Our reading for Good Friday comes from the gospel of John, chapter 19. In this passage of Scripture, we hear how Jesus died on the cross. From John 19, verses 28-30 we read…
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Good Friday reflection – It is finished:
Finishing is hard to do. There are not many things, in this life, we can say are truly finished. You can never finish mowing the lawns or washing the dishes or painting the house because jobs like these will always need to be done again.
The search for meaning in life is another thing that never seems to finish. When we are young, being good at cricket or netball or chess or skate boarding might be how we find meaning. But, as we get a bit older, finding a boyfriend or a girlfriend matters more. Then building a home and a career. By the time we get to the end of our life, meaning is found in leaving some kind of legacy.
What seems meaningful keeps evolving as we grow through the different stages of our life, so that we never quite find what we are looking for. We never totally feel like we have finished ticking the box of our life’s purpose.
The command to love God and love our neighbour as we love ourselves is another thing that never finishes. There is no end to caring for your family, your friends, your enemies and complete strangers.
Then there are the things we wish would finish but just seem to drag on. Small talk. A tedious sermon. A chronic illness. The burden of grief. Nagging guilt. The prejudice others dress us in. The torment of living with an abuser. Not to mention famines, wars, climate change and the fallout from these.
Like being stuck in a car, on a never ending road trip, the child inside us wants to cry out, ‘Are we there yet?’. But the grown up won’t let the child talk.
Finishing is hard to do.
It is significant that, in John’s gospel, Jesus’ last words from the cross (before he died) were, “It is finished”. The other gospel accounts say that Jesus gave a loud cry and then he died. Putting that together, it appears Jesus didn’t say, “It is finished” in a quiet whisper. He shouted it out for all to hear.
Jesus is celebrating the fact that he has completed the work God gave him to do. He has accomplished God’s purpose for his life. “It is finished”, from the lips of Jesus on the cross, is the cry of victory.
Jesus’ life and death accomplished many things. Let me briefly mention three…
Firstly, Jesus reveals God’s love and truth. Jesus has shown the world God’s heart. God’s intentions toward us are good.
Secondly, Jesus shows us what it looks like to be truly human. The good we are unable to do Jesus has done for us. Jesus has lived the perfect life on our behalf.
Thirdly, Jesus makes it possible for us to be friends with God. Some people think God was punishing Jesus (on the cross) for our sins. But that wouldn’t really be fair or honest. I believe Jesus took our sin upon himself so that when Jesus died, our sin died with him.
This means the cross isn’t about punishment. It’s about forgiveness and reconciliation. Through faith in Christ, we can have a fresh start with God.
“It is finished” means Jesus’ work is complete, it is accomplished, there is nothing more we can add. Trying to improve on the work of Jesus, through our own efforts, would be like trying to touch up Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa. It would be vandalism.
When a mother has given birth, the doctors don’t try to put the baby back. The labour has finished. Now the new work of caring for the child begins.
Finishing is hard. We can’t do it on our own. We need help. Do you have unfinished business with God? What is it you need to leave at the foot of the cross for Jesus to finish?
Let us pray…
Lord Jesus, we thank you for revealing the heart of God and for showing us what it means to be truly human. We thank you too for taking our sin upon yourself, that we may have friendship with God. Grant us grace to finish this life’s journey with faithfulness and courage. Amen.
A fire station burns down, a police station gets robbed, a pilot who is afraid of heights. What word would we use to describe these three situations? [Wait] That’s right, irony.
Situational irony is when an event or situation is the opposite of what is expected. No one expects a fire station to burn down.
In the same vein, verbal irony is the use of words to mean the opposite of what is said. The name of one of Robin Hood’s merry men, Little John, is ironic because he is actually big in stature and big in heart.
This morning we continue our series for Lent looking at Jesus’ last week before his crucifixion and death. Today’s reading, which focuses on Jesus’ trial before the Roman governor Pilate, is full of irony. We don’t have time to read the whole account of Jesus’ trial, so let’s pick up the story from John 19, verse 1…
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”
7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Let me give you a window on this passage. Imagine four panes of glass…
On the bottom left we have Pilate, the Roman governor, who (ironically) is acting out of fear and ignorance. That’s ironic because Pilate has the authority and power of the Roman empire behind him, yet he doesn’t know who Jesus is, nor does he have the courage to see that justice is done in this situation.
On the bottom right we have the Jewish priests who, like Pilate, are ignorant but, unlike Pilate, they are fearless. Again, it is ironic that Israel’s theologians are ignorant of who their own Messiah is.
On the top left we have the disciples who are informed as to who Jesus is but are fearful for their lives. We don’t read about the disciples in today’s passage because they are in hiding.
And then, on the top right we have Jesus who is both informed and fearless. Jesus knows who he is and he knows God’s purpose. Jesus is not afraid. He faces his trial with courage and calmness. Nevertheless, Jesus is not immune from the irony of the situation.
As we work our way through these verses, keep this window in mind.
Dramatic irony is when the audience can see the irony of the situation but the characters inside the story can’t. So dramatic irony is like a secret only the audience know. We are the audience and that puts us in a good position to see the irony of Jesus’ situation.
In John 18, Jesus stands trial before the Jewish high priests, Caiaphas and Annas. They struggle to find two witnesses to agree that Jesus has done anything wrong. Eventually, they trump up some charges of blasphemy which, under Jewish law, is a capital offense worthy of the death penalty by stoning.
But Israel is subject to Roman law, which means the chief priests can’t kill Jesus without getting permission from the Roman governor and so they hand Jesus over to Pilate asking him to execute Jesus.
Pilate interviews Jesus and finds no basis for a charge against him. It is clear to Pilate that Jesus is innocent. But when Pilate tries to release Jesus, the chief priests won’t let him. We see the dramatic irony of the tail wagging the dog.
In the opening verses of John 19 we read that Pilate had Jesus flogged. The soldiers heard that Jesus was accused of being the King of the Jews, and so they used sarcastic irony to mock Jesus.
They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head. Then they clothed him in a purple robe (purple being the colour of royalty) and said ‘Hail, king of the Jews’, striking him in the face. By mocking Israel’s king, the soldiers are mocking the nation of Israel as a whole.
Ironically, the Roman soldiers are like the Jewish priests, in that they are ignorant of who they are really dealing with. The dramatic irony, that we the audience can see, is that Jesus actually is a King, the King of heaven and earth.
You may be wondering, if Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent, then why did he have Jesus flogged?
Verses 4-5 indicate that Pilate had Jesus whipped as a strategy to get him released. Bringing Jesus out before the people, beaten, bruised, covered in blood and wearing a crown of thorns, demonstrates clearly to everyone that Jesus poses no real threat to the Roman empire. He can hardly be accused of treason.
Pilate presents Jesus saying, ‘Here is the man’. There is a deeper meaning to Pilate’s words here that the governor is not aware of. The Hebrew word for ‘man’ is Adam. Jesus is the new Adam. The new paradigm or model of what it means to be human.
The first Adam (back in Genesis) was created by God to be a king over the earth and all the creatures in it. Sadly, the first Adam sinned and failed to fulfill God’s original intention for him. [1]
But, in Christ, God’s intention for humanity is fulfilled. Jesus, the Son of Man, shows us what the image of God looks like. Jesus shows us how human beings are to rule over creation; by caring for it with love and wisdom.
Jesus is representative of humankind in another sense here too. The first Adam (and his descendants) committed treason against God Almighty. Now Jesus, the second Adam, (who is faithful and innocent) faces the accusation of treason. Jesus stands before the judgement seat in our place, to face the charges we are guilty of. [2]
You would think people would feel sorry for Jesus, seeing him in such a pitiful state. Ironically, the chief priests have no pity and shout ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ A priest with no pity is like a pub with no beer or a bakery with no bread.
Pilate repeats what he has been saying all along, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”
Clearly, Pilate can see Jesus is innocent but, at the same time, he doesn’t want to deal with this. A governing official who won’t make a decision is like a car with no steering wheel or a boat with no rudder.
When (in verse 7) the chief priests say that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, Pilate becomes even more afraid. Pilate has been hamstrung by his fear all along but now his fear goes into overdrive. It is extremely difficult to make good decisions when you are afraid.
Ignorance only fuels fear. Knowledge of the facts helps to calm our fear. So Pilate asks Jesus where he comes from. ‘Son of God’ was a title the Emperors used for themselves. Maybe Pilate was afraid Jesus was somehow related to the Emperor.
Then again, as a pagan, Pilate may have simply been superstitious. People at that time believed the gods sometimes walked among them. If Jesus was supernatural, then Pilate may well have feared a reprisal from the gods.
In contrast to Pilate, who is panicking right at that minute, Jesus is completely calm and says nothing. This is not what Pilate might have expected. Normally the accused would be trembling in the dock and chaffing at the bit to defend themselves, but not Jesus.
Jesus’ courage comes from being informed. Jesus knows he is innocent and he knows God’s purpose is being worked out through these proceedings. Jesus, the King, submits to God’s will for him.
In frustration, Pilate says to Jesus…
10 “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
There’s some dramatic irony right there. Pilate is kidding himself if he thinks he can free Jesus. Clearly he wants to, but he hasn’t been able to.
Jesus’ answer is full of grace and truth, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
Power is given and taken away by God. Pilate only has power because God has given it to him. There’s a humbling thought. Power comes in many forms. Knowledge, money, social influence, official positions of authority at work or in government. Whatever power we might hold is a gift from God. It is not ours as of right. It is only ours by the grace of God and for a limited time. How are we using the power entrusted to us?
Jesus goes on to explain that Caiaphas, the high priest, is responsible for handing him over and so Caiaphas is guilty of a greater sin. This doesn’t mean Pilate is off the hook altogether. He is still guilty of a lesser sin. But the grace and truth of Jesus’ words touch something in Pilate.
In a way that Pilate isn’t really expecting, Jesus, who has just been flogged and abused by Pilate’s soldiers, shows understanding of the difficult situation the governor finds himself in. Jesus turns the other cheek and loves his enemy. Pilate seems to appreciate the understanding Jesus has extended to him.
Despite Pilate’s efforts to set Jesus free, the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar…”
To be a friend of Caesar was like a formal title bestowed by the Emperor. Roman historical sources tell us that Pilate had become ‘a friend of Caesar’ through the good graces of an imperial official called Sejanus.
The emperor Tiberias was notoriously suspicious and killed his officials from to time to time. Sejanus had recently been killed in one such purge of the palace. This meant Pilate no longer had friends in high places to protect him. [3]
A word in the right ear in Rome and Pilate was a dead man. The Jewish leaders were essentially threatening Pilate with a bad report, one that could get him killed.
