{"id":1350,"date":"2021-02-18T20:40:58","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T20:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=1350"},"modified":"2023-01-14T22:29:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T22:29:16","slug":"jesus-and-john-the-message-and-the-messenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/02\/18\/jesus-and-john-the-message-and-the-messenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus and John: The Message and the Messenger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Third Sunday in Advent| December 15, 2013| Rev. Rolf Preus| St. Matthew 11:2-10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Advent-Three-2013.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, &#8220;Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?&#8221; Jesus answered and said to them, &#8220;Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.&#8221; As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: &#8220;What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings&#8217; houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: &#8216;Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'&#8221; St. Matthew 11:2-10<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John was in prison for telling the truth.&nbsp; It was his job.&nbsp; God sent him to preach.&nbsp; God never sent anyone to lie.&nbsp; Those who preach lies are not sent by God.&nbsp; God tells the truth and so do those who speak for him.&nbsp; John preached the truth.&nbsp; He preached the true gospel.&nbsp; He identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.&nbsp; He preached the true law.&nbsp; He publicly rebuked Herod for his sin of incest.&nbsp; He married his brother\u2019s wife.&nbsp; That was a sin.&nbsp; John said so.&nbsp; Since it was a public sin, John publicly condemned it.&nbsp; That\u2019s what landed him in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Herod\u2019s hatred and fear of John were tempered by the fact that he knew how much John was respected.&nbsp; Herod was a politician, after all, and didn\u2019t want to offend the people and the people loved John.&nbsp; Herod didn\u2019t want to hurt John.&nbsp; He just wanted to shut him up.&nbsp; John was an influential preacher.&nbsp; As is often the case with men of courage and integrity, he had loyal disciples.&nbsp; They stuck with him even when he was in prison.&nbsp; They were not ashamed of being his disciples.&nbsp; But John did not want disciples for himself.&nbsp; He wanted disciples for Jesus.&nbsp; That\u2019s the mark of a true preacher sent by God.&nbsp; He doesn\u2019t want a following.&nbsp; He wants those who listen to him to be taught by Jesus.&nbsp; In John\u2019s case, he was sent specifically for the purpose of preparing the way for the Coming One.&nbsp; John\u2019s job was to prepare the way for Jesus.&nbsp; Jesus, not John, was the topic of John\u2019s preaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s likely that some of John\u2019s disciples were somewhat disappointed in Jesus and wondered how he could be the Coming One.&nbsp; After all, if Jesus were truly the promised Savior sent by God to deliver his people why did he leave John to languish in jail?&nbsp; Would not the Christ establish justice on earth?&nbsp; Would he not set the prisoners free?&nbsp; Isn\u2019t that what the prophets foretold?&nbsp; But John remained in prison for doing what God sent him to do.&nbsp; He was in jail because he preached God\u2019s word faithfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John preached Jesus as the Christ.&nbsp; That\u2019s why he sent his disciples to Jesus.&nbsp; His disciples needed to be taught and there was no one better equipped to teach them than Jesus.&nbsp; So John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him if he were the Christ, the coming One, or should they look for another.&nbsp; Jesus responded to the request by pointing out to them what they could see and hear for themselves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus mentions six things.&nbsp; Five of them pertain to bodily needs.&nbsp; He gives sight to the blind.&nbsp; Those who were lame can now walk.&nbsp; Those suffering from leprosy are cured.&nbsp; He gives the deaf the ability to hear.&nbsp; He even raises the dead.&nbsp; These signs display compassion and power.&nbsp; All of these wonders are foretold in the Old Testament.&nbsp; They are signs that Jesus is indeed the Coming One promised by God through the prophets of old.&nbsp; But the sixth thing Jesus mentions does not pertain to immediate bodily needs, yet it is by far the most important.&nbsp; You may think that the blind seeing, the lame walking, the lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead being raised up are more significant, more important, than mere preaching.&nbsp; And you would be wrong.&nbsp; For as wonderful as Christ\u2019s miraculous signs were they were only temporary.&nbsp; Those who benefited from the bodily blessings he bestowed remained trapped in dying bodies infected by sin and headed toward the grave.&nbsp; It is the preaching that saves sinners from their sins, from death, and from hell.&nbsp; And that is the greatest sign of the promised Messiah and the kingdom he rules.&nbsp; The poor have the gospel preached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to Jesus.&nbsp; Jesus validates John\u2019s preaching and John is the preeminent example of a great preacher.&nbsp; In the verse that follows our text Jesus says, \u201cAssuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.\u201d&nbsp; John stands as the model for all preachers to emulate.&nbsp; I\u2019m not talking about imitating such peculiarities as eating locusts and wild honey and living out in the desert.&nbsp; John lived an ascetic life.&nbsp; He didn\u2019t drink strong drink.&nbsp; He didn\u2019t marry.&nbsp; He wore clothes made out of camel\u2019s hair.&nbsp; He was a strange sight to behold, that\u2019s for sure.&nbsp; But what set John apart was his single-minded devotion to his task of preaching Christ crucified for sinners.&nbsp; When he first identified Jesus he called him the Lamb of God.&nbsp; He pointed to his crucifixion.&nbsp; He preached the gospel of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John was called to this office before he was born.&nbsp; When Jesus spoke of John he cited the book of the prophet Malachi where God said: \u201cBehold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.\u201d&nbsp; John was God\u2019s messenger, literally, his angel, chosen to prepare the way for Jesus.&nbsp; Preaching always points to Jesus or it isn\u2019t gospel preaching and the only preachers God sends to preach are gospel preachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John identified Jesus.&nbsp; He saw him.&nbsp; He pointed him out.&nbsp; He baptized him.&nbsp; He touched him, talked to him, and witnessed the evidence that Jesus pointed out to his disciples as proof that Jesus really was the promised Christ.