Look! Look!

Look! Look!

John 1:29-34

We loved taking our kids on hikes when they were younger. We’d pass out water bottles, tighten little backpack straps, and point at the map—“We’ll follow the blue trail to the overlook.” Within minutes their shoes were dusty and the questions were constant. Every turn in the trail felt like a new discovery: “Dad, look! Look at that flat rock! “Mom, look!—look at that flower!” Look! Look at that waterfall!” They’d show us deer tracks in the mud or a shiny rock they were sure was treasure, and we couldn’t go twenty steps without another excited, “Look! Look!” Those walks reminded me that when we see something good and real, we want others to see it too.

That instinct—to grab someone by the sleeve and say, “Look! Look!”—is built into all of us. We do it when we see a rainbow, when a child takes her first steps, or when a movie scene stuns us. Our joy is not complete until we invite others into it. Today that instinct is turbocharged. From Instagram posts to TikTok reels to breaking news alerts, everything is screaming, ‘Look here! Look now!’ The world has weaponized our natural desire to share joy into an endless appetite for attention.We hear it in advertising: ‘Look at this sale—it ends today!’ We hear it in politics: ‘Look at this crisis—be outraged now!’ We hear it in entertainment: ‘Look at this celebrity, this scandal, this viral clip.’ Every sphere of life is a marketplace of attention.

In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes one of his most striking paragraphs in which a senior demon, Screwtape, is instructing his nephew, Wormwood, about how to keep one of his new subjects (people) from God. It reveals something very relevant and true about how the evil one uses the constant voices of our age to distract us from God. His schemes are not new. Lewis writes as Screwtape to Wormwood,

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. 

The clamor of voices saying, “Look! Look!” is trying to separate you from God by making you content with the nothingness of the trivial and the trite so you will not look to the transcendent. The safest road to Hell is a gradual one—full of scrolling and swiping—that calls our eyes to temporary glitz over eternal glory. 

Friends, each Lord’s Day is one that can turn your eyes from the temporary  to something eternal. It is a day when we stop listening as the world calls “Look! Look!”, and we listen instead to the voice of God saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Friends, over the next few moments I want you to look! I want you to behold! I want you to lift your eyes off of this world and raise them to the heavenly places. I want you to see the crucified and risen Savior in all His glory. I simply want you to behold Jesus Christ with three titles.

Look! Look! Away from Me (John 1:19-28)

Before John ever called the crowd to behold the Lamb, he had to make something else clear: he was not the Lamb. John 1:19-28,

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

The delegation sent from Jerusalem reveals the weight of John’s ministry. Priests and Levites were dispatched by the Pharisees, the religious power brokers of the day, to interrogate John’s identity. Their repeated questioning—“Who are you? … Are you Elijah? … Are you the Prophet?”—reflects both their suspicion and the people’s messianic expectation. The fact that these questions even arose shows the magnitude of John’s influence. Yet with every opportunity to elevate himself, John lowers himself. His triple denial—“I am not the Messiah … I am not Elijah … I am not the Prophet”—is emphatic. In Greek, the wording underscores his refusal to claim glory for himself. His identity is not rooted in speculation or public acclaim but in Scripture’s promise: he is simply a voice preparing the way of the Lord (v. 23, citing Isa. 40:3).

Equally significant is John’s testimony in verses 26–27. He acknowledges his baptizing with water, but immediately relativizes it: “Among you stands one you do not know, the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” In Jewish culture, untying sandals was considered so degrading a task that even disciples were not expected to do it for their teachers. By declaring his unworthiness to perform even this lowest service for Jesus, John places himself in radical humility before the Christ. His ministry is necessary but not ultimate; preparatory but not saving. He wants no one to confuse his role with the Messiah’s role.

This is striking in a culture—then and now—that constantly says, “Look at me.” Our world tells us to build platforms, to establish personal brands, to measure our value in clicks and follows. But John shows us the opposite. His joy is not in being noticed, but in pointing others away from himself to Christ. John refused to say, ‘Look at me.’ But we live in a society where every résumé, every social feed, every selfie is curated to say exactly that. We’re taught that the greatest sin is to go unnoticed. Yet John shows us that the greatest joy is to go unseen if Christ is seen.

