The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 (ESV)
Listen very carefully and we soon learn how good we are at blaming others and sidestepping responsibility for our actions. For example, we wouldn’t lose our tempers if our co-workers were easier to get along with, or if our kids behaved better, or if our spouse were more considerate. Or, we would be very patient people if it weren’t for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store!
Let’s rewind all the way back to the garden of Eden and meet Adam and Eve. In the third chapter of Genesis, God asks Adam the question:
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? Genesis 3:11 (NKJV)
When God confronted him with his sin, Adam said:
The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. Genesis 3:12 (NKJV)
From the very beginning, Adam tried to pawn off the responsibility for his sin: “The woman you gave me…” He shifted responsibility for his sin first to Eve – that she gave it to him – and then ultimately to God Himself, when he said, “The woman you gave me!” Adam did not accept personal responsibility for what he had done.
But the story still isn’t over. God turns to Eve and asks her:
What is this you have done? Genesis 3:13a (NKJV)
Listen to her answer:
The serpent deceived me, and I ate. Genesis 3:13b (NKJV)
Both of them were making excuses as a means of avoiding personal responsibility. If we play the blame game, we will always lose. As someone put it, “When people are lame, they love to blame.” So what’s the answer? Look again at the word ‘blame’ because the answer is hidden in it. If we shuffle the letters around, we can also make the word ‘lamb’.
Read today’s verse again. When the Lord Jesus came into the world, it was for the purpose of dealing with the issue of sin. Even though He was blameless, He took our sin upon Himself. He was born for you. He lived for you and He died for you. As Isaiah prophesied of Him:
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6 (NKJV)
Don’t be lame and play the blame game. Accept what the Lamb of God has done for you. Don’t focus on shifting the blame – focus on the Lamb; behold the Lamb of God.