3. Advent, 12/12/2010

Sermon on Matthew 11:2-11, by Richard O. Johnson

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 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. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,"‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.' Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

History is full of people who don't understand Jesus Christ. Many years ago a book about Jesus was published entitled The Man Nobody Knows. It was not a very good book, but it was a very good title. The Man Nobody Knows-meaning Jesus Christ! What? The most famous and significant person in human history, and he's the man nobody knows? How can that be? And yet it's never more clear than during this season, when the world claims to celebrate the coming of Christ. He is the man nobody knows, the Savior whose coming was long-expected but in the end dreadfully unexpected. For human history, then and now, is full of people who don't understand Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist is the prime example. He didn't understand Christ. He should have. He was a prophet, a man of God. He thought of himself as the "fore-runner" of the Messiah, the one who would "prepare the way." But John had it all wrong. His idea of the Messiah was completely in error. Like so many Jews of the day, John thought that the Messiah was going to be a mighty king, who would come swooping across Judea, wiping out all enemies of the Jews and especially all Jews who were traitors to their own faith and nation. John thought that the Messiah would be a ferocious warrior, who would lead his people in battle against sinners and would ultimately conquer Judea and set up his righteous kingdom.

That's what John expected when Jesus first appeared on the scene. You will remember the story of Jesus' baptism, how John seemed to know intuitively that this strange young man from Nazareth was the Messiah for whom he had been waiting. The fourth gospel tells us that when John first saw Jesus, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God. This is the one of whom I have been speaking." At the beginning, at least, John had no doubt that Jesus was the Messiah.

Not what he expected

But things didn't work out as John expected. Jesus didn't pick up a sword and start a holy war; instead he went around the countryside preaching and teaching-not so much about God's anger as about God's love. And soon John, who had thought that the great day of battle had finally come, was himself arrested by King Herod and thrown into prison. Things were not working out as he had planned! And so he began to wonder-is this Jesus really the Messiah? Is this gentle teacher really the great King of Israel?

And so in this morning's gospel lesson we hear about a time when John, sitting in the king's prison, sent his disciples to Jesus with a question: "John wants to know," they said, "Are you the One who is to come, the Messiah, the Savior? Or shall we look for somebody else?" Now you can sense the doubt and confusion in John's question. He expected Messiah would come with flashing sword, but so far the only sword he has seen is the one used by the soldiers who arrested him. In a short while, he'll see another sword--the one used to cut off his head. If Jesus really was Messiah, something must have gone wrong; here is John in prison, soon to be executed, and Jesus out there sitting on mountainsides and talking about "blessed are the meek." So John must ask: "Are you the Messiah?"

Well, leave it to Jesus not to give a straight answer. "Go back to John," he says, "and tell him 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. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me."

Now it is that last sentence that is the hook. "Blessed is he who takes no offense at me." From everything we know about John the Baptist, he would have taken great offense at Jesus Christ. John was expecting the mighty king, the warrior who would take the world by force; Jesus was something very different, a prince of peace, a Messiah who didn't destroy sinners but talked with them, ate with them, loved them. Jesus was not what he expected and definitely not what he wanted.

What Messiah are you looking for?

What about you and me? What kind of Messiah are we looking for? I think if we're honest with ourselves, we'd have to say that we're in the same boat as John. The Messiah we have been long-expecting, the Savior we sing about in this Advent season, is not the kind of Savior born in Bethlehem. Look around at our Christmas celebration and perhaps you will see what I mean. We want a Savior who will help us forget about the ugly things in our world, a Messiah who will give us visions of sugarplums to dance in our heads, a Messiah of nostalgia and fairy tales, a Messiah of the good old days. A Messiah who will wave a magic wand and suddenly make everything all right again.

You know, Christmas is a very stressful time for many people. Statistics consistently show that more couples file for divorce during the week after Christmas than any other week in the year, and the suicide rate is higher that week than any other. The reason is that we expect Christmas to work its magic and solve all our problems, and when it doesn't, we finally reach the breaking point. Or perhaps it is because during Christmas we paint a cheerful veneer over everything and try to convince ourselves that life is grand. It is ironic that the favorite American Christmas symbol is the Christmas tree, which we decorate and string with lights and make beautiful, all the while conveniently ignoring the fact that this tree has been cut down and is now dead. And so after Christmas people run smack into the reality that all the tinsel and colored lights haven't really changed the way life is for them.

But it all comes back to my original comment. The Messiah of Bethlehem is the man nobody knows. We expect a Savior who will solve all our problems, like some cosmic Santa Claus. But Jesus isn't that way. He's not to be found in the shopping malls, or gift wrapped under a tinsel-laden tree. He's to be found in the world, as cold and ugly and troubled as it may be. He's to be found in a stable. He's to be found roaming the countryside with a bunch of smelly fishermen. He's to be found eating with sinners. He's to be found on a cross, executed between two thieves, scorned by the crowds, denied and betrayed by his friends. He's to be found, not waving a magic wand or a sword and eliminating all the problems of the world or of our lives, but entering into those problems and suffering right along with us.

A story only God could tell

Who would have expected that? Who would have predicted that? Not John the Baptist. And not you, and not I. But . . . God! It was a story, you see, that only God could tell. A story of a Messiah who became one of us, who was born like us, who lived with us, who died with us. A messiah who wasn't all glitter and nostalgia, but who lived in a world blind with hate and who was daring enough to give his life that the eyes of the blind might be opened.

Could such a man really be the son of God? That was John's question, and it is ours: "Are you really the Christ? Or is there another Messiah, perhaps an easier one, one more to our liking? And for us, as for John, the answer is this: Jesus really is the Messiah-if you can accept that without taking offense. If you can accept a savior whose strength is in his weakness. If you can accept a Savior whose ways are love and mercy, not hatred and punishment and revenge. If you can accept a Savior who is willing to give his life to save others. If you can accept all those things, then Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior.

But beware, my friends! For if you would accept, then you must follow. If you would accept a Savior who loves even rotten, ugly sinful, troublesome people, then you must accept the task of loving them, too. If you would receive this Savior who forgives your sins, then you must be ready to forgive. If you want this Savior who gives his life for you, then you must be ready to give yours for another. And if you are not interested in all these things, then perhaps you need to look elsewhere. Perhaps you need to look for a Messiah more to your liking than this man nobody knows.

But if you choose this Messiah, the one born in a stable; if you choose to follow this Savior; then be assured that he can do all things for you. For even today the blind see, the lame walk, the unclean are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Blessed are they who see these things and take no offense, and who gladly receive this Messiah of Bethlehem.

The Rev. Richard O. Johnson
Peace Lutheran Church
Grass Valley, CA, USA
E-Mail: roj@nccn.net

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