+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Please join me in prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there anyone who, standing in the checkout line at Brookshires or Walmart, does not at least glance at the tabloid headlines? Or, do you get your “buzz” fix satisfied via the internet or R‑S‑S feeds sent right to your smart phone? Either way, inquiring minds want to know, right? In part of today’s Gospel Reading, the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to inquire about John the Baptizer’s identity and work, and this morning we inquire of and reflect on that Gospel Reading under the theme “Bearing Witness and Baptizing”.
Already last week with the beginning of St. Mark’s Gospel account (Mark 1:1-8), we heard of John the Baptizer’s appearance, of his baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with Malachi’s and Isaiah’s prophecy about the one who would prepare the way of the Lord. By Divine inspiration, St. Mark told us that all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to John the Baptizer and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins, and we heard John the Baptizer’s testimony about the One coming after him. This week we heard both part of the unique beginning of St. John’s Gospel account, its emphatic statement about John the Baptizer’s purpose of bearing witness, and we heard its unique report of the Jewish leaders’ interrogating John and his testimony in reply, about his identity and work, especially his baptizing.
The human author of today’s Gospel Reading, whom we understand to be St. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, is thought first to have been a disciple of John the Baptizer and so to give eye and ear witness to John the Baptizer’s testimony to the Jews. Jesus also knew about John the Baptizer’s testimony (John 5:33), perhaps from Jesus’s standing in their midst that day. John the Baptizer descended from a priestly line (Luke 1:5), but he clearly did not have the priests’ authorization for what he was doing. The priests and Levites, experts in purification rituals, especially those sent from the Pharisees, inquired about John the Baptizer’s identity and work. Some Old Testament passages are said to have led the Jews to expect such a purification, or cleansing, when the Messiah came, but they apparently figured the Messiah would be the one doing it (Ezekiel 36:25 and 37:23 are given by Lenski, ad loc Jn 1:25, 116). They seemd to have thought that, if John was not an end‑times figure, why was he doing an end‑times act? John the Baptizer clearly distinguished himself from Jesus, the Christ, and John the Baptizer baptized in order to reveal Jesus (John 1:31). “Bearing Witness and Baptizing” go hand in hand: John the Baptizer’s baptism was not incidental to his testimony about Jesus. But, the Jewish representatives seem to have been so focused on John the Baptizer that they missed his focus on and testimony about Jesus. St. Luke’s Gospel account specifically says that the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not being baptized by John the Baptizer (Luke 7:30).
Of course, not everyone accepts God’s purpose for themselves and is baptized today, either. Sadly, some think baptism is something they do, when, in fact, Holy Baptism is something God does, a means of grace that gives forgiveness of sins and reveals Jesus. Yet, none of us can boast, even in a correct understanding of Baptism, for that correct understanding was graciously revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. By nature, we are all sinners, who lack any and all proper understanding of anything pertaining to God and who lack a right relationship with Him, instead deserving death now and for eternity.
The pink or rose‑colored candle lit on the Advent wreath today corresponds to a note of joy anticipating Christmas in the Propers for today, the Third Sunday in Advent. For example, the Epistle Reading sounds forth: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24), and there was rejoicing in today’s Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11) and Gradual (Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:26). Today might have a less‑penitential tone than the rest of the Advent season, but, nevertheless, today and every day we still need to repent: to turn in sorrow from our sin, to trust God to forgive our sin, and to want to do better than to keep on sinning. Such repentance and faith prepares us not only to celebrate the coming of our Lord at His birth, but such repentance and faith also prepares us to receive Him as He comes to us today in His Word and Sacrament and to receive Him when He comes to be our judge, at our deaths or the Last Day, whichever comes first. John the Baptizer may not have been the same person as the Old Testament prophet Elijah, but John the Baptizer was like Elijah, working in the same area as Elijah and, more importantly, in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), leading people to repent. When we repent and believe, then God forgives our sin. God forgives whatever our sin might be; He forgives it all, for Jesus’s sake.
Jesus was the focus of John the Baptizer’s “Bearing Witness and Baptizing”. God in human flesh, Jesus both was before John the Baptizer (John 1:15) and came after him. Jesus was so much greater than John the Baptizer, that John the Baptizer said he was not worthy to perform for Jesus the work of a slave, much less the work of a disciple. Yet, Jesus made Himself less than He was, He did not always or fully use His abilities as God but took on the form of a slave and served us by dying for us on the cross. As we sang in the Introit, surely the Lord’s salvation is near to those who fear—love and trust in—Him (Psalm 85:8-9, 12-13; antiphon Psalm 85:7). As we prayed in today’s Collect, His gracious visitation lightens the darkness of our hearts. As we heard in the Gospel Reading, God sent John the Baptizer to bear witness about Jesus that through John the Baptizer all people might believe in Jesus and so have light and life (John 20:31).
At first we might not think that still today we believe in Jesus Christ through John the Baptizer’s “Bearing Witness and Baptizing”. Yet, we today heard John the Baptizer’s testimony, and most (if not all) of us have been baptized with the same witness and water. At the Baptismal Font, we are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). There we by grace through faith receive what today’s Old Testament Reading called the garments of salvation, the robe of Christ’s righteousness. As we are baptized, we put Him on (Galatians 3:27; Romans 13:14). Now we live a new life, with daily repentance and faith both drowning our sinful natures and letting our redeemed nature arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever (Romans 6:4; Small Catechism IV:12-13). Our bodies and souls are strengthened and preserved to life everlasting by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in, with, and under bread and wine in the Sacrament of the Altar, which we worthily receive with faith in His Word. We have our own fresh experiences of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word and Sacraments, and we ourselves are enabled to bear witness, or to testify. We fully and completely confess and do not deny Who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and how we receive the benefits of His work. John the Baptizer’s example encourages us!
God intends for all people to believe in Jesus through John the Baptizer’s “Bearing Witness and Baptizing”, though sadly not all people do repent of their sin and believe in Jesus. All people are not even as inquiring as the Jews in today’s Gospel Reading! Yet, we who believe know, as St. Paul wrote in today’s Epistle Reading, that God is faithful and will surely keep us blameless at our Lord’s coming and then make us finally and in every way completely holy.
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +