`... He shall bear their iniquities' (11).

`... He bare the sin of many' (12).

It was John's testimony that he was the forerunner of the Lord of

Isaiah 40, and of the Lamb of Isaiah 53.

The phrase, `which taketh away the sin of the world' is not

recorded by the other evangelists. Matthew, for example, says, `He

shall save His people from their sins'. John, however, rejoices to put

on record this early testimony. It also is interesting to note, in passing,

that the next occurrence of the word, kosmos `world', is in 3:16.

The title `The Lamb' (amnos) used by John in 1:29 is not found in

the other three Gospels.  A similar word arnion is used in the

Revelation, where it occurs as a title of Christ no less than twenty-eight

times (4 x 7). It is never used in the epistles of Paul.

John now reverts to the purpose of his baptizing, and explains that

it was appointed, among other things, as a means of identifying the

Messiah. Comparing the record in Matthew 3 with that of John 1 we

gather that John the Baptist had a personal knowledge of the Lord and

knew about His birth and His exemplary life. What he did not know,

however, until the sign was given was that `Jesus is the Christ'. That

sign he saw, and so John the Baptist becomes the first of a long line of

witnesses, leading up to the closing testimony of chapter 20: `Jesus is

the Christ, the Son of God'.

The significance of the words, `the spirit descending and remaining

on Him', is explained more fully in 3:34. As Alford says:

`We receive Him only as we can, only as far as our receptivity

extends by measure; but He, into the very fulness and infinite

capacity of His Divine Being'.

We must now pass on to the second testimony, this time a

collective witness.

`We have found Him - Messiah, Son of God, King of Israel'.

We have, in 1:19-51 a testimony given on four consecutive days.