Third Sunday after Epiphany

Richard Davenport January 22, 2023 - Third Sunday after Epiphany Matthew 4:12-25 The life of John the Baptist I'm sure was an interesting one. I mean, to be one of the guys specifically singled out by God for a special job is something few people can claim. Even before he was born, God had already announced who John was, what he would do, and why his work was important. That might be enough to give you quite the ego, but John doesn't seem to have had that problem. He understood very well what his job was and what trajectory his life would take. He as the forerunner of Christ. But, where the previous prophets pointed people to the coming of Christ, John did so with a different level of urgency. The savior wasn't someone coming somewhere off in the future. He was here and he was here now. John is an important figure and his life seems to reflect that. He drew large crowds when he preached. Not everyone agreed with him, but they all wanted to hear what he had to say. He prepared many for the coming of the savior. By all accounts, he was very successful at what he did. The Lord was certainly guiding him and had chosen well for the job. That isn't to say John had a fun job. He lives off in the wilderness like a wild man. He wasn't some crazy who couldn't function in society. He wasn't some world-denying hermit who shunned civilization and basic hygiene. Still, you might be excused for thinking so when you looked at him. Living out in the desert, eating bugs, it just isn't a lifestyle many people would choose. That didn't stop him from being effective at his job, though. It may have even helped, because he was operating out of town. The religious establishment was certainly aware of him, but they probably didn't scrutinize him as closely as if he were preaching and teaching in Jerusalem. For all of that, he did make enemies. He didn't shy away from speaking the truth to anyone. Sometimes that meant calling Pharisees a brood of vipers. Sometimes it meant calling Herod to account for marrying his brother's wife. While Herod seemed content to let John speak, his wife was not. She was very happy to see John in prison and even happier to let him rot there. She even figures out a way to get him executed so he can never call attention to her sin anymore. So John has an exciting, but somewhat sad life. For all of his importance, he doesn't get the opportunity to retire from his work and enjoy his old age in peace. He doesn't even get to go out in some sort kind of blaze of glory where everyone gets to see and acknowledge him for the important figure he is. Instead, he dies alone, in the dark, at the whim of a bitter woman who doesn't want someone telling her she's doing something wrong. John's life might have been interesting, but it wouldn't have been much fun. Nevertheless, he has a major place in the whole story of salvation. John is one of the first people in the world to know he's in the presence of the promised messiah. He's one of the first to greet the Son of God. Before the angels and the shepherds of Luke 2. Before the magi and those at the temple who were there for his presentation as the firstborn son, there was John leaping in his mother's womb, filled with joy at knowing the savior was right there. Granted, we don't really know all that much about John. His childhood, his daily life, and all of the other basics we'd want in order to try and get a fuller picture of someone are just missing from the Gospels. One thing we do know about John was that he was Jesus' cousin and Jesus cared about him very much. That's why this passage from Matthew strikes me as odd. We don't really get the impression Jesus and John hung out much. They were both busy men and Jesus especially moved around a fair bit. Still, the wording is very strange. Matthew says, "Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee." Not so strange on its own. It makes sense that Jesus might want some peace and quiet in his sorrow over his cousin. What's strange is what comes after it. In v. 17, Matthew says, "From that time Jesus began to preach says, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus then goes on to start calling his own disciples. After that he starts going all around Galilee preaching, healing people, casting out demons, and generally undoing the effects of sin wherever he finds them. It's almost as if Jesus was waiting for John to get arrested before setting off to do all of these amazing things. It's like John's arrest was the starting gun, and upon hearing it, Jesus is off like an Olympic sprinter running here and there taking care of business, taking care of people. Even just over the next few chapters we see how busy Jesus is. He's healing the blind. He's letting the mute speak. He's making the lame to walk. He's preaching the good news. He's even raising the dead. Why does this event seem to get Jesus moving? Why is he suddenly off doing all of this stuff? I think about my own life and the times I've really struggled with where I'm at and where I'm going. There have been more than a few times it felt like there was nowhere to go and I didn't know where I was going to end up. True, I wasn't imprisoned like John, but they still weren't happy times. They were stressful times, questioning times, times