Pilate didn’t have a great track record as it was, so he found himself in the unenviable position of having to choose between political expediency and justice. Between saving his own skin and doing right by Jesus. Pilate chose to save his own skin.
It is significant that Pilate does not declare Jesus guilty. He simply says to the Jews, “Here is your king” and when the cry rings out, “Crucify him”, Pilate responds not with a judgement but with a question, “Shall I crucify your king?”
Pilate reflects the priests’ words back to them and avoids condemning Jesus, for he knows Jesus is innocent. It’s like Pilate is saying to the Jews, ‘these are your words, not mine’.
The condemnation of Jesus comes from the chief priests who answer by saying, “We have no king but Caesar”. This is incredibly ironic, especially when we consider it is not the crowd who are saying this. It is the chief priests themselves.
When Israel entered into a sacred covenant with God at Sinai, and the Lord gave them the ten commandments, the Israelites were basically saying, ‘Yahweh, from now on you are our King, we have no other’. So when the chief priests of Israel said, “We have no king but Caesar”, they were breaking Israel’s covenant with God. They were breaking faith with Yahweh.
The priests were supposed to encourage the people to remain faithful to the covenant. Caiaphas an co. did the opposite. They renounced God.
Some, through the past twenty centuries, have misused John 19 (and parallel passages from the other gospels) to stir up hate and aggression toward the Jewish race. This is utterly wrong, not to mention ironic.
Whether we agree with Israel’s politics or not, we should respect Jewish people because they are our brothers & sisters and because Jesus was Jewish. It is not fair or reasonable to condemn a whole race of people based on the bad behaviour of a few individuals 2000 years ago.
The high priests, in John 19, were religious fanatics. A religious fanatic is both fearless and ignorant (a dangerous combination). We need to steer well clear of fanaticism of any kind.
That means avoiding extremes. It means not becoming entrenched in an either / or, them verses us, mindset. It means cultivating the curiosity to find a new way of thinking about things. Getting some balance in your life. Spending time with Christians and non-Christians. Becoming comfortable with not having all the answers. Slowing down and listening. Getting your information from reliable sources.
Jesus is the man. Jesus is our King. He is our model, our pattern. We take our lead from him. Jesus did not seek to get even or take revenge on Caiaphas. Jesus was fearless in the face of condemnation and death, knowing God’s purpose would prevail. Jesus did not act out of ignorance but rather out of informed integrity.
We might not have the same clarity or courage or integrity as Jesus did. We are more often like the disciples who ran and hid. That’s okay. God’s grace is sufficient for us.
We are not likely to be crucified. But we are called to be living sacrifices, serving Christ day by day. That is our spiritual worship.
Let me finish with a poem titled ‘Irony’ by Eileen Duggan…
Not hawk, not leopard is ironic.
Believe me it needs mind
To see the moral wit of
Using kind on kind.
Some poor fellow for a pittance
Made the cross-bar sure
To hold another carpenter
On it for the poor.
Grace and peace to you this holy week.
The musicians will lead us in sung worship now as we prepare for communion.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
What is irony? Can you think of a situation of irony in your own life (either past or present)? What irony do we observe in John 19:1-16?
Why does Pilate think Jesus is innocent? Why does Pilate have Jesus flogged? Why is Pilate so fearful?
What feelings (or memories) are you in touch with as you read of Jesus’ abuse at the hands of the soldiers and the miscarriage of justice at the hands of Pilate?
Discuss / reflect on the deeper meaning of Pilate’s words, “Here is the man”, in verse 5.
What power has God given you? How are you using that power? Does anything need to change?
How might we avoid religious fanaticism? How might we cultivate informed integrity in our own lives?
[1] Richardson quoted in Leon Morris’ NICNT ‘John’, page 702
What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?
In this scenario you have your health, you have your friends and family close by. You are simply running out of time. You have maybe 20 hours left. How would you spend that time?
Today we continue our series for Lent looking at some of the things Jesus did and said in the week leading up to his crucifixion and death. This morning’s message focuses on Matthew 26, verses 17-30.
In this passage Jesus knows he will die the next day. With this in mind, Jesus chose to have a special meal with his friends. Through this meal, Jesus communicates the meaning of his life and death. From Matthew 26, verse 17 we read…
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”
19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
If I said to you, ‘this reading has more layers than Rachel’s trifle’, what TV series (from the 90’s) would I be referring to? [Wait] That’s right, Friends.
There are many memorable moments from the Friends TV series but one that sticks in my mind is the scene featuring Rachel’s trifle.
Rachel describes the layers of her trifle saying, first there are some ladyfingers, then jam, custard, raspberries, more ladyfingers, beef sautéed with peas and onions, then a layer of custard and bananas topped with whipped cream.
Rachel has never made a trifle before and unfortunately the pages of the recipe book are stuck together, so her trifle is half dessert and half shepherds’ pie. Two recipes, that for most people (except Joey), don’t really go together.
Matthew 26, verses 17-30, has more layers than Rachel’s trifle. In this last supper, before his crucifixion, Jesus draws on centuries of tradition to explain the meaning of his death. But, mixed in with the dessert of the Passover and the new covenant, we find the shepherd’s pie of Judas’ betrayal.
Let’s start with the bottom layer of this trifle, the lady fingers, jam and custard of the Jewish Passover.
Passover:
In verse 17, the disciples ask Jesus about preparations for the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival, also known as the Passover festival, was celebrated over the course of a week and began with a memorial meal.
The Passover festival recalls God’s deliverance of Israel, from slavery in Egypt. On the night before the Israelites left Egypt each family was to sacrifice a lamb and paint the blood of the lamb on the door posts of their home. When the angel of death saw the blood on the door posts, he passed over that house without killing the first born male. The blood protected them.
In verse 18, it becomes clear that Jesus has organised a room in advance to eat the Passover meal with his disciples. Jesus knows he is about to die and is using the Passover meal to communicate the meaning of his death.
Jesus is the ultimate Passover lamb. The blood of Jesus, spilled on the cross, protects us from sin and spiritual death.
Let’s pause for a moment to reflect. Jesus has less than a day left. His time is precious. He doesn’t use that time to get even with people who have wronged him. Nor does he use the time to try and avoid his death. Jesus doesn’t go public or stage a massive rally to fire up his supporters to defend him. No.
Jesus enjoys a quiet meal with his closest friends. Jesus chooses food, companionship and intimacy to nourish the bodies and souls of those he loves.
Unlike Jesus, we don’t know when we will die. We can’t live every day as if it were our last, that’s not sustainable. But God, in his wisdom, gives us one day in seven, a Sabbath, set apart for rest, companionship and intimacy, to nourish and restore body and soul. That sacred time is ours to enjoy.
If the context of the Passover forms the foundation of the trifle, then Judas’ betrayal seems out of place, like beef sautéed with peas and onions in the middle of a dessert.
Betrayal:
No one has the heart to tell Rachel the truth. They all pretend to like her trifle. But when she is out of the room Ross says what he really thinks, ‘It tastes like feet’.
Rachel’s friends are lying to protect her feelings but in doing this they are only postponing the inevitable. It is kinder in the long run for Rachel to know the truth. But how to communicate a difficult truth to someone we care about?
In verse 21, Jesus speaks openly to his disciples saying one of them will betray him. They are naturally sad and all ask, ‘Surely you don’t mean me, Lord’.
Notice how each one makes it about himself. There is a certain selfishness to the disciples’ question. They don’t seem to be concerned for Jesus here. They are more concerned about justifying themselves and making sure they feel better. Jesus is sharing a painful truth and they can’t handle that truth.
Jesus will be dead in less than 24 hours and one of his closest mates will be complicit in his death. How awful would that be. And yet no one says, Lord, I’m listening if you want to talk. Or, what do you need? Instead the disciples behave like little children thinking it’s all about me.
But are we any different? The first thing they teach you in pastoral care 101 is, shut up and listen. It’s not about you. Stay present with the person in front of you. What do they need right now?
In the cultural context of the time, to share a meal with someone was a way of saying, ‘We are friends. I will not hurt you.’ So it is shocking to hear Jesus say, the one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
Notice though the way Jesus does not expose or shame Judas. Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Judas is going to betray me’. No. Jesus responds in such a way that lets Judas know that he knows the truth, without outing Judas to the others.
Jesus never separates grace from truth. Jesus says the difficult truth in a gracious way; in a way that leaves the door open for Judas to repent. We know, from verses 14-16, that Judas has already made a deal with the religious leaders to hand Jesus over for 30 pieces of silver. But it’s not too late for Judas at this point. He could still choose not to betray Jesus.
Jesus goes on to say in verse 24: “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
This is a hard truth, full of grace. I don’t think Jesus is saying this as a threat but rather as a kindness to encourage Judas to turn around, for the path he is on leads to a very bad place. Again, Jesus says this in a discreet way.
Some people argue that God needed Judas to betray Jesus in order for the atonement to happen, but I don’t buy that. Jesus would still have gone to the cross (as it is written about him) regardless of whether Judas betrayed Jesus or not. It’s not like Jesus was hiding. He did not resist arrest.
In verse 25, Judas joins the chorus of voices saying, ‘surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?’ Jesus answers by reflecting Judas’ words back to him, perhaps in the hope that Judas will hear himself and be shocked at his own duplicity.
Sadly, Judas did not take the hint. He did not walk through the door of redemption that Jesus was holding open for him. He handed Jesus over. Why? We don’t know for certain. Was it love of money? Was it disillusionment? Was Judas manipulating the situation to force Jesus’ hand and cause an uprising? We simply don’t know.
Betrayal is essentially the abuse of trust. Betrayal can take many forms. Accepting a bribe. Breaking a confidence. Cheating on your partner. Stealing time or money from your employer. Making promises you have no intention of keeping. These are all examples of betraying others.
Sometimes though we might also betray ourselves. We might laugh at a joke that is repugnant to us. Or hide our Christian faith. Or give in to social pressure and do something we are not really comfortable with. Or go against the grain of our values in some other way.
In considering how Judas’ betrayal might apply to us, some people will be inclined to remember how other people have betrayed them.
If that is you, then how might you hold grace and truth together? Truth without grace is brutal, like surgery without anaesthetic. Grace without truth is septic, like treating an infection with painkillers only and no antibiotics. We need to hold grace and truth together.
When our trust has been abused, it’s important for us be honest about what’s happened and not fudge over the facts, nor exaggerate them. At the same time, we need to find the grace to let go of our hurt, so it doesn’t destroy us. Letting go of the hurt means not revisiting the betrayal in your mind, not stewing on it and not seeking revenge.