It is easy to see how others draw attention to themselves. But do you notice subtle ways, you crave the spotlight? Dropping hints about our accomplishments, exaggerating stories so people will be impressed, or quietly resenting when someone else gets recognition. Do you notice how often you talk about yourself in conversation with friends? The human heart has always loved to say, “Look at me,” but John the Baptist reminds us that true freedom comes when we can say, “Don’t look at me—look at Him.” For us as Christians, this means at least three things:

Humility in how we see ourselves - You are not the Christ. You are not the Savior of your children, your spouse, or your friends. You are not the one who can fix the world. And that’s freeing! You can take the pressure off yourself and rest in the One who is.

Humility in how we serve - Ministry is not about spotlight but about service. If people walk away impressed with you and not with Christ, then like John, you need to say again, “I am not the Christ.” Your job is to make much of Him, not yourself.

Humility in how we measure success. - John was content to be a voice. Are you content to be unseen if Christ is seen? Are you content to decrease so that He may increase (cf. John 3:30)?

Friends, the loudest message of John’s humility is this: stop looking to yourself. As Tim Keller as wisely said, “The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself; it is thinking of myself less.” Stop measuring your worth by what you produce, how you perform, or how people perceive you. Look, not to yourself—but to Christ. Because the moment we get our eyes off ourselves, we are freed to do what John the Baptist did: point others to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Look! Look! The Lamb of God (John 1:29)

The people of God started looking to John the Baptist asking if he was the Christ, and John repeatedly said, ‘Don’t look at me! I am not Him! I am just a voice in the wilderness saying the Lord is coming.” John is the voice of Isaiah 40 that cries out to make a way for the Lord, for Yahweh, for the God of power and might. John came to call the world to look to Yahweh. He came to call the world to look to the Christ, which is why John 1:29 is so striking. John 1:29

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 

In John 1:28-39, John the Evangelist is saying “Don’t look at John the Baptist, he is not the one.” Then, in verses 29-34, he is saying “Look to Jesus Christ, for He is the one.” 

It is hard to calculate the excitement and the power that lay in the Baptist’s words. Most likely, Jesus had just returned from the wilderness after being tempted by Satan. Matthew, Mark, and Luke share Jesus’ baptism, however John just assumes it. Jesus returns from the wilderness as the New Adam who has overcome the temptation of the devil. John sees him coming and shouts John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Scholars have debated on what was in John the Baptist’s mind when he referenced the Lamb of God. He was probably at least alluding to Isaiah 53:7-10, which clearly refers to the Messiah as a lamb (using the same Greek word) and as one who takes away the guilt from the people. 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; Isaiah 53:7–8a

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10

The suffering servant in Isaiah 53 points to One who, like a lamb, will be a guilt offering for His people. It is probably even more likely that the original readers would have heard the term “Lamb of God” as the Passover lamb, which was a more dominant theme in the Old Testament. In Exodus 12, the Passover lamb was to be killed and its blood was to be spread on the doorposts of the Israelites’ homes as a sign of faith in the Lord. When He saw the blood, He would pass over the homes and overlook their sins. It is clear that John the Evangelist saw Jesus as the Passover Lamb, as one who made a sacrifice for sins. In fact, right after Jesus cried out, “It is finished” and gave up His spirit, John writes:

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” John 19:33–37

The quote, ‘not one of his bones will be broken’ is from Exodus 12:46 and refers to the Passover Lamb. John is clear that Jesus was the Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. 

Friends, this is crucial for all of us. We are all looking for hope, but we can’t get to hope without the cross. Each year, every Jewish family would go and get a lamb. The father would go and purchase the lamb. He would throw it over his shoulder and carry it home. He would bring it inside, and it would live with the family for four days. The lamb would be inspected and examined for blemishes or spots because Jewish law required that the lamb be perfect. After four days, the family would recognize how this lamb was going to represent their sins, and a bond would begin to form with the animal.

Each family had its own lamb, but Jesus is the Lamb of God. It is like God the Father throwing his perfect Son over His shoulder and bringing Him to the world and laying Him down, allowing Him to live with those for whom He would die. He would be inspected for blemishes and sins. He would be found as perfect, a worthy sacrifice. The people would begin to connect with him. Friends, do you see how beautiful that pronouncement is? Jesus is the Passover Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world. 

