When John saw Jesus coming toward him, he declared: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me." (John 1:29-30). John identified Jesus as the Messiah and sacrificial Lamb — the central prophetic declaration of the New Testament, fulfilled in Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.