Matthew 3: 1-12 NRSV
What
do Winnie the Pooh and John the Baptist have in common? They both have the same middle name and like
the same food. (THE, HONEY)
The
Bible is a historical narrative filled with captivating people – most of them
larger than life and filled with odd bits of information that make us think of
them as being too weird to fit into regular society.
Noah,
Jonah, Moses, Elijah and Job come to mind quickly. But none are weirder than
John the Baptist, especially in dress, diet, and choice of places to live.
John’s
mission is unique and he has only one point in every sermon.
Everything
you hear about him tells you that’s he’s probably not going to be that one
party guest you can’t do without. He would be a troublesome church member.
Through
God's direction, John the Baptist challenged people to prepare for the coming
of the Messiah by turning away from sin and being
baptized
as a symbol of repentance.
Although
John held no power or influence in the Jewish culture and society, he delivered
his message with the force of authority. People could not resist the
overpowering truth of his words, as they flocked by the hundreds to hear him
and be baptized. And even as he attracted the attention of the crowds, he never
lost sight of his mission—to point people to Christ, to the Son of God.
John
the Baptist seems to be the type of fellow who would intentionally provoke a
confrontation in order to give you his opinion. But if you look you’ll see that
most of God’s prophet’s are that way, too!
You
see, God requires that His followers, messengers, and prophets be obedient to
His word.
Let’s
read Matthew 3: 1-12:
In those days John the Baptist
came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the
prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way
for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "
John's clothes were made of
camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts
and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the
whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in
the Jordan River.
But when he saw many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them:
"You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves,
`We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can
raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and
every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into
the fire.
"I baptize you with water
for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose
sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing
floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with
unquenchable fire."
When
I read this passage several weeks ago I immediately remembered the old joke
told to me by my Seminary mentor. He was teaching me about how none of us want
a troublemaker in the church family who constantly reminds us of our weaknesses and downfalls and speaks the truth we don't want to hear:
A
small town had three churches: A Christian Church, a Methodist Church, and a
German Reformed Church. One day the three pastors got together and decided it
was time to hold revival services. So a week was chosen and it was agreed that
each church would hold its own services and the pastors would meet later to
compare notes.
After
the week the pastors got together over coffee and discussed how it went.
The
Christian church pastor said, “We had a wonderful week of services and had 4
new families profess faith, were saved, and joined the church. We’re very
happy.”
The
Methodist church pastor said, “We too had a wonderful week of services and had
6 new families experience fellowship, profess faith, were saved, and joined the
church. We’re very happy as well.”
The
Reformed church pastor said, “We too, are happy, we have been renewed in our singular
mission and have a clear and revived vision for our future. We also got rid of
our 10 biggest troublemakers.”
John
the Baptist would scare most church members with his passion of a constant call
for repentance and desire to overcome sin. He would be a troublemaker in most
churches today.
You
see, John's greatest strength was his focused and faithful commitment to the
call of God on his life. Taking the Nazirite vow for life, he personified the
term "set apart for God." John become obedient to/for God, and His
will
John
knew he had been given a specific job to do and he set out with singular
obedience to fulfill that mission. He didn't just talk about repentance from
sin. He lived with boldness of purpose throughout his uncompromising mission,
willing to die a martyr for his stand against sin.
I
am convinced that John the Baptist did not set out with the goal of being
different from everyone else. Although he was remarkably strange, he wasn't
merely aiming at originality. Rather, he targeted all of his efforts toward
obedience. Obviously, John hit the mark, as Jesus called him the greatest of
men.
What
should we learn from John the Baptist?
One:
We learn Baptism does not save us; it identifies us as needing God’s Grace..
Second:
When we come to realize that God has given us a specific purpose for our lives,
we can move forward with confidence, fully trusting the One who called us.
Like
John the Baptist, we don't have to fear living with a radical focus on our
God-given mission because for God John’s passion is and was what He expects of
us.
Can
there be any greater joy or fulfillment in this life than to know God's
pleasure and reward awaits us in heaven for our obedience?
Just
moments after his beheading John the Baptist must have heard his master say,
"Well done!"
Let
us learn to WALK IN OBEDIENCE to God’s word all the days of our lives. Amen.
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