Let me be clear, John doesn’t mean that Jesus covers the sin of the whole world.  He covers the sin of anyone in the world who will come to him. 

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:11–13

You can be born of God if you repent of your sins and trust in Christ. If you look to Christ as your Lamb of God, who died for your sins, you can be forgiven. You can be forgiven because Jesus not only died but was raised from the dead.

John writes:

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, Revelation 5:5–6

The Lamb had been slain, but it was standing. It was standing because the Lamb is alive. Jesus was slain, but now He is standing for He is alive! He overcame the grave because He was a perfect sacrifice, spotless and without blemish. Because He took away your sins through His sacrifice, you can be saved. Friend, look to Christ. You have nothing to do but to look to Christ and live. 

Beloved, we need to be constantly away of the, “Look! Look! of the world,” and pay attention to the “Look! Look! of the Lamb!” When we behold the Lamb of God, we should be transformed to be more like the Lamb. Peter stresses this in his first letter: 

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 1 Peter 1:17–23

Beloved, every time we behold the Lamb who was slain who now stands at God’s right hand, we should labor to love one another from pure hearts. We should put away all jealousy and division and dissension. We should not live in a “Look at me,” way but a “Look at Him” way. We should be so moved by the Lamb of God who has taken our sin that we should be even more eager to put our sin to death. Beloved, if you are struggling with sin, do not let this day pass before you bring it to light. When we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of our Lamb cleanses us from all sin. Let this Lord’s Day be a reset of your relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Look! Look! The One with the Spirit of God (John 1:30-33)

After making his declaration, John identifies another reason why he believes Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world: because the Spirit descended and remained on Him. 

This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ (ESV)  John 1:30–33

Again, John doesn’t mention Jesus’ baptism, but he uses what happened at Jesus’ baptism to confirm that He is the Christ. John was born before Jesus, but Jesus was before John. Jesus was before John because He was from the beginning. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

John said he didn’t know Him, which can’t mean he didn’t know the person Jesus since they were cousins. John said he didn't know Him because he didn’t know He was the Christ until His baptism. John was given the baptism to reveal Jesus to Israel. And when Jesus was revealed, the Spirit descended and remained on Jesus. As John 1:33 says, “He on whom you see the Spirit descends and remains, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Remember the Spirit remaining on Jesus is another reference to tabernacle where the Spirit of God would descend and remain.  There are a few key texts 

in Isaiah regarding the Spirit and the Messiah. 

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:1–2

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth; Isaiah 42:1–4

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn; Isaiah 61:1–2

John’s hearers would have been very familiar with those texts as he spoke of Jesus being one with whom the Holy Spirit rested and remained. 

This is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, but the fact that He has the Spirit and is able to send the Spirit helps us look forward to the resurrection. In John 16, Jesus was very clear when He told His disciples,

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. John 16:7

Jesus saying “I will go to the Father” meant that He would go to the cross, die, be raised from the dead, and ascend to the Father. Then, when He was raised, He would send the

Holy Spirit. 

Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:20–23

When the disciples saw Jesus raised from the dead, they were glad. Jesus greeted them and then commissioned them.  John 20:22 says, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. And then he breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit.” The Lord commissioned the disciples to the task and then empowered the disciples to complete the task. 

And notice that the task is directly related to forgiveness of sins. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” This is John’s version of the keys of the kingdom in Matthew 16 and 18. The church is given the keys to confirm the who and the what of the gospel. The church can’t forgive sins. Only God can forgive, but the church publicly affirms and/or denies forgiveness. 

This may sound strange in our individualistic age, and it may even sound strange to Protestants that forgiveness is given to a body of believers over the individual. And yet we know this is true from the Bible.  You must individually repent of your sins and trust in Christ for salvation, and He will give you the Holy Spirit. You must be born again. But you are not born again as an orphan. You are born again into a new family, the church. I would encourage you to covenant with a church who believes and teaches the gospel of forgiveness. Don’t be an orphan; join the family. You will be welcomed.

