Behold

We live in a world shaped by influencers, reviews, and endless opinions. Everyone is pointing somewhere. Everyone is recommending something. The challenge isn’t a lack of voices—it’s discernment. Who should we listen to? And who is actually worth following?

That question isn’t new.

When John the Baptist stepped onto the scene, his world was filled with religious noise and spiritual expectation. Many were searching for a Messiah. Others were protecting their influence. John did neither. He refused to promote himself. Instead, he pointed people to Jesus.

That is why John the Apostle includes this moment in his Gospel—not to spotlight John the Baptist, but to show us how belief begins. Not with hype. Not with charisma. Not with influence. But with faithful witness [John 1:6–8].

Before John ever tells us what Jesus will do, he shows us how a witness lives.

When John is asked, “Who are you?” he answers with clarity and humility.

“I am not the Messiah… I am not Elijah… I am not the Prophet” [John 1:19–21].

He refuses every title that would elevate him. Only then does he speak positively:

“I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness” [John 1:23].

Not the Word—just a voice pointing to the Word.

There is freedom in knowing who we are not. When we confuse our role, we slowly drift from witness to competition. A faithful witness does not stand between people and Jesus. He clears the way.

John’s humility deepens when his authority is questioned. He does not defend himself or explain his ministry. Instead, he points away from himself once more:

“Someone stands among you, but you don’t know Him” [John 1:26].

Then he adds,

“I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal” [John 1:27].

This is not insecurity—it is reverence. John’s low view of himself flows from a high view of Christ. When Jesus is exalted, self-importance fades naturally.

And then John speaks the sentence history has been waiting for:

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” [John 1:29].

Not advice.
Not inspiration.
Not self-improvement.

A Lamb.

John’s words would have carried deep meaning for his Jewish hearers. In Exodus 12, a spotless lamb was slain, its blood placed on the doorposts, and judgment passed over every home marked by that blood. The lamb did not remove hardship, but it spared from death. Deliverance came not through strength or effort, but through trusting God’s provision.

John is declaring that Jesus is that greater Passover Lamb. What the first Passover pictured temporarily, Jesus would accomplish fully. Deliverance would no longer come through a lamb provided by the people, but through a Lamb provided by God Himself.

That story finds its fulfillment at the cross. John’s Gospel later tells us that Jesus was crucified at the very time the Passover lambs were being slain [John 19:14]. Not one of His bones was broken, just as Scripture required of the Passover lamb [John 19:36; Ex. 12:46]. What began in Egypt reaches its completion at Calvary. The blood once placed on doorframes now marks the cross. Judgment does not pass over because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done in our place.

Jesus is not merely a symbol of deliverance. He is the true and final Passover Lamb of God, whose sacrifice removes sin and secures eternal life for all who believe.

And that is why John does not say, “Consider the Lamb,” or “Learn from the Lamb.”

He says, “Behold.”

Look.
Fix your eyes.
Trust Him.

John does not ask people to admire Jesus—he calls them to believe. [John 1:12; 3:14–15, 16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:29, 35, 40, 47; 7:38; 8:24; 9:35–38;10:25–28; 11:25–26; 12:46; 20:31]

And he makes clear that this testimony is not personal opinion. God Himself confirmed it as the Spirit descended and remained upon Jesus [John 1:32–33].

John simply bore witness:

“I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” [John 1:34].

That is what faithful witness looks like.

Not having all the answers.
Not winning arguments.
Not convincing anyone.

Just pointing—again and again—to Jesus.

God is not building a brand. He is revealing His Son. John the Baptist never went viral. He never protected a platform. He simply pointed—and stepped aside. And God used that.

Belief still begins the same way today: when someone faithfully points to Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb.”

So we don’t aim to be influential or impressive—we aim to be faithful.