostle John, and in eleven verses are the doings of three distinct days, the vision of the first day; (John 1:26-28) that of the second, beginning with the words, "On the morrow," (John 1:29-34) and that of the third commencing "Again on the morrow." (John 1:35-36)

On the first day there is the speech of John declaring the presence of Christ in the crowd, but in all probability he did not point Him out to the people. Said he, "In the midst of you standeth One Whom ye know not." (John 1:26) The emphasis is on the "ye," for John certainly knew Him. Let it be kept in mind that about six weeks had passed since the day of the baptism of Jesus. He had been hidden in the wilderness, passing through the forty days of temptation, and had now returned, and was mingling with the crowds just upon the eve of commencing His own public ministry. (A careful study of the context will prove that this statement of John was made after the baptism, for immediately after the three days' events here recorded, Jesus began the gathering of His disciples, and His public work. It would seem therefore as if this study of the vision of John should come after the chapters on the temptation. It is taken here, however, as the pronouncement which John made, as the one direct outcome of the vision of Christ, which he had received on the occasion of the bap­tism, as he himself distinctly declared (John 1:33-34)).

Mark the prophet's sense of the dignity of the One Who as yet had not chosen to manifest Himself openly to men. “He that cometh after me is become before me: for He was before me . . . the latchet of Whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose." (John 1:15, 27) That was the state­ment of the first day.

It would appear as though on the second day Jesus no longer merely stood among the crowd as a spectator, but approached John. As He approached, John made his greatest pronouncement, "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) First his vision of the Person; secondly, a declaration concerning His work. The phrase which describes the Person as John saw Him, at once arrests attention. It declares the character of the Christ, and suggests, moreover, the character of His work. "The Lamb of God" indicates meekness, gentleness, for­bearance. May it not have been that John was surprised, when first he looked into the face of Him Whose coming he had foretold. All the language in which he had pre­dicted the advent of the Deliverer suggested strength, force, authority and administration, "One mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear . . . Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing floor; and He will gather the wheat, but shall burn the chaff." This Man was of quiet demeanor, and restful eyes, and calm countenance, with no lurking suspi­cion of vindictiveness, nothing of the lion in His fair face. Purity even to innocence was the impression produced by the presence of the King, "Behold, the Lamb of God."

And yet there was more than this in the phrase as it fell from the lips of John, and that which was more, was em­phasized by this first impression. "The Lamb of God” suggests the thought of sacrifice, and this very meekness of demeanor, and purity of impression, but adds weight to this conception of the meaning of the phrase. Had John, look­ing into the face of Jesus had to say, "Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah," no thought of sacrifice could have been connected therewith, but the very submissive beauty, so evident in the personality of Christ, merged the thought of the forerunner from the majesty of the work soon to be accomplished, into the mercy of the method.

We are in great danger today of losing sight of that second suggestion of the great phrase. To interpret Scrip­ture correctly, it is necessary to find the way back into the temper and tone, into the habit of thought of the people to whom the words were addressed. To the Jewish mind there was no other meaning in this phrase than that of sacrifice. The season at which these words were spoken lent weight to this view of the meaning. The Passover was approaching, and along that very highway droves of sheep and cattle were in all probability being driven towards Jerusalem for sacrifice. The thought of sacrifice was sub­consciously present amid the crowds, and the prophet, who had seen the sin of the people, now looking into the face of this strange new King, beholds in Him God's perfect Lamb, the One final Sacrifice for sin. The first time in the Bible where the word "Lamb" occurs is in connection with the sacrifice of Isaac. Coming up from the long gone centuries is heard the plaintive cry of the lad, about to be bound upon the altar, "My father . . . behold, the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" (Gen 22:7) The first time that the word occurs in the New Testament, is where the last messenger of the great nation that had sprung from the loins of Abraham through Isaac, announced to the multitudes of the children of Abraham, "Behold, the Lamb of God." (John 1:29) This is no mere accident. It is a part of the great proof of the unity of the Book. The Old Testament asks the question, "Where is the lamb?" The New Testament answers "Behold the Lamb  of God." The old economy was able to produce the fire and the wood, symbols of judgment, but nothing more. The new produces the perfect sacrifice by the offering of which Isaac and his seed in faith might go free.