&nbsp; Whether John was having his own doubts or he just wanted his disciples to be instructed personally by Jesus is not really important.&nbsp; We cannot know for sure because the Bible doesn\u2019t say.&nbsp; We do know that John needed to hear his own preaching.&nbsp; The preacher relies on what he preaches.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed is he who is not offended because of me.\u201d&nbsp; If only these words of Jesus could be planted deep into the mind and heart of every Christian preacher.&nbsp; You think they are listening to you because you are you?&nbsp; You think it is your charm, your eloquence, your deep knowledge, your status among the high and mighty, or something else you think you have to offer?&nbsp; No, Mr. Preacher!&nbsp; It\u2019s not you.&nbsp; It is Jesus.&nbsp; It was John the Baptist who spoke for all genuine Christian preachers when he said of Jesus, \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease.\u201d (John 3:30)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John was a gospel preacher.&nbsp; He was no reed shaken by the wind, bending this way and that in response to the demands of the crowd.&nbsp; He was no man-pleaser.&nbsp; He was a faithful steward of what God had entrusted to him.&nbsp; He preached what God gave him to preach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John was not a commercial or financial success.&nbsp; He didn\u2019t have a big budget.&nbsp; He didn\u2019t live in a fancy home or drive in a fancy chariot or have a big staff of professions handlers and managers.&nbsp; He didn\u2019t wear fancy clothes and he didn\u2019t hobnob with politicians.&nbsp; He was a preacher who preached the gospel he himself needed to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John was called an angel, but he was still just a man.&nbsp; No preacher can ever rise higher than the gospel he preaches and that gospel is intended for the poor.&nbsp; Poor people rely on rich people to help them.&nbsp; Whether it is a job, or a handout, or the taxes to pay for government benefits, the poor rely on the rich to help them out.&nbsp; They usually won\u2019t admit it, especially in our class conscious society where everybody wants more and more money while resenting those who have more than they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If those poor in material things don\u2019t like to admit their dependence on the rich, how much more those who are poor spiritually don\u2019t want to admit their dependence on God\u2019s grace.&nbsp; But the gospel is for precisely these people.&nbsp; Indeed, the gospel is only for those who are spiritually poor and know it.&nbsp; It is for sinners who feel the weight of their guilt and know that they cannot undo or overcome their sins.&nbsp; They are poor and they need the wealth of another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary, the mother of our Lord, describes the gospel so beautifully with her words, \u201cHe has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away.\u201d&nbsp; Are you poor and hungry?&nbsp; Or are you rich and satisfied?&nbsp; The secular gospel of self-esteem teaches you to find wealth within.&nbsp; A humble and contrite heart is despised by men, but God does not despise you in your poverty and weakness.&nbsp; He never despises the contrite sinner.&nbsp; He always forgives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what John preached.&nbsp; Consider his best known proclamation.&nbsp; He pointed to Jesus and said \u201cBehold!&nbsp; The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!\u201d&nbsp; Behold!&nbsp; Look!&nbsp; Don\u2019t look at me, the preacher.&nbsp; Don\u2019t consider me or my gifts or my personality.&nbsp; Look at Jesus.&nbsp; And don\u2019t look at Jesus to make you popular or powerful or successful in life.&nbsp; Look at him to bear your sins away.&nbsp; Did he?&nbsp; Or must you languish in your guilt; feebly attempting to undo the harm you\u2019ve done by making up for it in some way?&nbsp; Yes, he did!&nbsp; He took away your sins and you know it because he took away the sin of the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is gospel preaching to guilty sinners who need it.&nbsp; Jesus knew that John was suffering in jail.&nbsp; Jesus knew that John was paying for the privilege of preaching the truth.&nbsp; When John was being punished by men for doing what God gave him to do Jesus assured John that he, as poor as he was, languishing in prison, was the one the gospel was intended for.&nbsp; The preacher preaches to himself.&nbsp; The guilt that he feels from his failures as a preacher and as a man is the guilt that Jesus bore and in the preacher\u2019s poverty the gospel he is privileged to preach makes him rich.&nbsp; Only in his poverty can he become rich, because it is the poor who have the gospel preached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The preacher or the hearer who wants something more than that should consider Jesus\u2019s promise: \u201cBlessed is he who is not offended because of me.\u201d&nbsp; Your Lord knows that confessing the faith is not always easy to do.&nbsp; He knows it is especially difficult when life seems to be going against us.&nbsp; If this gospel we confess is such a precious thing, why do we face the pains we face in our jobs, our marriages, our families, and in our consciences?&nbsp; Why aren\u2019t we always feeling the peace that is proclaimed to us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t be offended by your lowly circumstances, dear Christian.\u00a0 Consider John.\u00a0 Jesus left him in jail, though as the almighty God he certainly could have set him free.\u00a0 But he has something far more precious than temporary freedom and validation.\u00a0 He has the forgiveness of sins.\u00a0 He has victory over the devil and the grave.\u00a0 He has eternal life to give, and he gives it to us whenever we hear his gospel proclaimed.\u00a0 We, the poor, are made rich with the treasures of heaven that nobody can take away from us. Amen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Third Sunday in Advent| December 15, 2013| Rev. Rolf Preus| St. Matthew 11:2-10 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, &#8220;Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?&#8221; Jesus answered and said to them, &#8220;Go and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2021\/02\/18\/jesus-and-john-the-message-and-the-messenger\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,8,17,4],"tags":[161,303,238],"class_list":["post-1350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advent-3","category-latest-sermons","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary","category-sermons-by-rolf-preus","tag-advent-3","tag-matthew-11","tag-rolf-preus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1352,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1350\/revisions\/1352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}