where things were looking pretty dire. A lot of those times I wasn't really looking to God for help, though I probably should have. Even when I was watching for what God was doing, I didn't really see a lot going on. I just kept wandering, kept waiting for some idea of what to do. I didn't really think about God doing anything about it. It's just where I was at in life and I had to deal with it. Looking back on it now, I realize I shouldn't have worried. God had sorted everything out and, yes, life was going to be difficult for a bit, but God had things well in hand. The fact that I wasn't trusting God was my own fault and I ended up bringing all of that grief on my own head. I let myself get all worked up and depressed. In many respects I've been in John's position. As we continue through Jesus' ministry, as Matthew recounts it, we eventually get to Matthew 11, where John is still in prison. John sends his friends to Jesus asking, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Is God really here to fix things? Has everything I've done been for nothing? Am I going to just wither away here in prison until the end? Jesus tells John's friends to report on what Jesus has been doing. He's been healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, making the deaf hear and the lame walk, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed. Jesus is pointing out how he has proven he's the one the prophecies have foretold by everything he has been doing. In short, Jesus has been busy. Putting Matthew 4 and Matthew 11 together, something becomes apparent. First, we know that Jesus is still God and he knows what the future holds. We also know that Jesus loves every one of us and knows what we need, both physical and spiritual. Reading Matthew 4, we know Jesus had Matthew 11 in mind. Jesus knew what John's end would be before John did. He knew his cousin, his friend, would be languishing in prison and would need some reassurance. Sure, John, the one who greeted Jesus in the womb, probably shouldn't be doubting Jesus at all, but we end up falling victim to the temptation to doubt God time and time again. John is a sinner too, and so John is no exception. John needs to hear again that Jesus hasn't forgotten him. He needs to know Jesus is truly the promised messiah. So, as soon as Jesus hears John is in prison, he sets about demonstrating who he is. He goes about doing the things the prophets have promised he will do. That way, when John finally has that crisis of faith, Jesus can point to what he's done and show him that his deeds have indeed backed up his words. None of us are all that different from John. We have our doubts, our crises of faith from time to time. We feel lost. We feel forgotten, whether that's due to our situation in life or because we have done things we think God cannot and will not put up with. Are we truly on our own now? Is there nothing left to be done? The amount of work God has packed into the Bible is pretty astounding. I don't mean in terms of just writing it, though that is a task all on its own. I mean how many things are recorded that God has done. How many times God has healed someone. How many times God has strengthened and encouraged someone. How many times God has reminded someone they are not alone. How many times God has forgiven someone. How many times God has done something that went beyond what someone thought possible just to get them out of what looked like certain doom. When we finally get around to calling on God, he points to what he's done, what he's been doing since he knew you were in need, what he's been doing from the very beginning. He's been setting the groundwork, laying the foundation, doing all of the things necessary to prove to you not only that he's the messiah, the savior of the world, but that he specifically doing all of this for you. That doesn't mean life will be all sunshine and roses, but it does mean he is taking care of you through it. John wasn't rescued from prison, but when the time came that Herod called for his execution, John could go before the executioner knowing he'd been forgiven, that his eternal life was assured, that nothing could prevent God from rescuing him from the darkness of sin. He knew all of this because he could look at what Jesus had done and what he was still doing, and know Jesus had done it for him, to prove Jesus had his future well in hand. It's all there in the Bible, and it continues to be there in our lives when we stop and look. God is at work. He is showing his love for you. He is making sure you have no reason to doubt. We still doubt anyway. We doubt whether we'll be forgiven, whether we'll be lost in the darkness and forgotten and all of the rest, but he points to what he has done throughout history and what he has done in each of our lives. Is Jesus truly the messiah? Has he truly come to forgive me and bring me life? Has he truly come to earth just to be with me? The answer to all of those is yes. We continue through the Epiphany season where we see the world coming to realize the savior has come into the world, we see also that he has revealed himself to you. He hasn't abandoned you. In fact he has come here to be with you. He is here for you. He has done all of this for you. Just look at all that he has done to prove it.