Rev. Steven S. Billings
Advent 3
Sermon
12-17-2006
St. Luke 7:18-35
18 And the disciples of John reported to him about all these things. 19 And summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" 20 And when the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?'" 21 At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He granted sight to many who were blind. 22 And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. 23 "And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me." 24 And when the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the multitudes about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces. 26 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. 27 "This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' 28 "I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." 29 And when all the people and the tax_gatherers heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John. 31 "To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 "They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another; and they say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' 33 "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, 'He has a demon!' 34 "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax_gatherers and sinners!' 35 "Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary, is "the Coming One" – the Christ or Messiah – as His Words and works proclaim: His teaching and miracles together with His Word & Sacraments.
He is Immanuel – God-with-us – in the flesh, who comes to heal our diseases, to cast out evil spirits – and to bestow His Holy Spirit – to raise the dead, give sight to the blind, to the deaf, and to preach the Gospel to the poor.
He comes to take all the hurt and the heartache upon Himself, to carry it away in His own body to the Cross, and to put it all to death and bury it forever; thereby conquering sin, death and hell, and rising from the dead to open up heaven and to grant eternal life to you and all believers in Him. He comes to engender faith, to make disciples, to cleanse from sin, to raise from death, and to open up your ears and your heart to His saving Word of the Gospel.
All of this is great and marvelous . . . glorious indeed; but none of it can be separated from the way and the means by which He comes – namely, by way of His messengers, whom, like John the Baptist, He calls and ordains and sends before His face to prepare His way – and to prepare you! – by the preaching of the Law and the Gospel; and to put you to death and raise you to life by the Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, to die and be buried and rise again with Jesus.
It is by these ministers of His Word and Sacrament, through this ministry and by these means of grace, that He bestows all of His gifts from His Cross and Resurrection; it is by these ways and means that He forgives your sin and gives you life in place of death, and thereby gives you faith.
But, like Jesus Himself, His messengers and servants of the Word are not what the world expects, nor anything the world admires or respects or wants anything to do with. These ministers of Christ, their ministry and their very life in this world, are marked by the Cross of Christ, which is and remains an absolute scandal and offense to the world – and no less so to your own old Adam, and to your own natural wisdom, reason and strength – as in the case of John the Baptist, who was thrown into prison and eventually beheaded; and of course, Christ Jesus Himself was treated shamefully and crucified.
However, the one who is born again through Holy Baptism – into that very Cross of Christ – is greater than anything and everything the world has or would ever be able to offer. For example, among those born of women in the natural way, poor, despised John – languishing in prison, waiting to die – is the greatest of them all: a prophet, and more than a prophet, the Forerunner of the Christ Himself, and a true servant of the Word. And yet, those who are born again – by the washing of the water with the Word and Spirit – borne by the Church of Christ into His Kingdom – are greater than John. Which is to say that, even as great and glorious as the Office of the Holy Ministry is, the glory and dignity and honor of those who are baptized into Christ Jesus, who are the children of God – the sons of God in Christ Jesus – through Holy Baptism . . . their glory, in Him, is all the greater!
To say it again, you and your glory, dignity and honor, as one baptized into Jesus, are greater than even that of John the Baptist and all of the Holy Apostles and ministers of Christ – in so far as their office and ministry are concerned; in Baptism, all are one!
Now, the proud and self-righteous have no use for the Cross of Christ, nor any use for Baptism into His Cross; and, as such, they blaspheme the Lord and reject His good and gracious will for them. They refuse to heed His call to repentance, and thereby also reject His forgiveness of sins, and this includes not only those who refuse to be baptized, but also those who refuse to live the daily significance of baptism – the daily drowning of contrition and repentance.
But those sinners – like you – who are called by the Word and Spirit of God, through His messengers, to repent and to believe the Gospel of the Cross, who are baptized into that Cross of Christ, are forgiven and cleansed and justified, by grace alone, for Christ Jesus' sake; and through Holy Baptism are born again – as each and all of you are born again, and are dearly-beloved children of God. And the baptized "sons of God" in Christ Jesus are dressed in His splendid righteousness, and live with Him in His royal house, in His church on earth and forever in heaven.
All of this is in accordance with the Lord's own divine Wisdom, which is foolishness to the world – and utterly contrary to it; that is to say, by the Wisdom of Christ and His Cross, which puts you to death in Christ, in order to give you life with Him in His glorious Resurrection from the dead, and whereby the Lord justifies, not those who supposedly keep the Law and try to live by its righteousness of works, but those who have been called to repentance and faith in Christ, who is the Savior and Redeemer of poor, miserable sinners like you and me.
It is precisely by this scandalous salvation of sinners – by the Cross and Baptism of Jesus Christ – that God is justified and glorified for His good and gracious mercy and forgiveness. As Solomon writes in the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." There is the wedding, and there is the funeral. There is the fasting, then the feasting, each in its own time – sorrow and contrition over sin, and new life in Christ through His forgiveness. Confession and Absolution. Good Friday and Easter. The Cross and the Resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, such daily dying and rising is the definitive cycle of the Christian faith and life, as signified by your Baptism into the Cross and Resurrection.
So, on the one hand, there is the appropriate austerity and fasting of repentance – like John the Baptist, neither eating nor drinking – which characterizes the Season of Advent – while the world around us wants to party! – but then, on the other hand, in the coming of Christ Jesus – as at Christmas – there is true rejoicing, and forgiven sinners are given to eat and drink with Him in His Kingdom forever – while the world glumly returns to its daily grind and drudgery.
Indeed, forgiven sinners like you – who have been born again as the children of God – are given not only to eat and drink with Christ Jesus, your Savior, but to feast on His holy Body and precious Blood, the very fruits of His Cross, unto eternal life.
Rejoice, then, in the Lord who feeds you. He is near to you. And in His peace and comfort, He guards your heart and mind to life everlasting with. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
