Can Ye Behold the Lamb of God?

Elder Holland described an encounter between John the Baptist and the Savior this way recently in general conference: “Looking up from water’s edge, past the eager crowds seeking baptism at his hand, John, called the Baptist, saw in the distance his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth, striding resolutely toward him to make a request for that same ordinance. Reverently, but audible enough for those nearby to hear, John uttered the admiration that still moves us two millennia later: ‘Behold the Lamb of God.’ It is instructive that this long-prophesied forerunner to Jesus did not call Him ‘Jehovah’ or ‘Savior’ or ‘Redeemer’ or even ‘the Son of God’—all of which were applicable titles. No, John chose the earliest and perhaps most commonly recognized image in the religious tradition of his people. He used the figure of a sacrificial lamb offered in atonement for the sins and sorrows of a fallen world and all the fallen people in it.” This call to behold the Lamb of God by John was repeated “again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35-36) John’s invitation to his disciples was to look to and see the Lamb of God, to behold Him who would be the sacrificial offering for all sorrows and suffering and sins of the children of men.

               When Nephi sought to see the things that his father saw, he was shown Mary and the city of Nazareth and the virgin “bearing a child in her arms.” The angel instructed Nephi, “Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” Nephi did that, and casting his eyes upon a scene of the infant Jesus gave him the revelation about his father’s vision he was looking for. The angel immediately asked, “Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?” His sight of the Lamb of God had taught him exactly what it was: “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:20-22). This encounter along with John’s invitation teaches us where to look for hope and how to find answers: we must behold the Lamb of God. How do we deal with doubt and disappointment when life gets us down? We behold the Lamb of God whose sacrifice “descended below them all” to offer us deliverance (Doctrine and Covenants 122:8). How do we overcome heartache and hurting when our mortal challenges seem too much? We behold the Lamb of God who after His horrendous death did “rise from the dead, with healing in his wings” to save us all (2 Nephi 25:13). How do we face our own failings and flaws as we falter in life’s journey? We behold the Lamb of God who as the Firstborn said to us all, “Come, follow me” and “ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Luke 18:22, Matt. 11:29). The answer to all our difficulties is to always first look to and behold the Lamb of God whose suffering and triumph transcends all our pains. He invited us to look on Him in modern revelation in these words: “Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:37). Moroni’s simple question calls to and invites each of us today no matter what the challenges we face: “Can ye behold the Lamb of God?” (Mormon 9:3)