Grace and Peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in
the truth, for His word is truth. Amen
Second Sunday in Advent (2009)
Through John the Baptist the
Lord Prepares the Way
Luke 3:1-14 (ESV)
In the
fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor
of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch
of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2]
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John
the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
[3] And he went into all the region around the
"The
voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare
the way of the Lord,
make
his paths straight.
[5] Every
valley shall be filled,
and
every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the
crooked shall become straight,
and
the rough places shall become level ways,
[6] and
all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
[7] He
said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.
And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I
tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. [9] Even now the axe is laid to the root of
the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire."
[10] And
the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" [11] And he answered them, "Whoever has two
tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do
likewise." [12] Tax collectors also
came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" [13] And he said to them, "Collect no
more than you are authorized to do."
[14] Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And
he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false
accusation, and be content with your wages."
What a remarkable man John the Baptist must have been!
After years of seclusion in lonely desert regions, God called him to begin his
appointed work as the forerunner of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Speaking
by divine inspiration, as did the prophets of old, John’s was a voice such as
had not been heard in Israel for centuries; therefore, people, from all parts
of the Holy Land and all walks of life, streamed into the wilderness to hear
his incisive sermons; sermons that called the people to repentance and prepared
them for the appearance of the “Mighty One,” who would baptize them with the
Holy Spirit.
Let us then, this morning, set aside our preoccupation
with temporal affairs and let the Holy Spirit guide us as we contemplate John’s
call to repentance, understanding it is as important for us as it was for people
of Israel during the life of John.
Old Testament prophecy had spoken of two persons who
would come to usher in a new era of grace. In Malachi this morning we read: “Behold,
I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom
you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in
whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:1
ESV). Thus, according to this, the greater of the two was to be our
Lord Himself, “the Messenger of the covenant,” who through His atoning work
would make God’s Gospel promises effective. Isaiah referred to Him as
“Immanuel” and said that He would be called “Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of peace” (Is. 7:14; 9:6). The lesser
of these persons was to be the “messenger” of the Lord. He was to precede the
Lord and prepare men’s hearts to receive Him. In his person and his preaching
he was to be like the flaming prophet Elijah (Mal. 4:5; Matt. 17:10-13)
When the appointed time for their work came to past,
events moved very swiftly. Without warning, like the rays of the sun bursting
through a rip in the clouds, John the Baptist, in obedience to God’s command,
raised his compelling voice in the desert to call upon the Israelites to “Prepare
the way for the Lord.” Thus was sounded the reveille of the dawning day
of grace.
Since all men are sinners in God’s sight, there is no
grace for them without repentance, that is; a turning away from sin through a thorough
change of heart and mind. Therefore, John began his ministry with the trumpet
call: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2 ESV).
The sobering effect these words had on the people must have been intensified by
their surroundings. The Lord led John into the desert to deliver his message
and in the desert, withdrawn from their everyday concerns; the people could
give their undivided attention to what John had to say concerning their
spiritual condition and needs.
“Repent”—All who are to be brought into the Kingdom of God
must be roused out of their spiritual complacency and indifference; they must
be brought to see their inherited sinfulness and estrangement from God; they
must be brought to see that since they are “born of the flesh,” of sinful
forebears, they, too, are “flesh,” sinful, hence they are “children of wrath” and
subject to death and damnation (Eph 2:3). Again, they must come to the
realization that everyday they transgress every Commandment of the Law in
thought, word and deed—a mere intellectual knowledge of this on their part will
not do. They must feel and lament their plight and be ready to say with the
Apostle Paul in genuine sorrow; “O wretched man that I am! Who shall
delivery me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:4).
John knew what repentance meant and what it required.
His preaching was in accord with what God had foretold about it in the Book of
Isaiah (40:3ff). The passage of Isaiah, quoted in our text (vv. 4-6), is
couched in figurative language, but its general meaning is clear. If the Lord
is to come to men, if they are to see His salvation, His path into their hearts
must be prepared in advance.
Figuratively speaking, unregenerate hearts are like a
wilderness full of obstacles and hindrances to the Lord’s entrance. These must
be cleared away so that His path becomes straight and smooth. Valleys must be
filled. Therefore, the spiritual void created by moral and religious
indifference must be filled with fear, love and trust for God and a sincere
desire to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Every mountain and hill must be
brought low; thus, arrogance, pride, and selfishness must be removed. The crooked must be made straight; therefore,
hypocrisy, deceit, and fraud must be eliminated. Finally, the rough ways must be
made smooth; therefore, all sinful desires and evil lusts must be cleared away.
How can we ever hope to accomplish all these things?
The Scriptural answer is: we can’t. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit
leading us through repentance to help us get right with God! Repentance is far
more than a mere spiritual or fleeting regret, instead repentance is a deep and
honest sorrow for Sin. Moreover, it is a revelation of our lack of conformity to
God’s Holy Law by our active transgressions in thought word and deed. This
realization that we are lost because of our sin coupled with a sincere desire
to forsake sin and serve righteousness leads us to repentance.
However, only God, the Author of life, can accomplish
this change. He has even told us how He will bring it about, that is, through
Word and Sacrament. Through His written and preached Law His Holy Spirit convicts
us of our sin, showing us our guilt. Then through the Gospel of redeeming grace
in Christ Jesus and through a “washing of regeneration” He brings us to faith,
granting us His forgiveness, raising our crushed spirits, and making our hearts
His home. There is no other way for us to be turned from sin to righteousness,
from judgment to salvation than what I have just explained. Moreover, repentance
must be an ever-recurring experience in the life of a believer. Therefore,
until our death, we must make diligent use of God’s means of grace. A believer
must live the Baptized life.
This explains why John did not preach merely the Law
of God, but went on to tell of the “Baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins” (v. 3). In doing the latter, he preached the Gospel, showing them
and ourselves how our sins are washed away and blotted out from God’s
remembrance (Is. 43:25).
However, many closed their hearts to John’s call to
repentance! They were willing to be baptized as long as they were not required
to admit their sins. If John had complied with their wish, he would have made a
mockery of Baptism; and they, in turn, would have increased their guilt.
One must wonder who could hear the call to repentance
and then refuse to confess? The answer is clear, all those who were not seriously
concerned about salvation. Like many today, they may have been prompted by
curiosity just to see and hear a stirring preacher. People of this kind often
have an eye only for externals; the substance of the message eludes them; or,
if they do feel something of its inner force, they give it an interpretation of
their own, one which removes its sting and leaves them feeling comfortable and
unruffled, hence very much as they were before the call.
Yet, John tells us that, “God is able from these
stones to raise up children for Abraham” (v.
8). His chosen people had
rejected Him time after time and now the time had come when God would add to
His “faithful remnant” of true believers in
The prophecy spoke of our Redeemer, the Messiah and it
was John who prepared the way. However it is our Lord Jesus who is the
fulfillment of this wonderful prophecy. For it is He of whom this prophecy
speaks and it is through His love for us that the forgiveness of our sins is
assured. John came and filled valleys, straightened crooked paths, and lowered
the hills for God’s people that were obstacles preventing them from receiving
God’s gracious call to faith. Today, however, the Holy Spirit fills that role,
preparing our hearts to receive the message of the Gospel that for the sake of
God’s only Son, the sins of the repentant are forgiven.
Therefore, we pray, God, grant us a strong and fervent
faith to cling to Your promises of the Gospel and to seek the power of the Holy
Spirit to lead us in all righteousness all the days of our lives. Amen.
May the Peace of God, which passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.