By the same token, you are under no obligation to trust someone who has betrayed you. Your trust is precious, like pearls. Don’t put your pearls before swine. Don’t give your trust to someone who will trample on it.
In thinking about those who have betrayed us, we need to be careful not to look in the mirror of our hurt for too long. Sometimes we like to take the role of the victim because that gives us the illusion of holding the moral high ground. It insulates us from our own guilt.
The truth is, everyone has a bit of Judas in them. We don’t usually become aware of our capacity for betrayal until we find ourselves in a situation of intense pressure that releases our inner Judas. The instinct for self-preservation can be over powering at times.
Perhaps reading this passage puts you in touch with those you have betrayed in the past. It is a function of mid-life, to think about the mistakes of your youth and wish you could go back and do things differently. Regret. It eats away at your soul, like salt water on naked steel.
If that’s you, then the question has got to be: how do you hold truth and grace together? How do you face the awful truth about yourself and find release from your guilt and regret? God will forgive you in a heartbeat, if you forgive others. But can you forgive yourself? Can you show the same kindness to yourself that you show to others? That’s the hard part I find.
Tragically, Judas was not able to hold grace and truth together. The truth took hold of him after the fact and it shook him hard. But he wasn’t able to find the grace he needed. The weight of his guilt and shame crushed him in the end.
God is generally more gracious than we imagine. I believe Jesus would have forgiven Judas. After all, none of the disciples proved that loyal when Jesus was arrested.
Covenant:
And so we come to verses 26-30, some of the most sacred words in all of Scripture. Words we hear when we share communion. These words of Jesus are like stones polished smooth through centuries of use.
Traditionally, the words spoken during a Passover meal are, ‘This is the bread of affliction, which our fathers ate in the wilderness’. But during his last supper, Jesus changes the script. After taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Jesus is not speaking literally here. Jesus is comparing the bread of affliction to his body. In just a few hours Jesus’ body would be afflicted.
Going a little deeper, bread represents life. Bread provides nourishment, strength for the journey and comfort. What’s more, bread is something you share. Jesus is saying, I’m sharing my life with you. My death gives you life.
Another layer of meaning: Faith isn’t just what you think. Faith finds expression in what you do. Eating is an act of faith. Simply looking at the bread won’t sustain you. In order for bread to become life to you, you must eat it, take it into yourself. Likewise, in order for Jesus’ death to be life giving, you must believe in it, trust it. You must take it into yourself by faith.
From verse 27 we read…
27 Then Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Centuries earlier, the prophet Jeremiah had spoken of a new covenant that God would make with his people. In Jeremiah 31 we read…
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel…” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 …they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Jesus is saying that his death on the cross seals the new covenant God had spoken of through the prophet Jeremiah. This covenant is a sacred relationship in which our sins are forgiven, we know the Lord personally and God’s law of love is written on our heart and mind, so we keep the law from the inside out.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 26 also connect with Isaiah 53, where the prophet says: 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great… because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Life is in the blood. To pour out one’s blood is to pour out one’s life unto death. Jesus is going to the cross to bear the sin of many; that is, for the forgiveness of our sin.
Jesus uses his last supper to show his disciples the meaning of his death on the cross. Jesus died so that all who believe in him may have life. Not mere existence but abundant life, life free from sin and free from the fear of death. Life defined by righteousness and friendship with God.
Conclusion:
Jesus concludes on a note of hope, saying: “I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
‘Fruit of the vine’ is a poetic way of talking about wine. Jesus is looking forward here, beyond his death, to that time when he and his friends will sit down in the Kingdom of Heaven and enjoy the Messianic banquet together. We read about this banquet in Isaiah 25…
6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever.
The last supper is not actually Jesus’ last supper. Jesus’ death swallows up death forever. Jesus’ death and resurrection is our hope of eternal life. Our hope of sharing in the Messianic banquet in heaven. This is the cream on top of the trifle. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say, eternal life is the whole trifle, as it should be, without the shepherds’ pie of betrayal.
Let us pray…
Lord Jesus, our life is hidden in you. You are our hope, our righteousness, our loyalty. You open the door of redemption. You seal the covenant of friendship with God. Help us to remember you, holding together grace and truth, especially when the trifle of this world tastes like feet. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? How would you spend your time? Why would you spend your last hours like this?
What does the Jewish Passover communicate about the meaning of Jesus’ death?
Why is Jesus discreet about Judas’ plan to betray him?
How do we hold grace and truth together when someone betrays us? How do we hold grace and truth together when we realise we have betrayed someone else?
Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ words in verses 26-30. What are these words saying about the meaning of Jesus’ death? What do these words mean in the context of Jeremiah 31 and Isaiah 25 & 53? What do these words mean for you personally?
You may like to share communion with those in your small group.
Outtakes
As part of the same (Passover) meal the people were to bake unleavened bread. Unleavened bread is bread without yeast in it. It’s sort of like flat bread. Baking bread with yeast takes quite a bit of time. The people were told to make unleavened bread because they had to leave Egypt in a hurry and unleavened bread is relatively quick to make. One of the rituals of preparation for the Jewish Passover was going through the house and getting rid of any yeast. Yeast, in that context, was symbolic of sin.
Notice though how Judas addresses Jesus as Rabbi, when all the other disciples have addressed Jesus as ‘Lord’. In the gospel of Matthew, the disciples normally address Jesus as ‘Lord’ and those outside the group of Jesus’ followers tend to address him as ‘Rabbi’, which means teacher. Matthew is making the point that Judas is addressing Jesus here as an outsider, not as a true disciple.
Several years ago Robyn and I attended an end of year Christmas function which included a Christmas themed quiz. Most of the questions were from pop culture but there were some related to the original Christmas story.
One question in particular stuck in my memory. The quiz master asked, what were the names of the three wise men? I sighed inwardly. Yet another example of how the Scriptures have been hijacked by manmade traditions.
We have no way of knowing whether there were, in fact, three wise men, let alone what their names may have been. The Scriptures don’t say. We know there were three gifts and from that an assumption was made. For all we know there might have been five wise men bearing three gifts.
Sometimes we read things into the Bible that are not there. It’s misleading. Certain traditions of interpretation build up over the years, like barnacles on the bottom of a boat that need to be scrapped off.
Today we continue our sermon series for Lent, looking at some of the things Jesus did and said in the week leading up to his crucifixion and death. Last Sunday we heard about Jesus’ clearing of the temple. Our reading this morning focuses on Matthew 24, in which Jesus talks about the future.
This is one of the most difficult passages of Scripture in the New Testament. There is a great deal of misunderstanding and false assumption surrounding Matthew 24 due, in part, to a poor tradition of interpretation.
So, I’m asking you put aside everything you thought you knew about this text and listen to what the Scripture is actually saying in its original context. It may surprise you.
Our reading this morning covers the first 36 verses of Matthew 24, which is quite a lot to take in all at once. To make it easier, I’ll break the passage into smaller bite size bits.
Two Questions (1-3)
Let’s start at the beginning. From verse 1 we read…
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 But he said in reply, “Do you see all these things?” Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; it will all be demolished.”
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him and asked him privately. “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
The Greek word for coming, used in verse 3, is Parousia. In ancient Greek, Parousia is a special word reserved for the coming of a king. It’s not the same as asking when your husband or wife will be coming home for dinner.
Matthew only uses the word Parousia to refer to Jesus’ second coming to earth. For the sake of clarity, he uses a different Greek word for coming (erchomenos) when he’s not talking about Jesus’ return. [1] Unfortunately, the differentiation is lost in translation, which only adds to the confusion for English readers.
Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the temple building caused his disciples to ask him two questions: When will these things happen (that is: when will the temple be destroyed) and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?
The disciples want to know what sign they should be looking out for that indicates Jesus’ Parousia (his coming as King in glory) is near. In their minds, the destruction of the temple and the Parousia of Jesus were connected in some way. But Jesus makes it clear they are two separate events.
The experts are divided, as usual, but basically Jesus answers the question about the temple first and the question about his Parousia second.
Sadly, people down the centuries have tended to confuse Jesus’ two answers. They have read what Jesus said about the destruction of the temple as if he were talking about his second coming in glory. When we do that, we get ourselves into all sorts of bother.
So let’s listen to what Jesus has to say from verse 4…
Routine history (4-14)
4 Jesus answered: “Be careful that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
It’s been a pretty rough few years for New Zealand. Our country has been through a global pandemic, an ongoing housing crisis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, a mass shooting, severe flooding and growing economic inequity.
Every night on the news we are bombarded by images of war and disaster around the wider world. Most recently it is the war in Ukraine. Before that it was Afghanistan and before that the focus was on Syria.
Some dooms day prophets might say these things are surely a sign that Jesus is coming soon, but they are not. The wars, famines, natural disasters and persecutions Jesus describes in verses 4-13 have been happening for the past 2000 years and so they cannot be a sign that the end is near. They are routine history. We should not be alarmed.
We might paraphrase Jesus’ advice as ‘Keep calm and carry on in the faith’. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of the latest conspiracy theory.
The end of the temple (15-22)
Having talked about things that are not signs of the end, Jesus addresses the question of when the temple will be destroyed, from verse 15…
15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand — 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
For many years I misread these verses, thinking they were talking about Jesus’ second coming and the end of the world. If we read it that way, we will be terrified. However, when we understand that Jesus is not talking about his Parousia here, he’s actually talking about the destruction of the temple, we can park our fear.
Jesus spoke this prophecy around AD 30. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jewish nationalism festered and in AD 66 the Jews revolted against the Roman empire. Long story short, the Roman General Titus, laid siege to Jerusalem for five months and the city (along with the temple) were both destroyed in AD 70, forty years after Jesus predicted it.
The sign Jesus gave, that people should flee Jerusalem, is a rather cryptic phrase from the prophet Daniel, ‘the abomination that causes desolation’.
We can’t be sure what this abomination was exactly but the gospel writer Luke understood it to be the Roman army. When you see the Roman army on the move, get out as soon as you can.
Some Jewish believers did heed Jesus’ warning and fled to Pella. Tragically, many more Jews ignored Jesus and gathered inside the walls of Jerusalem thinking they would be safe. But that only made things worse.
The Jewish historian, Josephus, lived through the siege and described the horror experienced by the people. Over 1,100,000 people died, most from starvation. Some mothers ate their children to stay alive, that’s how bad it was. The suffering was catastrophic.
We see God’s mercy, entwined with his judgement, in at least two ways. Firstly, God gave people 40 years’ warning to avoid disaster. And secondly, God cut the siege short.
