Before responding to Q1, I wish to tell you how excited I am about what I have learned today! I have a son, very close to me, but very far from the Lord, who abhorres the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament and until today I had no clear answer for him on that. From a moral point of view God could not have chosen a more abhorrent way of "explaining" to humankind how He feels about sin, that it is offensive and repugnant to Him and to think His Son had to become sin to redeem humankind of their sin!
Response to Q1: I believe that just as John's mother knew that Mary carried the Messiah, John knew and understood his mission: to pave the way for the Lamb of God who will be slaughtered for the sins of the world. As a Jew he understood the meaning of the sacrificial lamb. It is amazing, however, to read in Matt 11:3 that John sent his disciples to Jesus asking Him if He is the One to be expected or whether they should expect someone else. Did he loose his own inspiration and vision??
I agree with most of the participants that the idea of redeeming the whole world was totally outside the frame of reference of the Jewish people. Up until now, pagans and sinful nations were often killed by their ancestors in obedience to God. The new dispensation of grace was to them a mystery.
