St. John 1:19-28 Dearly beloved,
You can see the picture. There stands John the Baptist doing what he does best,--crying out “repentance” and baptizing all who confess their sins. John is that man who looked less like us and more like someone from the Middle East with long hair and a rough garment made from camel’s hair. John was a Nazirite so he wouldn’t have cut his hair, ever. John, eating locusts and wild honey, was probably very sinewy and thin. Not much to look at, John was nevertheless encompassed by men who had their own plans. Pharisees came not in order to repent, but to ask John who he was. These Pharisees were the lay movement of the Israelites. They were also quite wealthy, having gained a good standing in Jewish society during the time of the Babylonian captivity when priests were not needed due to the absence of the Temple. The Pharisees were going to get the bottom of all this stuff taking place. Then came the Sadducees who were the Levites. They were the old school who still had a stock in what was going on. But what was happening was throwing them all off course. They were not prepared for this man. In fact, they weren’t sure what to think. “Who are you?” they asked. John refused to say “I am,” this being the Divine name. John was clear. “But who are you,” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “Are you the prophet?” “Who are you that we we may give an answer to those that sent us.” The days were strange. The world was strange. There were so many people who had their ears tuned to what they wanted to hear. They knew what they wanted and therefore were not prepared for this rough looking man who stood in their midst. So it is in this mixed up world. The world is never ready for what God means to give. John was the herald, proclaiming that God was in the midst of the people. The day had dawned, the people sat in darkness, and there in their midst a bright light shined. This preaching of John, however, was not his only. He was the messenger, not the craftsman. The preaching of repentance is meant for all to look at their dull and stony hearts and cry out for help. Jesus came to be their help. John puzzled the Pharisees and Sadducees to no end. “Why do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John tells them simply, “I baptize with water: but there stands one among you, whom you do not know.” There it is and there it is. Jesus is in their midst and they do not know Him. What irony. The almighty and everlasting God comes down from heaven and takes on flesh, and they don’t even know he’s there. Would it be any different today? Who is Jesus for? You? Me? The person sitting next to you in church? What is this all about? This thing we call church....what is it all about? The people standing next to John were asking the same thing. What is it about? The most unsuspecting of people will stand in wonder and ask this question. How can God do this and did He do it for me? Who does Jesus come to save, because the Pharisees and Sadducees seem to fall flat on their faces in the gospels. Jesus has come for the worst of sinners, which includes every single one of us. Jesus has come for you. The worst thing that you can do is to fail to search your hearts. Live prideful lives and you are in good company with the Pharisees. Those who search their hearts and see their sins are usually greatly grieved. Many are saddened to the point that they no longer feel the gospel is for them. The poor afflicted sinner often looks at his or her sins and concludes that Jesus is for the other guy or the other woman. Not me. The Pharisees had their own agenda that didn’t include a Savior like Jesus, so repenting and looking at sins wasn’t something they were interested in. In their minds, they did all that. They kept the law and were holy. Many Christians live the same way today. Many people in churches think more like the Pharisees. The gospel is only window dressing to their already holy lives. But it is the sick that Jesus comes to heal. The worst possible sins that you have committed in your lives have a response from Jesus. “Arise, you are made well. Your sins are forgiven you. Go in peace.” This is the substance of the combined ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus. John prepares the way and Jesus comes with words of life. Coming on your knees in repentance and seeking the holy One Who comes to save, Jesus shall bring peace to a hurting and broken soul. This is what the four accounts of the evangelists are concerned with. This is what the church is built on. This is what unites us all together. This is the purpose of the cup in the sacrament. The cup is held up for all to see and everyone beholds Jesus in the cup and under the wine as He is present in our midst to give drink to our parched and weary souls. We drink Christ’s blood and eat His body because we are in great need of His love, forgiveness, and mercy. The incarnation and birth of Christ, the life of Christ lived on this earth, is truly remarkable. That God walks in shoes and gets His feet dirty from the sand and dirt getting into His sandals is truly amazing. That God hides His glory under flesh and grows a beard and eats as we do is mesmerizing. God dwelt among us, and no one can apprehend Him or salvation by force. The world cannot afflict Him without His own willingness for it to happen. The kingdom of heaven comes only by His love. Jesus lovingly dwells among human beings and forgives you your sins. The worst things you have ever done are placed aside and removed from you. The gospel is for you. The love of Jesus is placed upon you. This is what characterizes the One whom John proclaims. This love is what envelopes the church. This love is what sustains the church. This gospel keeps the church breathing. Nothing else. This forgiveness is what gives refreshment and rest to weary souls who are broken down and tired from their worries, whose sins convict and batter them without ceasing. Christ is for you. His incarnation, birth, life, death, and resurrection impart to you Divine love. Mission begins and ends here at the table, where we behold Jesus in the cup and we await for His arrival at the end of all things.....for now, we behold Jesus as He feeds us, giving refreshment to our weary souls who need a love and a promise that this world cannot give and is imparted to us with great care. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
