John 1:29, 36: The Meaning of ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ and John’s Soteriology

Abstract

The title “Lamb of God” for Jesus in John 1:29 and 1:36 has traditionally been explained as a reference to Jesus’ sacrificial death, and the phrase “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” has mostly been interpreted in terms of Old Testament sacrifices or near-sacrifices as for example Genesis 22 (the binding of Isaac) or Leviticus 16 (the scapegoat of the Day of Atonement), the Passover lamb, or as a reminiscence to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. The aim of this article is to argue two things.BR First, that the words “lamb of God” do not refer to a sacrifical animal. They originate from Isaiah 53, not, however, as a reference to an atoning sacrifice, but as an expression of Jesus’ complete obedience to the Father and his willingness to suffer (and ultimately die) as a consequence. Secondly, that in his Gospel, the Fourth Evangelist focuses on the salvific effect of the believer’s affirmative “yes” to Jesus as the one through whom the Father can be known, rather than on Jesus’ death as saving event.