False hope (23-28)
The distress caused by the siege of Jerusalem would inevitably create a hope in people’s hearts that the Messiah would appear to save the day. Jesus does not want to give anyone false hope and so he says, from verse 23…
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Up until verse 26 Jesus had been talking about the destruction of the temple. But in verses 27-28 he briefly touches on his Parousia, comparing his second coming to lightning.
We know that Jesus is talking about his second coming, in verse 27, because Matthew uses the Greek word Parousia to describe the coming of the Son of Man. (‘Son of Man’ is Jesus’ favourite way of referring to himself.)
Jesus’ Parousia will be like lightning. Lightning is powerful, it illuminates the darkness. Lightning is unmistakable, it can be seen everywhere by everyone. And lightning is unpredictable, no one knows when it might strike.
The point here is that Jesus’ second coming in glory will not be ambiguous. Jesus’ Parousia will be clear to everyone. There will be no doubt.
The meaning of verse 28 is not clear. We are probably best to think of false Messiahs like a rotting carcass and those who gather around them as vultures.
Once again, the point of application for us is: Don’t follow the crowd. Don’t be sucked in by conspiracy theories. Learn to think for yourself.
Jesus’ enthronement (29-31)
From verse 29, Jesus returns to the subject of the temple, describing (in poetic terms) what will happen in the wake of the temple’s destruction…
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
Most people make the false assumption that Jesus is talking about his second coming in this verse. They also make the mistake of reading the words literally.
We know that Jesus is definitely not talking about his Parousia, in verse 29, because he says, ‘Immediately after the distress of those days’. Jesus did not return to earth immediately after the destruction of the temple, so verse 29 cannot be talking about his Parousia.
We know Jesus is using poetic language, in verse 29, because the physical stars did not fall from the sky. We can still see literal stars and planets in the night sky today.
Scripture interprets Scripture. Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah.[2] In the context of Isaiah, the sun being darkened and the stars falling from the sky is a metaphor to describe the end of the Babylonian empire. (The Babylonians being the great world power back in the day.) It’s a poetic way of describing political chaos.
Jesus is borrowing Isaiah’s metaphor, which his disciples were familiar with, and using it to describe the end of the temple system. The temple was the heart of the Jewish nation and religion. Everything revolved around the temple. To lose the temple was like losing the sun, moon and stars.
Jesus’ point seems to be that just as God passed judgement on Babylon, so too he will pass judgement on the Jerusalem temple. This is a shocking reversal. [3]
Incidentally, about the same time the temple was destroyed, four Roman emperors came and went (one after the other) in the space of a year. So, the metaphor of stars falling, might also refer to chaos in the Roman empire as well as chaos in the nation of Israel.
Of course, when a power structure with as much gravity as the Jerusalem temple is destroyed, something else needs to take its place. In verse 30, Jesus explains that he (the Son of Man) will replace the Jerusalem temple.
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the tribes of the land will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Jesus is still on the subject of the temple in these verses. He’s talking about himself as the replacement for the temple system. Jesus becomes the new centre of worship, the new heart of Israel, the new means of drawing near to God.
We know Jesus is not talking about his second coming to earth, in verse 30, because the word used to describe the coming of the Son of Man is erchomenos, not Parousia. [4]
We also know Jesus is not talking about his second coming to earth here because, in verse 30, the Son of Man comes on the clouds of heaven(not the clouds of earth). Jesus is saying those in the heavenly realm will see him come in glory, soon after the temple is destroyed. People on earth wouldn’t see this because we human beings can’t see what’s happening in heaven. You with me.
The other thing that is lost in translation for most of us is that Jesus is referencing the prophet Daniel, in verse 30. Scripture interprets Scripture. The term Son of Man, in the book of Daniel, is a metaphor for the faithful people of Israel (the saints of the Most High).[5] Jesus uses the term Son of Man to refer to himself. Jesus is the true leader (or ruler) of God’s faithful people.
Jesus is making the audacious claim that, once the temple is destroyed, he will be enthroned as Son of Man in heaven. This means the people of God will no longer be defined exclusively as ethnic Israel. With Jesus’ enthronement in heaven, the people of God are now defined as those who are in Christ, regardless of their ethnicity. This claim got Jesus killed.
For a long time, I thought angels gathering God’s chosen people from the four winds (in verse 31) was talking about the rapture, when Jesus returns. This might be how the rapture happens, we don’t know. What we do know is that verse 31 is not talking about the rapture. It’s most probably talking about the spread of the gospel throughout heaven and earth.
The word translated as angels literally means messengers. An angel is a messenger. The angels in view here don’t all have wings. They may also be human messengers (apostles, missionaries) delivering the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth.
This interpretation fits the historical context. With the fall of Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians were scattered to the four winds and communicated the gospel wherever they went.
If you are still not convinced that these verses are about the destruction of the temple and not about Jesus’ second coming, then verse 34 should clear it up. Jesus says: 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
‘This generation’ means the people of Jesus’ day. Jesus did not return to earth during the first century. We are still waiting for Jesus’ Parousia 2000 years later. Therefore, all these things, must refer to the destruction of the temple and Jesus’ enthronement in heaven.
Jesus doesn’t start to answer the disciples’ second question about the sign of his Parousia and the end of the age until verse 36, where he says…
Jesus’ return (36 forward)
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but only the Father.
In other words, with Jesus’ second coming there will be no warning sign. It will come like a thief in the night, at a time we are not expecting. Jesus cannot give us a sign because he doesn’t know the timing.
For the rest of chapter 24 and all of Matthew 25, Jesus talks about his Parousia and the end of history, mostly using parables. In summary, because the time of Jesus’ return to earth is unknowable, we must always be ready, making the most of the opportunity to do good while we can.
Conclusion
We have covered a lot this morning, some of which may be challenging. Having our preconceived ideas and false assumptions exposed can be unsettling. I make no apology. Blind faith won’t sustain you. Truth gives faith eyes to see.
If you are struggling with some aspect of today’s message, you can revisit the sermon notes on the church website. And if you still don’t get it, then let it go and think about something else for a while. Perhaps it’s not meant for you at this time.
As I said at the beginning, Matthew 24 is a difficult chapter to interpret. Attempting to understand Jesus’ teaching about the future is like trying to climb K2. You shouldn’t do it alone or without the right preparation and equipment. It requires humility.
For those of you who prefer a simple message, here’s three quick takeaways…
Firstly, avoid conspiracy theories. Learn to think for yourself. When terrible things happen in the world, don’t panic. Keep calm and carry on in the faith. It will be worth it in the end.
Secondly, Matthew 24, verses 4-35, is mostly about the destruction of the temple in AD 70. It’s not about Jesus’ second coming, so don’t try to read the end of the world into it. That will only make you more afraid.
And thirdly, the timing of Jesus’ second coming is unknown. There is no warning sign, so be ready. Make the most of the time by doing good. Jesus could return at any moment.
May the Lord bless you with clarity and peace. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
Why is it important to question our assumptions (or traditions of interpretation) when reading the Bible? How might we test / challenge our assumptions, without throwing the baby out with the bath water?
Why does Matthew use the Greek word ‘Parousia’ to describe Jesus’ second coming to earth?
What should we do when we hear of wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes and famines? How might we discern conspiracy theory from truth?
Scripture interprets Scripture. In what way(s) does Isaiah 13:10 & 34:4 help us to understand Matthew 24:29? In what way(s) does Daniel 7:13 & 18 help us to understand Matthew 24:30?
In what way(s) is Jesus’ second coming like lightning? Why is Jesus unable to give a sign of his second coming?
What should we do as we wait for Jesus’ second coming? How can we be ready for Jesus’ return?
Outtakes
In verse 14, Jesus says…
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The traditional way to interpret this verse is that Jesus cannot return to earth until every nation and culture has heard the gospel. And so there was a push at the beginning of the 20th Century to evangelise the whole world in order to speed the return of Christ.
While the vision to reach all nations with the gospel is good, using this verse as the basis for global evangelism is a bit shaky. For evangelism to be authentic, it needs to be born out of our own experience of God’s love and a desire to share His love with others. Otherwise it comes across as a bit self-serving, a bit fake.
Jesus is most likely talking about the end of the temple in verse 14, rather than the end of history. What’s more, the whole world, in verse 14, probably means the whole known world at that time; the Mediterranean world. Jesus’ disciples would not have known about the Americas or Australia.
By the time the temple was destroyed in AD 70 the known world of the Mediterranean had been largely evangelised.
When I was training to become a pastor, I spent three months one summer working as a chaplain in Greenlane Hospital. At that time, Greenlane Hospital specialised in cardio thoracic medicine (hearts and lungs).
One day I sat with a patient who had just had a heart transplant. He was so incredibly grateful for the opportunity of a second chance at life. He went into all sorts of detail about how sick he was before the surgery and how he was going to live his life differently now. I think he had spent his youth recklessly.
He seemed sincere. I got the feeling he didn’t just get a new heart, he got a whole new attitude, a new spirit, a new vitality.
His was the only heart transplant I remember from that summer. More often than not the surgeon chooses to repair the heart in the least intrusive way possible. But, if the heart is beyond repair (and they can find a donor), the doctors will make a judgement to replace the old heart with a new one.
Today we continue our series for Lent, looking at some of the events in the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Today’s reading focuses on Jesus’ assessment of the Jerusalem temple and its leadership. The Jerusalem temple was the heart of Jewish life and faith. Sadly, it had become sick beyond repair and needed to be replaced. From Mark 11, verses 12-25 we read…
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19 When evening came, Jesus and his discipleswent out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.23 “TrulyI tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Parables:
Most people, waiting for an organ donation, have mixed feelings about it. Yes, they want to have the surgery and move on with their life. But, at the same time, they are acutely aware that receiving a new heart or a new set of lungs means someone else has to die. And that’s not a great feeling.
As I mentioned before, the Jerusalem temple of the first century, was the heart of the Jewish nation. Sadly, the temple system had become too sick to repair and so God, the surgeon, was planning a transplant using his own son. Jesus had to die so others could live.
The man I sat with, in Greenlane Hospital, was well aware of his need for a new heart and welcomed the surgery. But the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were not so keen. They were too blind to see their own need, let alone recognise that Jesus was from God. Jesus had to find a way to communicate the seriousness of the situation.
On his way to the temple, Jesus feels hungry, sees a leafy fig tree and goes over to look for fruit. It’s about mid-April and fig trees don’t normally bear fruit until June, in the Middle East.
When Jesus found nothing but leaves he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’. This is not the kind of behaviour we have come to expect from Jesus. Was he a bit hangry? Did he lose his temper? No. This is an acted out parable, it is deliberate.
