Day 26 Advent Devotional | December 29th
John 1:28-29
These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
I love the world “behold.” We don’t merely see a rainbow, we behold it! It is far more than just light refracted through the prism of water vapor. It is the beauty of the rain in the sky. It is supposed to take our breath away for a moment. Parents do not just see their babies when they are born into this world. Parents behold their children! That new life created in grace by the union of their love and devotion to one another is supposed to grab them at the very core of who they are. When our lives are bereft of things and moments to behold, we live very thinly.
John the Baptist had this moment in his life. The Spirit was at work in John’s life, he was baptizing people in repentance and people were literally running to him. How many had he baptized? Who could know? How many wonders had he seen in his lifetime of ministry? We are not told, but we could imagine it to be a high number. And then comes another man who looks like all the others, but John knew He was different from the others. John didn’t just see Jesus, he beheld Jesus as the One who would take away the sins of the world. John spoke his wonder and astonishment out loud for all to hear.
No doubt, we see a lot of pretty things around us at Christmas, lights and garland, family and friends, beautiful singing and worship. But they are all just twinkles and flashes if we cannot see Jesus at work in them. Every year, we have moments that are worthy of beholding, moments when the Spirit of Christ gives us eyes to see beyond the wrappings and bows to the core of what Christmas really means. Maybe today we look around us to behold the wonder of God’s movement and life in our lives. Maybe today we reflect on the season so far to see the deeper things that we might have missed in the moment. We need Spirit eyes to see and Spirit heart to understand.
Prayer: Spend a few minutes just reflecting on your Christmas season this year. Ask the Lord to show you moments where He was at work, whether you knew it or not at the time. Give thanks for His life in yours this Christmas. Just sit and behold Him for a while.