=29. The next day.= Not merely, _some following day_, for the original Greek word (ἐπαύριον) never has this meaning in the N. T. It has been so rendered by some commentators here, in order to introduce the Temptation between the testimony of the Baptist to the delegation from Jerusalem and his testimony here uttered to his own disciples.--=He seeth Jesus.= The word _John_ has been inserted by some copyists to make the meaning clearer.--=Coming toward him.= Not, as in our English version, _unto him_. The preposition employed (πρός) signifies simply direction. Why he was coming toward him is not a matter for profitable conjecture. Not, as some suppose, for baptism, for the temptation followed the baptism, and the order of events in John’s narrative follow each other so closely up to and after the marriage at Cana (vers. 35, 43; ch. 2:1), that no time is afforded for the temptation, which was forty days in duration, and which must have occurred prior to the interview between the Baptist and the Jewish delegation.--=And said.= Publicly, probably to his own disciples, perhaps to the multitude. This first preaching of Christ produced no observable effect. It was not till John repeated it on the following day (ver. 37) that any of his auditors followed Jesus.--=Behold the Lamb of God.= Not _a_ lamb of God. The meaning cannot therefore be, Behold a pure and innocent man; an interpretation which would probably never have been conceived, but for the purpose of escaping the doctrine of atonement for sin, which can be escaped only by rejecting both the Old and the New Testaments in their entirety.--=Which taketh away.= This exactly represents the significance of the original verb (αἴρω), which means, not bears, or suffers, or releases from the penalty of, but _takes away_. For its non-metaphorical use, see Matt. 13:12, _shall be taken away_; 21:21, _be removed_; Luke 6:30, _that taketh away_ thy goods; John 11:39, _take away_ the stone; 11:48, the Romans shall _take away_ both our place, etc. It thus corresponds almost exactly with the word (ἁφίηγι) ordinarily translated forgive. See Matt. 6:12, note. Observe that the verb is in the present tense, _is taking away_. The sacrifice has been offered once for all; but its effect is a continuous one. Christ is ever engaged in lifting up and taking away the sin of the world.--=The sin of the world.= Not _sins from the world_, which would be a very different matter. The sin is represented as _one burden_, which Christ _as a whole_ lifts up and carries away. His redemption is not a limited redemption; it provides a finished salvation for the entire human race. See ch. 16:22, note.