Jesus is well aware it’s the wrong time of year for figs. He is not expecting to have a feed. The fruitless leafy tree simply provides a vehicle for Jesus to communicate the reality of Israel’s heart disease.
By putting the parable of the fruitless fig tree alongside the account of Jesus clearing the temple, Mark (the gospel writer) is saying, ‘the fig tree represents the Jerusalem temple and its leadership’. It looks good. It looks inviting. But on closer inspection it is fruitless. The temple system has become empty religion.
Perhaps the mention that Jesus was hungry points to the reality experienced by many of those who came to worship at the Jerusalem temple. Their faith was not nourished by ritual sacrifice. They went away dissatisfied, hungry.
When Jesus entered the temple that same day, he began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
This is another acted out parable. Jesus is demonstrating (in a dramatic way) how he feels about the business being carried out in the temple courts. Mark doesn’t say that Jesus is angry but, clearly, he is not happy with the status quo.
Whatever Jesus was feeling his actions are measured, surgically precise, fair. He doesn’t fly off the handle in a fit of rage. Jesus’ actions are considered, intentional and appropriately weighted to the situation.
Jesus, like God the Father, is motivated by love. It is because Jesus cares deeply that he draws attention to the corrupt temple system. It is because God loves the world that he chooses to donate his Son’s heart to save us.
So why is Jesus not pleased with the business being transacted in the temple? Well, as the parable of the fig tree demonstrates, the religious leadership were practising empty religion. They were taking the Lord’s name in vain.
To the casual observer the temple system looked good but it lacked substance. The fruit that God wanted (of justice, mercy and humility) was not there. The money changers and those selling doves were dishonest. They were scamming pilgrims, ripping people off.
Prophecy:
Jesus explains his acted out parable by quoting from the prophets. When the Lord says: “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? he is quoting from the prophet Isaiah.
God’s purpose was for Israel to be a light to the other nations of the world. God wanted the nation of Israel to be a picture of what his kingdom is like. The other nations of the world were to learn about God from Israel.
With this in view, the temple was designed with an area for Gentiles (non-Jews) to come and seek the God of Israel. In ancient times, Gentiles could not go past their designated area. It was a case of, you may come this far and no further.
The merchants and money changers were plying their trade in the court of the Gentiles, which essentially made it impossible for people of other nations to draw near to God, in prayer, at the temple.
By clearing the merchants out of the court of Gentiles, Jesus was welcoming people of all nations. He was making room for prayer and reminding Israel of God’s original purpose.
Now, as most of you are aware, we had a church garage sale yesterday. The auditorium and hall were packed with stuff. Given the timing of this message, some of you may be thinking, is our pastor criticising the garage sale? Is he saying we shouldn’t hold it anymore?
No. I’m not saying that. Let me be very clear. The timing of the garage sale and my preaching on Mark 11 is unrelated. Holding a garage sale in the church hall once a year is not the same thing as money changers camped in the Court of the Gentiles on the Temple Mount.
For one thing we are not ripping people off. If anything we are providing a community service. People in the community are getting a good deal from us.
What’s more, we are not excluding anyone from approaching God in prayer. A garage sale opens the door of the church to the wider community. Besides, you don’t need a church building to pray.
Later, in the gospel of Mark, when Jesus died on the cross, we read how the curtain hanging in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. This is a sign of what Jesus’ death accomplished. We now have direct access to God through Jesus. We meet God in Christ. Jesus replaces the Jerusalem temple. You can pray to Jesus anywhere.
So, how does Jesus’ clearing of the temple apply in our world today? Let me offer you three ways to understand this…
Firstly, who are the money changers in our society? Who are the ones who make an enormous profit at the expense of everyday people? Well, we’ve seen in the news recently the obscene profits generated by overseas banks. Then there are the finance companies who appear friendly enough but, in reality, take advantage of desperate people by charging over the top interest.
There is something not right about the way we finance things in this country.
If you work in a bank, then I don’t think the answer is to quit your job. We need men and women of integrity to be salt and light in our financial institutions. We need people who will use their influence for good; to help shift our thinking away from scarcity towards abundance. Away from greed towards generosity. Away from personal gain towards social responsibility.
So that’s one application of Jesus’ parable of clearing the temple. I think also Jesus is taking a crack at nationalism here.
‘Nationalism is identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.’
It is not a bad thing to identify with your own nation. In fact, it is a good thing to support the interests of your own country by paying your taxes and making a positive contribution to society.
But, when support for your nation is taken to an extreme, so that other nations suffer, then that becomes nationalism. Jesus is not okay with nationalism. Nationalism does great harm to the world God loves.
By allowing merchants to set up shop in the court of the Gentiles, the religious leaders were promoting Jewish nationalism. They were effectively excluding other nations from drawing near to God.
When Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’, he wasn’t just talking about our inter-personal relationships. He was also talking about a nation’s global relationships.
Russia’s illegal invasion of the Ukraine is a product of nationalism. Likewise, when large countries pursue their own economic interests in a way that destroys the environment and contributes to climate change so that smaller, poorer nations start disappearing into the sea, that also is a product of nationalism.
We are talking about how Jesus’ clearing of the temple applies to us today. Here’s a more personal application. Given that Jesus is the one through whom we meet with God, then clearing room means making time and space in our busy lives to pray and study the Bible.
The goal is to be fruitful for God’s glory and we can only be fruitful when we abide in Christ. How do you carve out time to be with Jesus?
Returning to Mark 11, Jesus also quotes from the prophet Jeremiah, to explain the meaning of his actions.
The phrase, but you have made it a den of robbers, is a reference to Jeremiah’s prophecy that God was going to destroy the Jerusalem temple because the people were practising false religion. They carried out the prescribed rituals without the fruit of righteousness, without obeying the 10 commandments.
Jesus is indicating that the religious leaders of his day are just like the religious leaders of Jeremiah’s day. God is not obligated to protect the Jerusalem temple if the priests and people misuse it. God allowed Israel’s enemies to destroy the temple once before and he will do so again.
The next day, as they were walking past the fig tree, Peter noticed it had withered. The dead tree has now become a prophetic parable for what was going to happen to the Jerusalem temple.
In AD 70, some decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jewish nationalism provoked the Romans to lay siege to Jerusalem and eventually destroy the temple building and many lives with it. Jesus’ prediction came true.
It’s important to understand that in giving this prophecy, Jesus held no malice in his heart. Grief, yes, but not hatred. In Luke 13, a parallel passage, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem as Jeremiah did before him.
Prayer:
The disciples appear to be a bit surprised by how quickly the fig tree withered after Jesus spoke against it. So Jesus uses the opportunity to talk about prayer. We might wonder how Jesus’ teaching on prayer relates to the temple incident. Well, let me explain…
To the ancient mind a temple was sacred ground. It was the place where divine presence resided in a special way. Most people felt closer to God in the temple and imagined prayer to be more effective when offered in God’s house.
In verses 22-24 Jesus makes it clear that faith in God (rather than geographical location) is what makes our prayers effective. Faith is what really connects us to God, not temples or church architecture.
In verse 23 Jesus says: “TrulyI tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”
Faith that moves mountains. This is a challenging verse, especially for anyone who has prayed earnestly and with full conviction that their prayer would be answered positively, only to be disappointed when things did not turn out the way they had hoped.
The assumption in verses 22-24 is that we are praying for things that are in line with God’s will and purpose. If you pray to win Lotto Powerball, fully believing you have right the numbers, God is under no obligation to answer with a ‘yes’. Prayers offered in faith are not magic. God is unlikely to give you something as harmful as 10 million dollars. He loves you too much for that.
But what about those less selfish prayers, the ones when we are ask God to heal a loved one and yet they still die despite our water tight belief? In a case like that the problem is not with your faith, nor with God’s power.
Prayer is not a mathematical formula. Prayer is cloaked in mystery. Sometimes God’s answer is incomprehensible this side of heaven. From our vantage point, in this world, we cannot see the whole picture of what our prayers accomplish. For what it’s worth, I believe that when someone goes to be with Jesus, they are healed completely and totally.
In the context of Mark 11, ‘this mountain’, that Jesus says can be moved by prayer and faith, is most likely the mountain on which the temple was built. Jesus seems to be saying here that the old temple system, with its ritual sacrifice, is being removed by God and a new system (based on faith in Christ) is being established.
God is removing the old heart and giving Israel (and indeed the world) a new heart to worship him. Jesus is that heart.
Thinking more broadly, ‘this mountain’ might be a metaphor for any seemingly immovable obstacle. For example, ‘this mountain’ could be a powerful but corrupt institution that is beyond reform and needs to be thrown into the sea so it can be replaced with God’s kingdom way of doing things.
The main thought, in verses 22-24, is that God can do what we think is impossible. No one in the first century would have thought it possible to transplant a human heart nor replace the temple with something better. And yet, by God’s grace, these things have actually happened.
Jesus concludes his lesson on prayer by talking about forgiveness. Jesus says: “…if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
This relates to the temple as well. The temple was a place where people went to be reconciled with God, to be forgiven. In the time of Jesus, the Jews performed ceremonies of reconciliation involving animal sacrifice. Jesus has just been saying the old temple system is on the way out. So how are people to be reconciled to God without a temple. How are we to be forgiven without ritual sacrifice?
We are reconciled to God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, when we forgive those who have sinned against us. If the old (hard) heart of worship was based on ritual sacrifice, then the new (tender) heart of worship is based on faith with forgiveness.
The inconvenient truth of the gospel is that God’s forgiveness of us is conditional on our forgiveness of others. We cannot expect God to answer our prayers if we are holding onto resentment against someone else. Is there anyone you are struggling to forgive at the moment? Pray for the grace to forgive while you can.
Conclusion:
With that in mind, let us pray now…
Gracious God, we thank you for donating your heart, your Son, that we might live. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And Lord, when we find it hard to forgive, help us to be honest about our hurt and give us the grace we need to let it go. Through faith in Jesus we pray. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
Why did Jesus speak against the fig tree? In what way was the fig tree like the religious leadership of Jesus’ day?
Why did Jesus overturn the tables of the money changers in the temple? What was Jesus saying through this acted out parable?
Discuss / reflect on how Jesus’ clearing of the temple applies in our world today?
Have you ever prayed for something with total belief that it would happen, only to have your hopes for that prayer disappointed? What was the situation? How did you feel? What is the basic assumption underlying verses 22-24?
What do we find at the heart of true worship (according to verses 22-25)? Are these things at the heart of your worship of God? If not, what needs to change. How might we strengthen how heart for worship?