No one will dispute that the question asked by Isaac concerning the lamb, is a question having reference to sacrifice. All through the Old Testament, the lamb is distinctly connected with the thought of sacrifice,—the lamb of the atonement, and the morning and evening lambs of sacrifice. John, knowing the meaning that gathered around the word in the mind of the people he addressed, declared that here at last had appeared upon the scene of human action the Lamb of God, that is, One Who should fulfill all the promises and suggestions concerning sacrifice in the old economy.

To dwell for a moment longer upon this aspect, let it be remembered that the word "lamb" only occurs four times in the New Testament, until the book of Revelation is reached, twice in the passage now under consideration, once in the Acts, where Philip reads from the prophecy of Isaiah, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb," (Acts 8:32) and once in the first epistle of Peter, where the apostle speaks of "the precious blood, as of a lamb without blem­ish and without spot, even the blood of Christ." (1 Pet 1:19) These are the only occasions where the word "lamb" is used, and they all refer to Christ. The last two most evidently have reference to His sacrificial and atoning work, and so also without any doubt have the statements of John. The language of Scripture is not contradictory, but unified in its symbolism, in both these cases, as it ever is.

The words following place this beyond the possibility of contradiction, "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." The meaning of the phrase "taketh away” is that of bearing or carrying. That is to say, the prophet declared that there stood before them the Lamb of God Who had become responsible for the sin of the world.

He taketh it away, He carries it, He bears it, He has made it His own, He has become responsible for it. What a radiant vision of love ineffable was this that broke upon the soul of John, and what a vision for the world! The spotless Lamb of God laden with the sin of the race. Men had been asking for Him from the days of Isaac. Behold Him! He stands before the crowds in quiet, sub­missive splendor, and yet He is burdened, as man was never burdened. He carries the sin of the world. Not the sins, but the principle of sin. He has gathered into His own perfect personality, and has made Himself re­sponsible for all that sin means as to guilt and penalty. That is the very heart of the atonement, "Behold the Lamb of God."

Thus John who had been heavily burdened with a sense of sin, and out of that sense had spoken words that had scorched the consciences of the listening multitudes, at last found the burden lifted from his shoulders, and carried in a way he never could have carried it, by the meek and gentle Lamb of God.

He then proceeded to tell the crowds that his knowledge of Jesus was the result of the Divine sign, of which he had received previous notice, the sign of the descending Spirit; ending his whole declaration with the words, "I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." (John 1:34) What a thrill of satisfaction there seems to be in the words “I have seen." The eyes of men had wearied looking, and the hearts of a few faithful souls had almost sickened with hope deferred; but at last the prophet had seen.

And then notice how carefully he announces another fact concerning this Person, this Lamb of God. He is the Son of God. John recognized the mystery of the per­sonality of Jesus. He was the God-man, the Lamb of God, the Son of God. Two facts in one personality and in the union of these two facts, in the one Person lay the pos­sibility of His doing the mighty work of bearing away the sin of the world.

Now lastly, there is the account of the vision of the third day. Jesus is leaving John and the crowds. He is going to His work, and as He leaves, John points his disciples towards Him, and cries, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36) These were in reality the final words of John's message. They have in them the tone of a great conviction. It is the crowning climax of his entire marvelous message. The herald of the King, the forerunner of the Christ, one of the greatest born of women outside the Kingdom of God, had carried on his heart, as perhaps no other man apart from Jesus, the burden of human sin. This is proven by the force and solemnity of his preach­ing. But at last he has looked into the face of the Savior, and when at the moment men came to him, and told him of the successful preaching of Jesus, and of His growing fame, this great soul was able to say, "This my joy therefore is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:29-30) Mark well the quiet calm dignity of the satisfied heart, able to say with perfect acquiescence, “He must increase, but I must decrease."