Advent Week 2

Matthew 3/Luke 3

The first word of John’s message is surprising.

REPENT!

The people to whom John was speaking had been living as foreigners in their own land for generations. Yes, God had allowed His people to return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.

In spite of returning home most of the centuries between the rebuilding and the appearance of John God’s people had lived under foreign domination.

At John and Jesus’ birth, God’s people were living under Roman rule. Rome - thousands of miles away - imposed heavy taxes, maintained order by their military, and publicly executed any that dared to question the authority of Rome.

The call to “REPENT” is surprising because John and his immediate ancestors had been pleading with God to act on their behalf. Here is one snippet of a prayer probably familiar to John and his family:

May the Lord hasten His mercy upon Israel!

May He deliver us from the uncleanness of unholy enemies!

The Lord Himself is our king for ever and ever.

Lord, Thy mercy is over the works of Thy hands for ever;

Thy goodness is over Israel with a rich gift. Thine eyes look upon them, so that none of them suffers want; Thine ears listen to the hopeful prayer of the poor.

Thy judgements (are executed) upon the whole earth in mercy;

And Thy love (is) toward the seed of Abraham, the children of Israel.

Thy chastisement is upon us as (upon) a first-born, only-begotten son, To turn back the obedient soul from folly (that is wrought) in ignorance.

May God cleanse Israel against the day of mercy and blessing,

Against the day of choice when He bringeth back His anointed.

Blessed shall they be that shall be in those days,

In that they shall see the goodness of the Lord which He shall perform for the generation that is to come,

Under the rod of chastening of the Lord’s anointed in the fear of his God,

In the spirit of wisdom and righteousness and strength;

That he may direct (every) man in the works of righteousness by the fear of God,

That he may establish them all before the Lord,

10(9) A good generation (living) in the fear of God in the days of mercy.

Robert Henry Charles, ed., Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913), 651

Going on nearly 400 years God’s people had been praying, waiting and watching. God seemed to have moved on, forgetting His people and choosing to ignore His promises.

Into a world that seemed forgotten by God John appears from the wilderness calling his own people to REPENT!

In the OT, the concept of repentance is intimately related to the idea that sins—i.e., acts of moral transgression or violation of God’s commandments—are offensive to God and cause a disruption in relationship with him and the community.

Repentance allows the individual or community to express regret or sorrow over sins, acknowledge that they were wrong, and “turn back” to God and attempt to bridge the disruption in relationship.

Israel’s relationship with God is conceived as a kind of journey, with obedience depicted as Israel walking toward or with God (Exod 18:20; Judg 2:22).

The covenant relationship is understood as walking in obedience to Yahweh (Psa 86:11; 2 Chr 6:16; Jer 6:16; 7:23). When one sins, or turns away from God, this is understood as heading in the wrong direction.

The individual or community must then turn (שׁוּב, šûb) back toward God (Jer 3:12; 4:1). Repentance, however, is not just a change in direction in terms of action but also a change in the orientation of the heart that results from an acknowledgment and regret over wrongdoing (Jer 7:3–7; Psa 51:10; Hos 7:14).

Lesley DiFransico, “Repentance,” in Lexham Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

Let’s not overlook the significance of the geography.

“In the wilderness...”

Israel’s history is one of wilderness. The Law, the Ten Commandments, in the wilderness!

After the fall of Jerusalem God’s people found themselves in Babylon among other places.

Moses - the one leading them through the first wilderness - had spoken to God’s people about a wilderness experience yet to come:

““The Lord will bring you and your king that you have appointed to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone.

You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.” (Deuteronomy 28:36–37, HCSB)

Now this place - the wilderness - was transformed into a place of new beginnings as John’s message drew crowds.

REPENT

Richard Owen Roberts, a well-known writer on all things to do with revival, describes John’s message in these words:

Repentance makes the path straight between the Lord and the repenting person. Repentance is like clearing a highway of holiness to and from God.

Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel (Wheaton ILL.: Crossway Books, 20020, 24.

Indeed, before God’s kingdom for which Jews had longed for over the centuries could fully be revealed, repentance must happen.

John’s call to REPENT can be defined in three specific actions:

TRUTHFULNESS

Genuine repentance is expressed first as one confesses their sin.