Is there anyone you need to forgive? What do you need to let go of your hurt?
Many people these days do the daily Wordle. But I’m interested to know, does anyone here still do the crossword? [Wait]
There are basically two types of crosswords. The regular type which uses similar words for clues and cryptic crosswords, which are a bit trickier. With cryptic crosswords each clue has two parts. One part gives a definition of the answer and the other part is an additional hint using word play.
For example, a cryptic clue might read: A holy symbol of torture (5 letters).
Any guesses as to what the word might be? [Wait]
That’s right, cross. A cross is both a holy symbol and an instrument of torture.
Last Sunday we started a new sermon series for Lent, looking at some of the events in Jesus’ last week on earth leading up to his crucifixion. Today’s reading focuses on John chapter 12, verses 20-36. In this passage Jesus talks cryptically about the meaning of the cross. From John 12, verse 20 we read…
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival.21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted upfrom the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. 34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Today’s Scripture reads like a series of cryptic crossword clues. It takes some thinking about. Here’s the big picture: Jesus is talking about the cross. He is presenting the why of the cross and the way of the cross. The why of the cross speaks to purpose and the way is about Jesus’ strategy for achieving that purpose. So why did Jesus go to the cross?
The why of the cross:
Here’s another cryptic clue for you: ‘shining a light on honour’ (7 letters). What could the word be? [Wait] You can find the answer in verse 28, by the way. [Wait] That’s right, glorify.
To glorify something is to shine a positive light on it, to highlight that which is honourable and good. God is love and so we glorify God (we highlight His goodness) when we love others.
In the context of John 12, it is just days before Jesus will go to the cross in obedience to God the Father. Jesus is riding a wave of popularity with the people. Even some God fearing Greeks have asked to speak with him. But Jesus doesn’t really care about being popular. The cross is what’s on top for Jesus.
With this in mind, Jesus explains the why of the cross. This is the purpose in other words. Jesus gives at least three reasons why he must be crucified: To glorify God’s name. To defeat Satan and to draw all people to himself.
In verse 28, Jesus prays: Father, glorify your name. Jesus is deeply troubled by the thought of going to the cross. If he must suffer in this way, then he wants his suffering to have meaning and purpose. He doesn’t want to suffer in vain.
God’s name is his reputation and his integrity. God’s name is love. Jesus wants his crucifixion to shine a light on God’s love. Jesus wants God to be honoured through the cross.
Jesus’ prayer for God’s name to be glorified is a model for us. One thing is certain in this life. We will suffer pain, uncertainty and loss. How should we pray when faced with suffering? Well, Jesus shows us (by his example) to be honest about how we are feeling and ask God to make our suffering serve a higher purpose.
So we might pray something like, ‘Lord, this really hurts. I don’t like it and would rather not have to endure it. But your will be done. Redeem my suffering. Let my suffering shine a light on your love, your grace, your justice, your mercy, your goodness. Amen.’
Interestingly, God answers Jesus’ prayer in an audible way, saying: “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
There are three times in the gospels when God speaks audibly. Once at Jesus’ baptism. Then again at Jesus’ transfiguration and here, for a third time, in John 12. The audible voice is for the benefit of those around Jesus.
To some people, God’s voice is like the sound of thunder. Powerful but incomprehensible. To others, God’s voice sounds like an angel. I’m not sure what an angel sounds like but one imagines something like the hallelujah chorus. Beautiful, melodic, intelligent, pregnant with meaning.
Why is it that some hear thunder when God speaks, while others hear music? We can’t be sure but perhaps it has to do with how well we are tuned in to God? It is the Spirit of Jesus who enables us to tune in and hear God.
Verse 28 is saying that God has glorified his name through Jesus’ work so far (for example, his miracles of mercy and his teaching of truth) and God will glorify his name again through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
So that’s the first reason why Jesus went to the cross, to glorify God’s name. The second reason is to defeat Satan.
In verse 31 Jesus says: Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
The phrase ‘prince of this world’ is a cryptic way of referring to Satan. On the face of it, Jesus’ death on the cross would appear to be a victory for the evil one, when in actual fact it is God’s way of judging the devil.
We might think of it this way: In a game of football, if a player misbehaves perhaps by becoming violent and throwing a punch, the referee gives that player a red card and sends them off the field for the rest of the game. By killing Jesus, Satan earned himself a red card and God (the referee) sent him off the field.
Of course, the spiritual battle Jesus won against evil was infinitely greater than any football match. My illustration falls short.
Jesus’ victory over Satan naturally raises questions for us in the 21st Century. Because 2000 years after Jesus’ crucifixion it appears that Satan is still on the field, still very active in this world. In what sense then has Satan been defeated and driven out?
Well, from our very limited human perspective, we might say that Satan’s defeat at Golgotha took place in the spiritual realm. With Jesus’ death and resurrection something shifted, spiritually, so that Satan was cast out of the heavenly court.
Satan may still be loose in the physical world, wreaking all sorts of havoc, but his time on earth is limited. Satan has lost his authority as a prince. When Jesus returns in glory he will expel Satan from the earth as well and make all things new. The new heavens and the new earth will not be tarnished by evil.
There is another, more personal, way to think about the devil’s defeat. The name Satan is a Hebrew term which literally means accuser or adversary. Satan is the one who accuses us before God. He is the one who takes us to spiritual court and makes all sorts of accusations and threats against us.
Theologians tell us that, on the cross, Jesus took our sin (our crimes against God and humanity) upon himself. So, when Jesus died, our sin died with him. This means, when Satan accuses us of wrong doing, his accusations are empty because our sin died with Jesus on the cross.
Therefore, Satan has no case. When we align ourselves with Jesus, God throws the devil’s accusations out of court and we are acquitted.
You may (at times) still feel Satan’s accusation against you personally but, as a believer, you do not need to fear his accusation because he has no actual power to condemn you. He’s just playing mind games. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For those of you who struggle with the idea of a Satan, let me put it this way: On the cross Jesus overcame fear with love. He overcame condemnation with forgiveness. For those who believe, the love of God (as displayed by Jesus on the cross) has the power to conquer the fear of death and silence the voice of the accuser.
We are talking about the why of the cross. Jesus’ purpose in going to the cross was to glorify God’s name, to defeat Satan and to draw all people to himself.
Time for another cryptic clue. ‘Make a picture come closer’ (4 letters). [Wait] You can find this word in verse 32. [Wait] That’s right, draw.
The word ‘draw’ can mean, ‘to make a picture’ but it can also mean ‘to come closer’, as in draw near.
In verse 32, Jesus says: And I, when I am lifted upfrom the earth, will draw all people to myself.
Crucifixion involved being lifted up on a cross for everyone to see. And so, ‘When I am lifted up’ is a cryptic way of saying, ‘when I am crucified’.
The cross of Christ serves the purpose of drawing all people to Jesus. We are not driven to Jesus by fear. We are drawn to Jesus by his passion. Passion is a word which literally means suffering. If you have ever felt the passion of love, you will understand why passion means suffering.
The cross is a symbol of suffering. Suffering and death is the universal experience of every human being. Jesus suffered in pretty much every way. He suffered physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He suffered insult, injury and injustice and so anyone who has ever suffered, even a little bit of what Jesus suffered, can identify with him.
Our own suffering (large and small) can be a vehicle to intimacy with Jesus. If we are misunderstood, maligned or treated unfairly. If we suffer loss or abuse, hunger or thirst, then we can draw close to Jesus in that experience, knowing we are not alone. Knowing Jesus has been there before us and shares in our pain now.
Because suffering is universal, the cross of Christ draws all people to Jesus. Our reading today started with some Greeks coming to ask Philip if they could meet with Jesus to talk with him. They were God fearing people who were intellectually curious. They were seeking the truth.
But after that we don’t read any more about these Greek seekers. We don’t know whether they got to speak to Jesus or not. Their presence in the narrative is a bit cryptic. What we do know is that Jesus took their enquiry as a sign that his hour had come.
Leon Morris explains: The fact that the Greeks had reached a point of wanting to meet Jesus showed that the time had come for him to die for the world. Jesus no longer belongs (exclusively) to Judaism, which in any case has (largely) rejected him. Jesus belongs to the whole world. [1]
The Greeks, in John 12, represent the wider world who seek a Saviour. Whether Jesus spoke with the Greeks or not, he certainly died for them.
The way of the cross:
Okay, so we’ve considered the why of the cross. Now let’s consider the way of the cross. In talking about the way of the cross, we mean the strategy Jesus used for achieving God’s purpose.
Jesus’ way is somewhat of a paradox. The way to life is found through death. The way to glory is found through suffering. And the way to honour is found through service. These are not three separate things. They are three ways of saying the same thing.
Jesus illustrates his strategy, in verse 24, using a parable from nature. Just as a single seed must be planted in the earth and die in order to become a plant and grow many more seeds, so too Jesus must die and be buried in order to be raised and bring eternal life to many. In short, Jesus’ sacrificial death multiplies life.
Jesus’ illustration of the seed is not difficult to understand. But what does it mean for us, his followers? How do we apply Jesus’ words about hating your life in this world? Does this mean we must go around miserable and grumpy all the time?
Well, no. There is much that is beautiful in this world. Much to be celebrated and enjoyed. Simple things like watching a sunset or the companionship of an old friend or the smell of freshly baked bread or reading a good book. It is necessary and healthy for us to take time out to enjoy these simple pleasures.
When Jesus speaks about hating your life in this world, he is using an ancient Jewish idiom that is mostly lost in translation for us. The ‘world’ in the gospel of John often refers to this current age, this epoch in history, which is finite and coming to an end.
Jesus’ point is not to become too attached to the things of this world because they are passing away. Your house, your car, your career, your bank balance, your special skills and talents, your reputation; these are all temporary things. They do not travel with you, to the next world, when you die.
What really matters, is faith expressing itself in love. The love you give in this world is banked for you in the next, in eternity. More than just being banked, the love you give is multiplied like a seed. It is transformed beyond all imagining.
‘Hating your life’ does not mean harming yourself or treating yourself harshly. You are highly valued by God and you need to care for the body and soul God has given you. Jesus goes on to explain, in verse 26, that hating your life in this world equates to serving and following him. As Paul says in Romans 12, we are to be living sacrifices.
Serving Jesus will look different for each of us. For some it means giving your time and skills to help in the church. For others it might mean raising your family to know and love Jesus. And still for others, serving Jesus might mean practising his values, living out his way, in the workplace.
Conclusion – the crisis of the cross:
One more cryptic crossword clue: ‘A decision made under pressure’ (6 letters). What’s the word? [Wait] It starts with a ‘C’ and ends with an ‘S’. [Wait]
That’s right, Crisis.
The word crisis literally means to decide. The crisis point is the moment of decision. But in everyday usage a crisis is a time of intense distress or pressure. The cross of Christ creates a crisis. The cross of Christ demands a decision.
When Jesus spelled out to people his strategy, the way of the cross, the crowds had difficulty accepting it. They could not imagine a crucified Messiah. They thought their Saviour King would remain forever and so they questioned Jesus.
They were half right. Yes, Jesus the Messiah does remain forever but not without being crucified first. After Jesus died, God raised him to eternal life. Unfortunately, the crowds were not able to put that together.
Jesus has already answered their question and doesn’t waste his breath repeating himself. Instead he says: “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you…”
In the gospel of John, Jesus is the light of the world. Light, therefore, is Jesus’ cryptic way of referring to himself. Jesus is basically saying, believe in me while you still can because if you don’t believe in me now, the window of opportunity for faith will close and you will lose yourself in the dark.
To walk in the dark and not know where you are going in life is to not know what your future is. To not know you have a good future is to be hopeless, it is to be in despair. Jesus doesn’t want despair for us.
The cross of Christ creates a crisis. The cross of Christ demands a decision. Have you accepted the light of the world? Have you put your trust in Jesus?
May the Spirit of God turn the light on in our minds that we would believe and see and walk in the way of Jesus. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
What does it mean to glorify someone or something? How do we glorify God?
Can you think of a time in your own life when God used your suffering to serve a higher purpose? What happened?
Discuss / reflect on the various ways Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. How loud is the voice of accusation in your head? What triggers that voice? What defence might you employ against the voice of accusation?
Think about your own experience of suffering. Does this connect with Jesus’ suffering in some small way? Take a few moments to draw close to Jesus in the intimacy of your shared experience. Know that you are not alone. Know that Jesus walks with you, sharing in your pain.
What did Jesus mean by ‘hating your life in this world’? How do you serve Jesus in this life?
What simple pleasures can you enjoy this week to nourish your soul and invigorate your service to Jesus?
Who can tell me what was special about last Wednesday? [Wait]
That’s right, it was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
Lent is an old fashioned word which literally means ‘lengthening’, as in the lengthening of days. In the northern hemisphere Lent happens in spring as the days lengthen. It’s the opposite for us in the southern hemisphere. The days shorten during Lent.
Irrespective of where you live in the world, Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) preceding Easter. Lent is not something we find in the Bible. It’s a Christian tradition passed down through the centuries. During Lent Christians remember the events leading up to and including Jesus’ suffering and death.
Remembering Jesus’ suffering isn’t just something we do in our head. Many Christians identify with Jesus in a tangible way by carrying out self-giving acts of devotion. Acts of devotion typically include praying, fasting and giving, in order to draw closer to Jesus.
Today we begin a new sermon series, for Lent, which explores some of the events in the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Our Bible reading this morning focuses on the gospel of John, chapter 12, verses 1-11.
In this passage we see both beauty and ugliness. From John 12, verse 1, we read…
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pintof pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me.”
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
As I mentioned earlier, today’s reading reveals some beauty and some ugliness. The beauty is front and centre in the form of self-giving acts of devotion. While the ugliness lurks in the shadows in the form of self-serving acts of deceit. First let us consider the beauty of devotion.
Self-giving acts of devotion:
The first self-giving act of devotion we notice is Jesus’ act of coming to Jerusalem for the Passover. In the context this was a brave thing to do.
At the end of John 11, after Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, we read how the chief priests and Pharisees said that if anyone found Jesus, they should report his whereabouts so they could arrest him. Jesus was essentially an outlaw, wanted by the authorities.
Jesus came to Bethany knowing the end was near for him. Knowing he would soon be giving his life as a ransom for many. Jesus did this as an act of self-giving devotion to God.
But Jesus isn’t the only one who is brave. When Jesus arrives in Bethany, his friends defy the religious authorities by throwing a party in Jesus’ honour.
Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.
You know, self-giving acts of devotion come in many forms. Martha’s act of self-giving devotion was providing hospitality for Jesus.
You may recall how Martha got a bit upset, in Luke chapter 10, when she was catering for Jesus and his disciples and Mary wasn’t helping. Mary was listening at Jesus’ feet. Jesus defended Mary and gently corrected Martha on that occasion.
From this we may draw the false conclusion that for devotion to be true it must involve sitting in a room by yourself praying and reading the Bible. While that is one very valid form of devotion, so is doing the dishes, when those dishes are washed with a heart full of love for God.
Now in John 12, sometime after the Luke 10 incident, there is no bitterness or resentment from Martha. She serves quietly, without complaint. Her devotion is practical and behind the scenes. Jesus has given Martha her brother back and she is thankful, happy to serve.
Verse 2 of John 12 sheds some light on another form of devotion. We read that Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus. In that culture tables were low to the ground and there were no chairs, just cushions. People lay on their side with their head near the table, relaxing while they ate.
Reclining might not sound like much. In fact, it may sound lazy. But, in the context, it paints a picture of the devotion of companionship.
Companionship is a word that literally means to share breadwith. But in contemporary English a companion is a friend, someone whose company you enjoy. Someone who spends time with you and removes the sting of loneliness.
So often, when I read the gospels, I’m struck by the loneliness that Jesus must have felt. Yes, he had a pretty amazing communion with God but, at the same time, he was continually misunderstood by the religious leaders, by the crowds and even by his own disciples.
Lazarus offered Jesus the gift of companionship. He was a friend to Jesus. Someone Jesus could hang out with, without being drained.
During certain stages of life, we may find the pressures of family and work force us to be a Martha, always serving. That’s okay but perhaps we also need to listen to that deeper longing in our soul to be a Lazarus. To take time to slow down and recline with Jesus in comfortable conversation or easy silence.
And so we come to Mary’s self-giving act of devotion. Verse 3 reads…
Then Mary took about a pintof pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
If Martha’s love language is acts of service and Lazarus’ love language is quality time, then Mary’s seems to be gift giving and touch.
Mary’s act of devotion was wholehearted. She was loving Jesus with her whole being, no half measures. She used the full pint of nard on Jesus, total commitment.
Mary’s act of devotion was extravagant. The perfume cost a year’s wages, for a labourer, but love doesn’t count the cost. It is the instinct of love to give and keep giving.
There is a line in the hymn, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’, where we sing: Were the whole realm of nature mine, it would be an offering far too small. Mary gives Jesus the most precious thing she owns and yet it still doesn’t feel like enough.
Mary’s act of devotion was courageous. Respectable Jewish women in the first century did not let down their hair in public. It was considered inappropriate. But Mary isn’t concerned with what other people think. Her eyes are only on Jesus.
Mary’s act of devotion was tender. Not only does Mary let down her hair, she even uses her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet. This means touching him in a good way, in a kind and gentle way. What a contrast to the abuse Jesus’ body would suffer just a few days later. Mary gave Jesus the gift of tenderness going into the hardest week of his life.
Mary’s act of devotion was humble, not presumptuous. She anointed Jesus’ feet and in that culture touching feet was a bit like cleaning toilets. This shows the value Mary placed on Jesus. Even his feet (the lowest part of Jesus’ body) deserved the best.
I am reminded of Ruth uncovering Boaz’ feet by the threshing floor. Ruth is known for her loyalty. Is Mary pledging her loyal love to Jesus here?
Mary’s act of devotion was timely. Jesus was soon going to die. On some level, Mary senses that she only has a small window of opportunity to do something special for Jesus. She sees the Kairos moment and gives expression to her love while she can.
If the last few years have taught us anything it is that none of us knows what tomorrow holds. Don’t leave the important stuff undone. Express your love, in a right way, before it is too late. Love, when it is not expressed well (or not expressed at all), turns to pain, a kind of smoldering coal in your chest.
Mary’s act of devotion blessed everyone. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. This is instructive for us. Acts of self-giving devotion bless everyone in the house. The closer we are to Jesus, the more we love him, the more everyone around us benefits.
Mary’s act of devotion was symbolic, it was meaningful. She was anointing Jesus’ body for burial ahead of time. Whether Mary was aware of this fact or not, we don’t know. What we can say is that Mary’s costly act of self-giving devotion points to Jesus’ costly sacrifice on the cross.
Mary’s act of pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet is a parable for God pouring his love and grace on the best and worst of humanity.
The beauty of Martha, Lazarus and Mary’s self-giving acts of devotion for Jesus, paint a picture of what John means by eternal life. They give us a glimpse of intimacy with God, the kind of intimacy that can be ours in and through Jesus.
Self-serving acts of deceit:
But, as Bono says, ‘darkness gathers around the light’. Lurking in the shadows are some self-serving acts of deceit.
In verses 4 – 6 we read…
4 But one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Judas’ greed and deceit stand in stark contrast to Mary’s authentic generosity and genuine love.
A point of application for us. When you are criticized for doing something good (for acting with self-giving love), then try to remember the criticism is not about you. It might be directed at you but really the criticism reveals more about the one doing the criticizing than it does about you.
Likewise, if you find yourself criticizing someone else unfairly, then take a moment to reflect. The criticism you are making is probably coming from your own shadow. Your shadow is that part of yourself that you cannot see.
Judas’ criticism is coming from his shadow. Love of money has blinded him. Judas cannot see the goodness in Mary’s act of devotion, nor the worthiness of Jesus in receiving such an outpouring of love. Judas isn’t just criticizing Mary; he is devaluing Jesus as well. Judas’ words reveal something pretty ugly.
Notice though Jesus’ self-giving act of devotion for Judas. Jesus, the prophet who sees into people’s hearts, knows that Judas is a thief and yet he does not expose Judas to shame.
But he does defend Mary’s actions. In verse 7 Jesus says…
7 “Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial…”
Jesus is a master at saying a lot with few words. Firstly, Jesus protects Mary. More than that, Jesus interprets Mary’s self-giving act of devotion through the lens of his pending death. In doing this, Jesus draws out the eternal significance in what Mary has done.
Then Jesus goes on to say in verse 8…
8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me.”
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 15, where Moses says there will always be poor people in the land and you should help them whenever you can.
At the same time, in a very private and gentle way, Jesus is calling Judas out on his hypocrisy. Jesus is effectively saying to Judas that if he really cared about the poor he wouldn’t be stealing from the common purse.
But Jesus is also intimating that he will be killed soon. The words, you will not always have me, validate the timing of Mary’s act of devotion, for Jesus is a wanted man.
The chief priests’ self-serving act of deceit makes Judas look like an amateur. Not only were the chief priests plotting to kill Jesus, they also wanted to kill Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Killing Lazarus would be like destroying the evidence.
