Advent 3/2019

He was bold in letting people know that the Kingdom of God was coming and that he was the precursor for the messiah!

He was wild and free and sure of his mission on this earth.

But today in this passage we see a man who was in a totally different circumstance…instead of being wild and free in the wilderness preaching he was confined, alone and facing a very uncertain future.

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Isn’t it interesting that even JTB went through a time of doubt brought on by circumstances that didn’t make sense?

Even though the JTB we are used to does not seem to be in this passage it does not make the fact that he is the one proclaiming the messiah, he is the one that baptized the messiah he is the one who ushered in and announced the kingdom of God.

Even though the JTB we are used to does not seem to be in this passage it does not make the fact that he is the one proclaiming the messiah, he is the one that baptized the messiah he is the one who ushered in and announced the kingdom of God.

ILLUSTRATION

The word “Joy” is similar in this way.  We can choose to be people of “Joy” or we can choose to be bitter, frustrated, and constantly negative.  

In , the telling of John’s birth to Elizabeth and Zechariah goes as follows, “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth’” (NRSV). John was associated with joy even from before the time of his birth.

If this day, this third Sunday of Advent, is a day set aside to focus on “Joy” then it seems this is an odd passage to choose.

Here is John the Baptist, patron saint of spiritual joy, questioning Jesus by saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ( NRSV).

Wait?!

This the same John the Baptist who said: “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” ( NRSV)

This the same John the Baptist who witnessed when “the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’” ()

This is the same John the Baptist who “leaped in [Elizabeth’s] womb” when Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice? ()

Yet he still asked the question…Are you the real deal or should we look for someone else?

So, why on earth is John questioning Jesus in such a way? Also, how is the gathered community supposed to find any joy in the midst of this line of questioning?

John’s circumstances changed since he said and did the things listed above.  John was in prison.  Prison was not a destination at that time, but a holding place, a time of uncertainty, and a time of waiting.  John was waiting to find out if he would be set free, sentenced, or killed.  

Prison and uncertainty provoked John to ask a question that, if many of us were honest with ourselves, we also want to ask… “are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ()

Put another way… “are you the real deal, Jesus?”

Last week we talked about what a tough individual JTB was. He lived, preached and baptized in the wilderness!

He looked like a wilderness type guy…In fact he was probably what many of the current beard wearing outdoorsy type modeled their life after.

He spoke what was on his mind no matter what anyone thought but he did it with a purpose…JTB was not speaking just so he could hear himself speak he was ushering in the the Kingdom of God.

He knew who he was what he was supposed to do and set about getting things done.

He aggressively preached to the Pharisees and Sadducees calling them snakes and warning them to repent so they could be ready for the coming of the Kingdom of God…

He even had the audacity to claim to be the fulfillment of what was spoken in Isaiah as one crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the messiah!

What we didn’t cover was that moment where Jesus came to JTB for baptism…all the sudden JTB was confronted with the fulfillment of his mission…Jesus standing before him asking to be baptized…

JTB boldly proclaiming that it was he not Jesus in need of baptism but in obedience JTB baptized Jesus and then watched and listened with everyone as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and God spoke the words…This is my Son who brings great Joy!

JTB’s boldness and obedience paid off he had completed his mission the Kingdom has come….What a moment for a confident aggressive and sure servant of God…

What great things awaited JTB in the future…what place of honor would this prophet have in the Kingdom of God?

Fast forward to the way we are about to see JTB today!

He is no longer preaching in the wilderness. He is not surrounded by people hanging on his every word. He is in prison!

His preaching has offended the very powerful and it is becoming obvious that he may not make it out of this alive…He is confused and looking back at his life wondering how can this be?

Will Jesus sweep in with a band of warriors and set him free…it’s not looking good…Was Jesus really the Messiah after all if he were wouldn’t he be starting the revolution and didn’t he need JTB

He is hearing a lot of wonderful things about Jesus but in this moment JTB sends a question through his disciples to Jesus.