John the Baptist may not have understood the entirety of what he was testifying to when he saw Jesus coming, but John the Evangelist makes it clear. Jesus Christ is the One upon whom the Spirit of God descended and remained, and Jesus Christ is the One who, on the basis of His death, burial, and resurrection, is able to send the Holy Spirit to all who receive Him by faith. And that is the point of John’s testimony: he wanted everyone not to look at him but to look at Christ. 

Beloved, this should be our testimony. We should not want people to look at us. We should point and “LOOK! LOOK! Do you see Christ? Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Behold the One with the Spirit of God. Believe in Christ and live.” If we fix our gaze on the world, we invite the lost to look at the temporal. If we fix our gaze on Christ, we invite the lost to look at the eternal. Beloved, where is your gaze? If people looked through your eyes, what would they see?

Look! Look! The Son of God (John 1:34)

John’s previous testimonies about Jesus leads to him to believe his true identity as he states  in John 1:34, “And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John testified based on what he saw, that Jesus was the Son of God. The centurion saw Jesus die and testified that Jesus was the Son of God. The disciples saw the risen Jesus and testified that Jesus was the Son of God.  In John 20, John tells us that the purpose of the entire book, these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31

Everything in Jesus' life was to point to the fact that He was the Son of God. And John does not want you to merely have an intellectual belief but a deep heartfelt transforming, life-governing, life-shaping belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Friends, the resurrection is the culminating witness that Jesus is the Son of God. Many people claim great things, but very few can back them up. Jesus looked at a lame man and said, “Your sins are forgiven,” but then to prove it He said, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. He said “Destroy this temple (referring to His body) and in three days I will raise it up.”  Jesus was dead and buried but was raised from the dead. In Romans 1:4, Paul writes that Christ Jesus…“was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The resurrection proves all the bold claims of Jesus. And, remember, these are not just bold claims Jesus makes about Himself, these are bold claims for you and for your salvation. If Jesus was raised from the dead, then you can be saved and your sins can be removed. If Jesus was raised from the dead, then you can be marked as holy and blameless in God’s sight. If Jesus was raised from the dead, then you can be united with God. If Jesus was raised from dead, then one day you will be raised from the dead as well. 

I’m preaching today that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the risen Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. I desperately want you to have life. I want you to know Christ. I want you to be forgiven of your sins. I want you to experience the joy of knowing Christ and the joy of knowing that your eternity is secure. 

I do not want you to be lulled to sleep by the world that is shouting, “Look at this shiny temporary trinket!” “Look at this new reel.” “Look! Look!” Remember the easiest road to Hell is a gradual one. Don’t live for the trivial; live for the transcendent, triune God. He is the one who can save you from eternal Hell and gives you living hope. 

God can give you hope in your body. God can give you hope in your job. God can give you hope in your marriage. God can give hope for your children. God can give hope even in death. God can give hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 

As we have looked at John the Baptist testimony today, let me close by looking at the testimony of another Baptist, the famed baptist, CH Spurgeon, who speaks of when he first looked to Christ. Spurgeon recalls day, 

[The preacher] just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, "Young man, you look very miserable." Well, I did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, "And you will always be miserable—miserable in life and miserable in death—if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved." Then lifting up his hands, he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, "Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but look and live!"

I saw at once the way of salvation. I know not what else he said—I did not take much notice of it—I was so possessed with that one thought . . . . I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, "Look!" what a charming word it seemed to me. Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away.

That’s my plea. Look at Jesus. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The Lamb who was slain, yet standing; crucified, yet risen. He alone takes away guilt. He alone gives the Spirit. He alone is the Son of God (v. 34).

So, friend, stop looking at yourself—your efforts, your image, your record. Stop looking at the trivial things of this world. Look at Him. Turn from sin and trust the Lamb who was pierced for you, who rose for you, who now gives His Spirit to you. Church, let us take John’s posture: content to be a voice in the wilderness shouting, “Look to Christ!” Do not live for the praise of man, but the praise of God. Make it your aim to have others see through your eyes as you keep saying, “Look! The Lamb of God! Look! The Son of God.” May our testimony be like the great baptists, “I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, "Look!" what a charming word it seemed to me. Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away.” Beloved, Look to Christ. And keep looking each and every day until our faith becomes sight.