In the original language of the NT the word translated ‘confess’ means ‘to agree with.’

As we confess sin, we agree with God that our attitudes and actions indeed were not simply mistakes or errors in judgment. Rather they were acts and attitudes that offend God.

The Bible is filled with accounts of people who offended God and did everything possible to hide what they had done. Kings like David were called out for their sin. Average folks in a church like you and I - Ananias and Sapphira were there names - lied to God and both died immediately.

Why should we be any different?

BOLDNESS

Repentance begins with honesty. But honesty needs expression. In the case of those responding to John’s call, their honesty about sin led them to take a bold step - baptism by immersion.

Baptism was not a normal practice for most Jews. There were some extremists among them that practiced a series of washings that often included baptism. Most, however, had never seen or heard of such a thing.

One writer reminds us:

It is enough for us to remember that he was sent to baptize; that the idea of his baptism was "from heaven"; and that in his hands the rite assumed altogether novel and important functions.

It meant death and burial as far as the past was concerned; and resurrection to a new and better future. Forgetting and dying to the things that were behind, the soul was urged to realize the meaning of this symbolic act, and to press on and up to better things before;

assured as it did so that God had accepted its confession and choice, and was waiting to receive it graciously and love it freely.

Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton). John the Baptist (p. 72). Kindle Edition.

It’s one thing to say - Yes, I confessed my sin to God. It’s of a different order to walk into the Jordan River and allow a stranger is strange clothing to immerse you! That’s bold!

Fruitfulness

In Luke’s account of these events he lets us listen in on a conversation between John and some of his audience.

Luke 3:10–14 HCSB

“What then should we do?” the crowds were asking him. He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.” Some soldiers also questioned him: “What should we do?” He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages.”

Words and actions like baptism are certainly important.

What happens next though illustrates the depth of honesty and choice of boldness.

If one ‘confesses,’ and is immersed, and continues to act and speak as he/she did prior to the confession, one has to ask: What really happened?

The answers John gives are specific to the time and culture in which he lived.

Looking at his words from 2,000 years later we see that fruitfulness can be explained in ways that we can relate to.

a). the presence and power of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 3:11 HCSB

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

b). an eternal relationship with God

Matthew 3:8–10 HCSB

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

c). Perhaps most significantly, those who genuinely repent will thrive - for an eternity.

Matthew 3:12 HCSB

His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out.”

REALIGNMENT

This isn’t a word you will find in John’s message, but it captures for me the spirit of what who he is and what his assignment is.

Matthew 3:1–3 HCSB

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!

For most of the previous centuries God’s people longed for a kingdom that would be like the one David and Solomon ruled.

Jerusalem would be the pre-eminent city of the world. People would come to Jerusalem from all over the world to experience the greatness of God’s presence.

However, that is not at all what John promised. It is certainly not what Jesus delivered!

First century Jews had their own ideas about what the kingdom would be.

Look again at Matthew 3:3

Matthew 3:3 HCSB

For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight!

When a king or important person travelled from their royal city to another destination slaves and laborers would go before them - smoothing the road, taking our obstacles, removing anything that might cause danger, scouting options for pausing to water the animals, and so on.

In much the same way whenever the President of the US travels an advance team of Secret Service agents have been to the location.

God’s kingdom is at hand - those are Jesus’ words, not mine.

To fully experience His kingdom we have an assignment - is the road between us and God clear? If there are obstacles, what needs to be cleared up?

Broken relationships?

Sinful patterns - acting and thinking?

It is pure arrogance to listen to John’s call for repentance and insist that there is nothing in your life that you need to repent of!

RESPOND AND REFLECT

Most of us listening are already believers. We can remember a time when Jesus was so real, so close we could only respond by giving our lives over to Him.

Most of us listening have spent time in a wilderness - often of our own making.

God’s Word comes to us - in the wilderness - and assures us He is doing something new and unprecedented!

As Christmas draws near, as we wait for the full unveiling of the kingdom of heaven -

REPENT!

Truthfully

Boldly

Fruitfully

REALIGN YOUR LIFE

The kingdom of God is here - because where God’s people are gathered, He is in our midst.

Don’t turn away an opportunity to align your life to His...