John the Baptizer
Notes
Transcript
The Baptizer
Matt 3:1-12
John the Baptist comes with the old message of repentance… and the new practice of baptism. His prophetic message is the message of all the prophets: stop sinning… and God is not fooled by your “righteous appearance.” In fact, that’s worse. God cares about the heart and the fruit that comes from it. This is a message of despair for those who have been trying and failing for generations. But John also brings good news, he is going to step into the waters with you and “purify” you. This is in anticipation of Jesus’ baptism in Spirit, new creation, from death to life. The kingdom of heaven is here… and it’s good news.
Baptism is Weird
Baptism is Weird
Everyone stood around and watched with great expectation… as someone took an incredibly brief and largely ineffective bath.
Then they got out, with a big old grin on their face, and there was applause and celebration.
So… that’s weird.
What’s the deal with baptism???
Kind of culty.
It’s hard for us to get our head around
Here Comes John
Here Comes John
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Ever seen this sign. “End of Days!!!” That’s an easy interpretation of what John is saying. But that’s not quite what he is saying.
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Note, the other gospels say “the Kingdom of God...” Matthew doesn’t. He says the “Kingdom of Heaven.” More about that later.
And repent means all of you!
Even the Nicest
Even the Nicest
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Pharisees and Sadducees. These are specific factions, religious/political factions of the time. Sadducees are mostly welcoming to Greek and Roman culture and throw out all the prophets and just hold to the Torah…
Pharisees are more conservative, they seek to preserve Jewish culture and reject Greek and Roman influence, they hold to all the Jewish Scriptures and some of their best scholars sound a whole lot like Jesus… at least in their words.
They don’t directly correlate to any factions we have. This isn’t Democrats and Republicans, this isn’t Conservative and Liberal Christians...
But these are the people that had respect. They had influence. They were smart. They were really nice. “Put together.” These were the “good ones.” The ones mama wished you married. The right side of the tracks.
And whichever of those labels feels closest to you? Most convicting, maybe? Swap that one in there.
Maybe they were there to check out John, to see if he’s “one of the good ones.”
The Message translates:
7 When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference?
because it was a popular thing to do.
But John has the same gift of discernment as cousin Jesus, at least here. He sees straight to their heart. Past the “good” appearance, to the wickedness concealed beneath. And all the grossest and more vile for being hidden and secret.
You “den of snakes!!!”
8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Fire!
Fire!
At this point, I am tempted to pull the fire alarm.
That goes off, smoke starts billowing… what do you do?
Ideally, you realize there is a problem and look for the way out.
There is another kind of people, refusing to believe there is any kind of problem. “This isn’t even hot to me.” “I like the smoke this way.”
For the sake of pretense, people pretend they are “good” or “nice” or “put together” and they don’t need help or a way out.
John is calling ALL the peoples to repentance. True repentance.
So… what are they to do?
The people who know they are sinners… they are there in droves. There is no pretense. Repent!
But haven’t they tried to repent before? Hasn’t the generation before tried to repent?
Is this just do better more often?
And the Sadducees… and even more, the Pharisees… they are more devout than you or me. They make greater sacrifices, they are obedient and good in more ways than I’ve figured out yet. They memorized ALL the Scriptures, and then moved on to memorizing the commentaries. If they are “vipers...” what good is repentance.
John’s message becomes a message of despair.
“Repent, the kingdom of God is near...”
And you’re going to fail and burn. Axes and fire and you ain’t got no fruit!!!
Why did anyone like this guy???
John… the Baptizer?
John… the Baptizer?
What’s that about?
It’s hard for us to put our self in the shoes of these first century people. “Baptism” is a new word.
There are roots. Ritual purification, washing yourself before going into the temple, etc…
But not one person washing someone else. No one was baptizing other persons.
And “clean” and “unclean” was related to ritual cleanliness more than spritual or moral status.
John’s baptism was different. Mark characterizes it this way:
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
A baptism of repentance “for the forgiveness of sins.”
So the mode was new, the method was new, the purpose was new. A kind of washing of the soul.
And people were hungry for it. Not only to hear that there was an emergency… but to get the cure.
At least… a temporary cure.
A funny thing with baptism as we practice.
People want to get baptized again. And again. And again.
Constantine wanted to wait until the last minute.
This is a misunderstanding of baptism the way Jesus taught it… but it does kind of seem like the way John taught it. Modeled it. It’s a starting point.
Then I get it. I want to go to John weekly, daily. Ooops, sinned again. I’ll repent, go down to the water, get baptized again “for the forgiveness of sins.”
And yes, there is sacrifice in the temple for forgiveness of sins. But those are pretty infrequent for most people. Festivals, pilgrimages, but even then, most probably not even every year.
And some of the big symbolic moments, like the day of atonement, powerful symbol… but you can’t catch it on TV. If you fight the crowds to be there in person, you are a watching spectator from afar.
Now here comes a man who looks like Elijah, in the power and spirit of Elijah, saying “I personally will wash the sin off you!”
Yes, please!!!!
And then again, and again, and again.
Anyone who knows their sin, convicted of it, knows their poverty before God… you know you need help.
But something’s going to becomes clear very quickly.
John’s “revolution” only lasts for a little while. He is arrested before Jesus ministry goes public, so maybe only a year or possibly two. He’s in prison for awhile before his execution, and that all happens during Jesus’ three years of ministry.
John is a brief forerunner. His baptism is ultimately insufficient. Wash with water all day, sin and sinfulness and sinful nature remain.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Who’s coming? Jesus. Maybe John knows he is talking about his cousin, maybe not.
But John is right, he isn’t worthy to carry Jesus’ sandals. He’s a sinner, too, after all. He’s as unworthy as the rest of us, though he his among the greatest humans ever born of a woman. Best ever!
Not worthy of carrying Jesus’ shoes.
John’s call to repentance is true: it’s the message of ALL the prophets.
But his baptism is a shadow, a shallow place holder, an echo of, a reflection of what Jesus is going to do.
With Spirit and Fire
With Spirit and Fire
Hello fellow sinners… maybe you are in John’s audience today. Knowing your sin, knowing your faults and failures, knowing you need help… and looking to find it. John is going to keep splashing water at people, but when he sees the Son of God he drops all of it. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, when you respond to his call on your Spirit… He’s already working in you… you are transformed.
Hello fellow sinners… baptized by Jesus.
Not by water, that a symbol, a reenactment… baptized by Jesus in Holy Spirit and fire. If He is your Lord and Savior, this has already happened in you… and you are now filled with God Himself, the Holy Spirit, tongues of fire...
You will, for this life, continue to repent, to turn from sin… but you don’t have to fear the King or His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is here.
And Jesus has already made you worthy, already cleansed you from all sin and stupid, already made you ready for His Kingdom and is even now working His sanctification in you as a foretaste of the perfection to come.
You needed help. You got it.
You are baptized by the Son of God in Spirit and fire.
We walk this out in the symbol of baptism. How important was it? Important enough that Jesus did it, even though He already had ALL the Spirit and fire. This is a powerful symbol of our baptism in Spirit and fire, a symbol of our death and resurrection in Jesus. If you’re old enough to knowingly confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, this is a profound expression, an enactment of new creation.
It just so happens we have an opportunity coming up August 12th… but we can and will make opportunity before then. We can fill that tub in an hour, I’ll get in that creek. Ron will get in that lake.
Good news: the kingdom of heaven is here. Water is just a tiny foretaste. Bring on the Spirit and fire.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.