Second Sunday in Advent - John the Baptist Prepares the Way
Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Image in Public Domain
Philippians 1:2-11
Luke 3:1-20
One of the numerous pleasures of serving here is the time I spend on two lane roads. I enjoy the pace, except, of course when I am behind someone traveling 40-45 mph in a 55mph zone. Generally, all goes well until something really big comes from the opposite direction. Thankfully, they always have a vehicle in front with yellow lights, flags, and a wide-load sign prominently displayed warning those of us with eyes to see that we should move to the right a bit and give room. Not long ago, I was driving through Francisville, when one of those advance vehicles was straddling the center yellow line. Hand was out the window motioning for me to move all the way over, which I certainly did. I noticed that in addition to the usual sign, flags, and yellow light, there was also a pole sticking up from the front bumper. The pole ensured the great beast that followed did not knock down power lines. I do not know what that thing was that was on the trailer bed, but it was a monster. I was glad for the warning to move over. I was glad, too, that care was taken so that lines were not knocked down while they traveled their route.
John the Baptist is the long-anticipated prophet who prepares the way for the coming messiah. John the Baptist, in both presentation and location, is different from every other prophet we have encountered in the Old Testament. By presentation and location, I mean this. Luke does not comment on John’s appearance and diet, but Matthew and Mark do. John is a rough, scrappy, wilderness character: He wears a garment of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist and his food is locusts and wild honey. On top of that is his location. His ministry is away from the population centers. He is in the wilderness. People are traveling out of their villages, towns, and cities, in order to receive John’s ministry.
This is unusual. Moses and Daniel grow up in a palace. Moses became a shepherd when he fled Egypt. Isaiah was a priest. Jeremiah was the son of a priest. Amos was a dresser of Sycamore trees before the Lord sent him up north to preach. I assume he dressed and sounded like a farmer. My point is that, with the prophets that we know something of their origins, they all looked like regular people, and come from respectable families and vocations. We know about John’s parents, but at some point, he started living in the wilderness and took on the persona of a wild man. Not only that, but all of the prophets also go to populations centers to prophecy to the people and their leaders. Prophets generally go where the people are. And they look like normal people.
Not so with John. He was the equivalent of one of these advance trucks warning of the wide load behind him with lights, flags, signs, and by driving in the middle of the road. He gets people’s attention in a dramatic way. People are responding. They are leaving their usual traffic/life patterns to make a detour into the wilderness to hear what he has to say and be affected by it.
All the prophets preach repentance. They all give examples of what their listeners need to repent of. Almost always it is idolatry and the way they are mistreating their neighbors. John does the same. He appears to be addressing folks who are familiar with the faith but who have misplaced their faith. And, in putting their faith in the wrong place, they are also not living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord God. John says, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” Their faith is in their religious heritage, not in the LORD God per se. They think they have protection and salvation because the proper rites of circumcision, bar mitzvot, sacrifices, pilgrimages, etc. have been observed, but the faith is not there. Faith is in their association and in their own actions, not in the Lord God who grants mercy. They misunderstand repentance. Repentance is not just saying you feel bad about what you have been caught doing and are sorry. Repentance is a change of mind and direction in life. Change of mind means we focus on the Lord, not ourselves. We have faith in Him, not our pious actions. Change of direction means that we love our neighbor. John gives concrete examples of what loving the neighbor looks like. “Whoever has two tunics, share with the one who has none. Whoever has food to share, share it with those with none. If you collect taxes, collect only what is due, don’t abuse your position and rob people.”
John is different in presentation and location, but there is one other aspect of his ministry that stands out like one of those advance warning vehicles that gets our attention. John baptizes people. Prophets preach and they teach. Prophets sometimes are the means by which God enacts mighty miracles. But no prophet before John ever baptized people who repented because of his preaching. The closest connection between a prophet and water for some kind of healing or salvation is with the prophet Elisha. Second Kings 5 reports how Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Syria, contracted leprosy, and through an Israelite slave girl learned of Elisha. When Naaman came calling, the prophet commanded Naaman to wash in the river Jordan 7 times and he would be healed. This was not a baptism, but it was a washing that led to a healing. That healing saved Naaman’s career.
When the prophet John the Baptist brings repentant people into the water and baptizes them, he is doing a new thing. It stands out like the advancing vehicle with the flags, lights, and wide-load sign. It gets people’s attention. John’s baptism is not the same baptism that we received when we were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We do not know what words he used when he baptized them. But, I am confident that he heard confessions of sin before they were put under the water, and when they came out, John announced that God hears their prayers and that God’s mercy is upon them.
At some point, people connected Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 40:3-5 with the work of John the Baptist. John is the long-anticipated “Voice in the Wilderness.” His blunt, uncouth, preaching, along with with his appearance, his desert ministry, and the baptism of repentance, made people alert for the messiah. He is coming! Coming soon! Finally coming! As people’s hearts and minds are transformed through the Word of God, they are ready to receive Jesus. They are ready to hear and to follow.
John is indeed like one of those advance warning vehicles. Jesus is coming. He comes to die for us on a cross. He comes to take our sins upon himself. He comes to give us his gift of forgiveness for our sins. And, he promises us eternal life in his kingdom.
The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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