Advent 2C, 2024

2nd Sunday in Advent, Year C

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today is the Second Sunday in Advent, and we lit the 2nd candle in the wreath, which we call the Bethlehem Candle; it reminds that we are called to Love those in need who have "no room". This follows last week, when we lit the Prophet’s Candle, and were reminded that even in dark times, God has given His people hope. Just as they did back then, we also hope for the coming of our Messiah.

I want to focus this morning on the Gospel lesson from Luke Chapter 3. In this passage, Luke tells us about John the Baptist’s ministry, the baptism he offered to the people, and the message he proclaimed. He made sure that people knew he was NOT the Messiah, but he was certainly part of God’s plan to bring the Messiah to His people. Remembering what a dark time it was for the Jewish people, this message certainly would have been welcome. And it is a message we can appreciate today, for many of the same reasons, even 2,000 years later.

Luke begins by giving us a number of names of important figures, starting at the top with the Emperor of Rome. Pilate’s name we know - he’ll be more important at the end of the book, but he’s definitely a Roman. Herod is actually Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great (we talked about him last week). Philip is another son of Herod the Great - remember, his kingdom was divided between his sons upon his death - into 4 parts, one for each of 4 sons. “Tetra” means 4, so each was designated a “tetrarch”. Luke only gives us the names of 3 of them, unfortunately. But if you really want to know, his name was Archelaus, and he was deposed in 6 AD. Believe it or not, these details have helped scholars to narrow down precisely when John the Baptist’s ministry began - in the year 26 AD. Luke’s method here gives the Gospel not only some credence outside the Christian Church, but helps to tell this part of world history.

Today’s lesson is about God setting this part of His plan in motion - using his latest prophet, John. Luke gives an account of John’s birth in chapter 1, and now here in chapter 3, he’s beginning to fulfill his calling from God - God has spoken to John, and now John is in the wilderness, proclaiming this divine message. He is immediately a voice, crying in the wilderness. He is doing his God-given job, in the same way the the Old Testament prophets did centuries before him.

In verse 3 we learn that he is proclaiming (preaching) a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is the message he was sent to share. Now let’s remember a couple of things: First, John was not going into cities and towns, knocking on doors or teaching in the synagogue. He was, quite literally, “in the wilderness” - staying close to the Jordan river, which is something of a valley, and is quite removed from most of the civilized settlements we’ve found. He would not have been heard by anyone unless they traveled *to him*. People had to go to the Jordan river to hear him.

Second, this word that we have as “proclaiming” - the Greek word means to act as a herald, "as one who announces with a loud voice what his superior has ordered him to announce… Preaching in the Biblical sense is merely announcing clearly and distinctly what God orders us to announce in his Word. No herald dare change his message by alteration, by omission, or by addition.” [Lenski, 176-177]

With that in mind, it was rather strange to send a herald with a message to a location with no people. “But this region was chosen by God for the Baptist’s work in order to draw people away from all their ordinary occupations and interests and thus the more to fix their minds and hearts on their spiritual condition and the saving message of God’s great herald. This wild region called to mind the desert wanderings of Israel for forty years, when their unbelief had shut them out of the promised land for so long a time.” [Ibid.]

What Dr. Lenski described there was one of the most important reasons for Christians to gather for worship *in-person*. To draw us away from all of our ordinary occupations and interests, so that we are better able to fix/focus our minds and hearts on our spiritual condition (sinful and in need of a savior!). That way, when you do hear the saving message, even from a poor or mediocre herald, you will really *hear* it.

The saving message John preached: “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (vs. 3) When John preached this, for anyone who wanted the baptism he was offering, repentance was a real requirement. John would frequently refuse to baptise anyone he found to be impenitent.

Vocabulary is quite important here. In fact, this word here for repentance is one of the most important concepts in the New Testament. Repentance is “a religious change of the heart which turns from sin and guilt to cleansing and forgiveness by God’s grace.” [Lenski, 177–178] Sometimes we think of repentance as just contrition - feeling guilty or sorrowful, feeling convicted because of our sin. That’s not all that repentance is. Repentance is taking that guilty feeling and responding in faith. Contrition added to faith gives conversion. And that’s exactly what John the Baptizer was going for - to convert these people from lives of selfishness and greed to living the proper life that God intended them to live. To turn back to Him, and live the kind of life God wants them to have.

But the people weren’t really living that kind of life. The Torah - the Law of Moses that all Jews were expected to follow - contains 613 laws. By the first century AD, the only people expected to actually follow all of them were the priestly classes - the Levites, the Scribes, the Pharisees & Sadducees. Those who studied and taught God’s Law. Everyone else would just live their lives “sort of” following the Law, and then offering the atoning sacrifice at Temple once a year to pay for their sins. “Well, we’re children of Abraham; God’s wrath won’t be on us…it will be on the Gentiles who don’t believe in Him.” And so they lived comfortably in their sins.

So along comes John, offering a different approach. This repentance baptism that John offered, when it was administered (which was only done when John believed the baptized person was sincere and faithful), would result in the “forgiveness of sins” as Luke tells us. Again, vocabulary is important. I think I found the best definition of forgiveness I’ve ever heard, and it’s the word Luke used here in this verse: “[it] means “sending away.” The sins are taken from the sinner and are sent away so far and in such a way that even God will not find them on judgment day; as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12), like a writing that is blotted out (Isa. 43:25), cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Can there be sweeter words than these for any poor sinner?” [Ibid., 178–179] Amen to that.

Back to that word “contrition” - another word for “guilt”, right? “The instant we sin we have guilt, and guilt cannot exist where sin is absent. Sin and guilt entail punishment, and this follows the guilt as surely as the guilt follows the sin. When the sins are thus sent away, all their guilt and punishment leave likewise.” [Ibid., 179] If guilt stays after hearing the word of forgiveness, that’s not God re-convicting you of it, unless you’ve committed it again. That’s the Accuser, a.k.a. Satan. That’s what he does. Remember that God has forgiven you, and that forgiveness is all you need.

Now, John did these baptisms before Christ’s death and resurrection. This is something I’ve not reconciled until this week. Is anything missing from John’s baptisms? I certainly hope not. After all, Christ himself came to John to be baptized. And Christ did not actually conduct any baptisms himself. He had his followers do that… which John certainly was a follower of God’s Messiah. Long story short: John’s baptisms and Christ’s baptisms are the same in what is most important. John’s made followers of the Messiah to come; the baptisms by Jesus’ students made followers of the Messiah who had already come. We can also say that the baptism of John was to help prepare Israel and Israel alone, while the baptism of Christ was permanent, and it was for all nations, not just Israel. [Ibid.] But for both kinds of baptisms, the forgiveness was identical.

Let’s talk about the wilderness for a moment. We’ve already described John’s “workspace” as near/around the Jordan River. And if you could go there today, you’d see much of that area is untouched by modern amenities. There’s not much vegetation; some scrub brush and some trees along the river near where it empties into the Sea of Galilee. But as you go south, it becomes more desert-like. There are hills, but the surrounding surface is mostly dry, maybe some grass. It’s pretty sparse. It would not likely be easy to live off of that land, the farther you get away from the river. So yes, there are many features of the terrain that make travel difficult. And when you’re talking about the Messiah coming to the people, they see Him as their King. They don’t want their King to have any problems getting to them. The valleys will be filled up, and the mountains and hills made low. The crooked paths shall become straight and the rough places smoothed out. The King will have a pleasant, easy journey to get here.

Ok, that’s all well and good, but the prophet Isaiah isn’t talking about geography or geology. He’s not worried about the actual terrain. He’s using those terms as symbols for the things that hinder or get in the way of the people’s relationship with God. There are many such obstacles (as John is highlighting with his message), so a road needs to be prepared for the King, so that He may come and deliver them.

These obstacles and even the wilderness itself - the wild, unknown spaces where God’s people get lost - these are the hearts of the people; that’s where the Lord’s way needs to be prepared. The way this is written in the Greek, this is an ongoing action. The work of preparing the way will always continue, because we struggle with sin constantly. We can’t expect to prepare one time and then we can rest after that. The work goes on continuously. (That’s the life of faith.)

It’s refreshing that this image that Luke gives us in quoting Isaiah - it’s pure Gospel, isn’t it? The people aren’t trying to come to God; God is coming to His people. In fact, the people *couldn’t* come to Him. *He* must come to them if they’re going to be saved. They can’t do it, so He does.

Not only that, but the work of preparing His way is a pretty big job, too. Leveling mountains and hills? Filling ravines and valleys? Making roads and highways run straight and true when they’re already curved and twisted? That’s a HUGE job even with modern equipment. In 1st century Galilee? Impossible. The requirements of this task are simply beyond human capability. And that’s how we are supposed to understand this. “To prepare the Lord’s way into our hearts is a work which, strictly speaking, he alone can perform, and when we are asked to do it, it is only in the sense that we use his law and gospel and let their power operate in our hearts.” [Lenski, 183] So every person who is called to repent and believe is at the same time, given the grace necessary to bring about repentance and faith. God’s good like that.

So when John says “prepare the way of the Lord” - it’s a spiritual task. The hearts of God’s people are to be changed. Luther describes it like this: “Such preparation is spiritual; it consists in the deep conviction and confession that you are unfit, a sinner, poor, damned, and miserable with all the works you are able to do.” The real problem is impenitence - not feeling shame or regret for your sins. If you don’t repent (remember the earlier definition), you can’t really let God into your heart, and you won’t truly receive forgiveness for your sins.

Even though Israel was living under Roman rule and not truly free, I can’t help but wonder if they weren’t, in some ways, kind of content. The Jewish ruling class still had power (they had a king, the Pharisees & Sadduccees and the Scribes still had influence over society), and there were certainly wealthy Jews… The rich got richer and the poor were getting poorer. You don’t have to think too hard to see some quick parallels.

As we remember how the Jews awaited their Messiah 2,000 years ago, and the challenges they had to their relationship with God, I think we can reflect on the announcement of John the Baptist. He told the tax collectors and even the soldiers - don’t rob the people. Don’t take money from them that you’re not entitled to. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Love those in need, those who have “no room”. This is how John told the people to prepare their hearts as he preached on the shore of the Jordan river… and it’s still good and Godly guidance for us today. If we are to receive our Messiah when He comes to us, let us receive Him in faith. Let’s make the work of the Holy Spirit as easy as we can, so that the path for the Christ will be straight, level, and true.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.