Rejoice When Life isn’t Rosy
Matthew 21:2-11
December 15, 2019 anno Domini – Redeemer
John the Baptist wasn’t wearing his rose vestments in prison. In fact John’s ministry had never been rosy. He didn’t get a housing allowance. He lived in the wilderness. His congregation was filled with the worst of sinners. The good and righteous religious folks couldn’t stand John. His message of repent stood in stark contrast to the good times they wanted. Then John mixed politics and religion, like a Catholic priest refusing to commune a politician who favors abortion. John accused King Herod of adultery. Herod married His brother’s wife and John called Herod’s sin a sin. One of the easiest ways to get in trouble these days is to call a thing what it actually is.
John’s hope was this. The Kingdom of God was near, as near as his cousin Jesus of Nazareth. John might soon die for his preaching, but if Jesus was God, Herod was going to hell, the Pharisees would soon be pummeled and the Sadducees would be silenced. John was the last in the line of Old Testament prophets who called the people away from their sin because God’s judgment was about to come on the world. God Himself was on the scene in Jesus.
John the Baptist thought Jesus would clean house. He expected Jesus to climb onto the threshing floor of judgment and separate the wheat from the chaff. He would gather His own and burn to a crisp those who were not. John the Baptist was a storm warning and he believed Jesus was the storm. Instead Jesus was the gentle mist of forgiveness that revived dying sinners. He was the bright morning star of God’s love for those dwelling the darkness of sin and death.
For John seeing was believing and from what he heard Jesus didn’t look like the Messiah he expected. He had his doubts so he sent word by his disciples and said to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2–3, ESV)
Learn from John the Baptist that when you doubt God go to Jesus. When you’re wondering what God is up to go to Jesus. When it looks like God is doing the opposite of what you expected go to Jesus. Jesus gave John exactly what he needed, “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4–5, ESV)
Jesus does not give John a direct answer. He doesn’t say, “Well, of course I am the Coming one. Go back and tell John to get his faith together.” Jesus gives John’s disciples His words and His deeds. Go and tell John what you see and hear. Jesus is doing what the prophet Isaiah said the Messiah would do. Jesus is doing exactly what God’s Word promised.
One of the great obstacles to our faith is not being in God’s Word, not looking to Jesus. Like John the Baptist we imagine how God should work. We think we have a solid idea of who He is and what He is up to. God is good and merciful, but without being in God’s Word that soon becomes God’s love tolerates everything, God wants what you want, God is nice. Then when something “ungodly” happens or God rebukes us for sin our faith is shaken.
I have been reading a very exciting book called The Apology of the Book of Concord by Martin Chemnitz. It is a thrilling page turner. After three or four pages I have to put the book down because I have fallen asleep. The book is a defense of two chief teachings of Lutherans – that Jesus is true God and true man, and that His body and blood are truly present under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. In all the excitement of reading I have been reminded of one truth – the arguments against the Christian faith are reasonable. They make sense. Let me give you an example. How could Jesus be seated in His body at the right hand of His Father and be here on the altar in that same risen and ascended body and blood, and over at St. Mary’s, and at Holy Cross, and at Atonement? That’s the argument that Zwingli and the radical reformers made against the Lutherans. That is what you Lutheran’s believe, but that makes no sense just as Jesus showing mercy and compassion to sinners made no sense to John the Baptist. So Jesus directs John to God’s Words and the deeds of Jesus. We also go with the Words of Jesus regarding His Supper. He is at the right hand of God and His body and blood are in the supper.
“Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” John was offended. You get offended when God doesn’t act like you believe He should act. There is no greater offense to the faith than the cross, but there God did exactly what He said. You need saving from your sin. You cannot save yourself. Go ahead try it – try to stop sinning. Try to stop dying. God Himself must save you. So God comes Himself. God takes on human flesh. God is arrested. God is stuck to a cross with nails. God dies. God’s blood flows for your sins. Jesus is true man to take man’s place – your place. Jesus is true God so that the blood He shed would be a sufficient price to cover the world’s sins, to cover all your sins. In every other religion in the world you die for God. You do what he says and you might have a chance at some form of everlasting pleasure or life. In Christianity God dies for you – that’s how bad your sin is and that’s how good and merciful God is – and blessed are you if you are not offended by Jesus of Nazareth dying and rising for you.
This Third Sunday in Advent is Gaudete Sunday. Rejoice Sunday. Rejoice John, you’re in jail and about to be beheaded. Isn’t everything rosy? Yes it is, because Jesus has come and Jesus is doing what He said. He is taking care of sinners. He’s restoring the broken bodies. He took away the glaucoma of the blind guy. He restored the cartilage to the lame guy’s knee. He threw away the hearing aids of the deaf guy and said, “Listen.”
Rejoice, because even though John was the greatest of those born among women to that point in history, you are greater. Not because of anything inside of you, but because your ears have heard what John never heard. Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. That doesn’t make sense either, but hundreds saw it and you can hear their eyewitness testimony in God’s Word. Your life might not be rosy. God may not work the way you want, but don’t be offended. Rejoice in the Lord, always, because God has come near to save you in the name of Jesus. Amen.