Are you the real deal? Are you the one we have been waiting for or should we wait for another?

This is not the confident aggressive JTB we are used to…it is the fearful almost passive JTB that is wondering if his mission is really over maybe hoping that Jesus will say he is not the one so he could have the confidence that JTB’s mission was not over…

JTB was wondering if all of this was worth it! He needed an answer.

This is where we pick up the story:

(NLT)

4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5 the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 6 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces.

9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’

11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!

13 For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.

Jesus responds by not providing a direct answer.  Instead, Jesus tells the disciples of John to bear witness to what they have seen and heard. Jesus said, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”  These miracles are found in Old Testament passages that were known to be passages that foretold of the coming Messiah (; ; ; ; ; and 61:1).

Jesus responds by not providing a direct answer. 

Instead, Jesus tells the disciples of John to bear witness to what they have seen and heard. Jesus said, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” 

Jesus not only says this but then he turns to the people to honor JTB…He corroborates the truth that JTB is in fact the fulfilment of the Isaiah passage…that he has fulfilled his mission.

So, in a round about way, Jesus does answer the question.  There is evidence of what he is saying and doing that point to Jesus being the Messiah.  

Well done good and faithful servant.

So even though Jesus does not give a simple yes or no answer...

Jesus does answer the question.  There is evidence of what he is saying and doing that point to Jesus being the Messiah.  

That is all well and good, but it begs the question, how does the story end?  How does John receive this response from Jesus?

We really don’t know…did he weep at the thought of his own death? Or did he face the executioner with a quiet confidence... or did he go out loudly proclaiming the Kingdom of God had come in Jesus? WE do not know how but we know that John was executed. ()

John was later killed () and so he was not delivered from his trials and sufferings in the way he had hoped.  I think it appropriate to imagine that John the Baptist, the patron saint of spiritual joy, now finds his joy complete in the presence of God. 

Christ.

He was not delivered from his trials and sufferings in the way he had hoped.  I think it appropriate to imagine that John the Baptist, the patron saint of spiritual joy, now finds his joy complete in the presence of God. 

We do know that John was later killed () and so he was not delivered from his trials and sufferings in the way he had hoped.  I think it appropriate to imagine that John the Baptist, the patron saint of spiritual joy, now finds his joy complete in the presence of God. 

I think this point is important because many people today live with anxiety depression and all sorts of other significant and real emotional pain…some have brain chemistry issues but a fair amount of people struggle because they are not actively living on mission.

Joy will always elude those who are not actively about the mission that God has given us to establish His Kingdom on earth.

The same is true for

What does this all mean for the gathered community in this season of Advent?

It is a reminder to us that, yes, this life is full of suffering, but that as we anticipate the birth of Christ in Advent, we also anticipate the coming of Christ again.

The coming of Christ where the New Creation will bear beautiful fruit and all things will be made new.  

God does recognize the efforts of his people…Like the song we attribute to a fictitious Santa Clause God sees you when your sleeping he knows when your awake he knows if you have been bad or good...

God does recognize the efforts of his people…Like the song we attribute to a fictitious Santa Clause God sees you when your sleeping he knows when your awake he knows if you have been bad or good...

He knows you and I have questions, struggles and difficulties…but these things do not define us…they do not get the last word because God is the God of life, resurrection, hope, faith, JOY, and peace.  

Our current sufferings do not get the last word because God is God of life, resurrection, hope, faith, JOY, and peace.  

Whatever circumstance you find yourself in…whatever dark palce you are wondering if you can get out of Jesus has come…Jesus recognizes you int he midst of your trial and your pain…Though there may be pain in the present Joy comes in the morning.

So, yes, we can find joy in the midst of our sufferings, we can be the joy that this world needs as we follow after Christ. 

We can do so because Christ IS the one who was promised and we do NOT need to wait for another.  

The Kingdom of God has come let us live joyfully in expectation of the worlds redemption

Communion