Perhaps they figured, even after we kill Jesus people will still remember him. But if we get rid of Lazarus, then we can erase people’s memory of what Jesus did and rewrite history to suit ourselves.
But the chief priests’ self-serving act of deceit failed. The memory of Jesus’ self-giving love, which conquers fear and death, has not been erased in 2,000 years.
Lenten Devotion:
We started this message talking about how people draw close to Jesus during Lent through prayer, fasting and giving. The thing is, prayer, fasting and giving don’t have any power in themselves to bring you close to Jesus. The chief priests prayed and fasted and gave to the poor and yet they couldn’t have been further from Jesus.
It is the spirit in which you pray, fast and give that creates the connection. Prayer, fasting and giving are merely tools of devotion. You can use the tools to build a wall or you can use them to dig a well.
You can use the tools to guard against your own insecurity (like the religious leaders did) or you can use them to give yourself to God and his purpose in the world (like Mary, Martha & Lazarus did).
If, for example, you choose to give up chocolate or coffee for Lent, then you do well to ask yourself, why? Am I doing this with mixed motives; perhaps to lose weight or appease my own guilt? Or, does my fasting serve a more noble purpose; like standing in solidarity with the poor and saying, ‘I love you Jesus’.
If not drinking coffee makes you grumpy with the people you live with, then you are better not to give it up. But if you can keep your temper and donate the money you save to a worthy cause, then you are using the tools of fasting and giving to dig a well from which others can drink.
And, if the loss of comfort you feel in fasting puts you in touch with Jesus’ experience in some small way, then your act of devotion has strengthened your connection with Christ.
Another practical thing you can do for Lent is reducing your TV watching. Then the question becomes, what will I do with my spare time? If you give the time to spiritual reading, then you dig a well to refresh your own soul, making yourself better equipped to refresh others.
Or you could volunteer some of your free time to help someone in need or spend a few hours a week picking up rubbish in your neighbourhood. In this way, you are loving your neighbours and identifying with Jesus who gave himself to help us and clean up our mess.
Conclusion:
Whatever you choose to do for lent, you need be honest with yourself. Self-serving acts of deceit will pass away but self-giving acts of devotion, done in the name of Jesus, will shine forever.
In 1st Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul writes, …stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
Or said another way, be sure that nothing you do for Jesus is ever lost or wasted. Whatever you do for Christ, in love and honesty, no matter how large or small, becomes indestructible, eternal.
You might lose your job, your business, your car, your home, your money, your hair, your youth, your beauty, your health, your memory and many other things beside. But every act of self-giving love and devotion you carry out in the name of Jesus is preserved forever in the kingdom of heaven, where flood and earthquake, rust and moth, inflation and thieves cannot rob or destroy.
O that we could keep that eternal perspective in mind and not be overwhelmed by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that we suffer in this world. God is love and love is everlasting.
One question remains: How do you express your love for Jesus?
May the love of God fill you, the peace of Christ keep you, and the companionship of the Holy Spirit give you courage. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
What do you plan to do during Lent to draw close to Jesus? What acts of devotion have you found helpful in the past? What hasn’t worked so well for you?
Discuss / reflect on the various forms of self-giving devotion performed by Jesus, Martha, Lazarus and Mary in Luke 12:1-11. Which of these are you most naturally drawn to?
How might we deal with unfair criticism? How might we know when other people’s criticism of us is really more about them than it is about us?
Why did the religious leaders want to kill Jesus? Why did they want to kill Lazarus?
How much of your time and energy do you invest in self-giving acts of devotion for Christ?
Expectations. They are like balloons; buoyant, fun, uplifting, but also vulnerable. They can be stolen by the wind (and drift across America) or burst on the sharp edges of reality. Even if you manage to keep hold of the balloon of your expectations though, it will inevitably become deflated.
Expectations are also like bread baking in the oven. It has a pleasant aroma which fills the house, triggering memory and hunger, drawing people together, in anticipation of a good feed. But, like bread, expectations have a tendency to go stale.
Today we conclude our series on John the Baptist by considering John’s expectations. From Luke chapter 7, verse 18, we read…
18 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them,19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
24 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Luke 7:18-20
Did you feel the earthquake last Wednesday night? It was about 6.2 or 6.3 in magnitude, located 81 km’s north of Wellington in the Tasman Sea. In Wellington we live with this ambient expectation of an earthquake most of the time. Mindful of the damage caused on the east coast by the recent cyclone, we are thankful the earthquake on the west coast didn’t do any harm.
Expectations are a bit like fault lines. Just as we get an earthquake when two tectonic plates bump up against each other, so too we get a disturbance deep in our soul when our expectations bump up against reality. The stronger the expectation the bigger the magnitude of shock if that expectation is not met.
By the time we get to Luke 7, John the Baptist is in prison. This was hardly unexpected. John was smart enough to realise that if you criticise powerful people (as he had criticised Herod) they are going to make life difficult for you.
For John, the fault line created by unmet expectations did not come from Herod, it came from Jesus. Jesus’ ministry had not unfolded in the way John the Baptist had expected.
When there is a gap between our expectations and the reality we experience, that creates uncertainty. John did not doubt that Jesus was from God but when he heard what Jesus was doing it may have caused him to doubt himself; did I get it right in thinking Jesus is the Messiah?
You see, John had preached that the Messiah would bring God’s fiery judgement, to destroy the wicked, but Jesus seemed to be doing the opposite. Jesus was actually healing people and bringing God’s mercy. Jesus even helped a Roman centurion, the last person you would expect to benefit from the Messiah’s work.
What’s more, Jesus’ approach was completely different from John’s approach. Yes, they had the same objective; to bring people back to God. But they went about achieving that objective in a totally different way. John abstained from drinking alcohol. He lived in the wilderness and fasted, while Jesus went to parties in town and was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard.
Jesus was not behaving in the way John expected the Messiah to behave. So, John sent two of his own disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?
Before we consider how Jesus responds to John, let’s pause for a moment to think about what John is doing here.
Sending two disciples was significant. It takes at least two witnesses to agree for the truth to be established. Sending two witnesses was almost like putting Jesus under oath. The question and the answer is important to John.
And it is little wonder. John has given his whole life to one purpose: telling people to repent and be baptised because the Messiah is coming to judge the living and the dead.
John doesn’t have a wife or any family or even a home to return to. John has put all his eggs in one basket. He has no safety net. He has no back up plan. John needs to know that his life has not been in vain. He needs to know that the message he has poured his heart and soul into is true. That he backed the right horse (or the right Messiah in this case).
We human beings can suffer a great deal if we know why, if we understand the meaning in our sacrifice. Jesus is John’s why. John is not relying on himself. He is looking to Jesus for meaning in his suffering.
At some point in your journey of faith, God will disappoint your expectations. There will come a day (if it hasn’t come already) when it feels like Jesus has pulled the rug out from under your feet. It is never fair. The expectation created by the lovely aroma of freshly baking bread can turn stale overnight.
It happened for Job, when he lost everything. It happened for Jonah when he preached to Nineveh. It happened for Joseph when he was sold into slavery. It happened for Mary & Martha, when Lazarus died. It happened for the disciples when Jesus went to the cross. It happened for the early church who were persecuted for their faith. It’s probably happening right now for believers in the Hawke’s Bay and Syria and Turkey and the Ukraine.
Disappointment with God can happen when a marriage fails, or when a loved one becomes ill and dies. It can happen when your dreams and goals are turned to ash. It can happen in an instant or over a prolonged period. It can happen once or it can happen multiple times.
Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him. (Job 13:15).
John does not quit God when Jesus upsets John’s expectations. No. John takes his question to Jesus. He enters into a conversation with the Lord. And that is the key.
When God does not meet your expectations, don’t give him the silent treatment. Give him a piece of your mind, in a respectful way. Be honest with him. Tell him what you are thinking and feeling. Ask him what you need to know.
You might not get the answer you want but (if you are listening) God will probably give you some perspective. The important thing is to stay in the conversation with him. Do not close yourself off from God. That would be like holding your breath, it would be madness.
Okay, so John takes his question to Jesus. He basically asks if Jesus is the Messiah. How then does Jesus respond?
Luke 7:21-23
Expectations can be a bit like movies. When you go to watch a movie you escape reality for a couple of hours. The storyline of the movie normally involves the hero overcoming great odds to achieve their goal and live happily ever after.
Movies tend to create unrealistic expectations because they edit out the boring bits of life and usually have a neat and tidy ending. Then you go back to real life, which is mostly hard work and frustration with no neat and tidy endings, and you can’t wait to escape back to the movies again.
Jesus doesn’t make a movie. He doesn’t create any false expectations for John or anyone else. Jesus simply states the facts, saying…
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosyare cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
These words of Jesus are, in fact, a collage of quotes from the prophet Isaiah. But they are not just random quotes. They are words that Isaiah wrote in relation of the Messiah. John would have known this. It’s like Jesus is saying: ‘I am doing exactly what Isaiah said the Christ would do. You do the math’.
Jesus doesn’t say directly to John, ‘Yes, I am the Messiah. You just have to blindly trust me’. No. Nor does Jesus send John to the movies. Jesus offers John hard evidence from real life and from the Scriptures.
None of this results in a happy ending for John. None of this gets John out of prison. Jesus does not save John from Herod’s executioner. As far as we know, Jesus doesn’t even visit John or send him a care package. John still suffers great injustice at the hand of Herod’s household. This is not a movie. This is real life.
But John can take comfort in the fact that he was right to identify Jesus as God’s Messiah. John does not need to doubt himself, much less Jesus. John’s sacrifice was not in vain. His life had the highest meaning and purpose. Jesus gave John the ‘why’ he needed to deal with his uncertainty and pain.
Some of you may be wondering, if John’s expectations were not quite right about the Messiah, does that mean we can disregard what John said about the coming judgement and the need for repentance?
Well, no. Just because God’s judgement did not come as quickly as John expected doesn’t mean that it’s not coming. There is still going to be a day of judgement at the end of time. And repentance still goes hand in hand with forgiveness.
One of the functions of judgement is to separate the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad. What we notice when we look at the ministry of Jesus is that he sifted pretty much everyone he met. Jesus did not come to condemn or destroy people. Nevertheless, his very presence divided people.
There is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You are either for him or against him but, once you encounter Christ, you cannot ignore him. Each of us must decide how we will respond to Jesus. We either accept him as Saviour and Lord or we don’t. Those who receive Jesus, receive God’s mercy. Those who don’t receive Jesus, can expect God’s justice.
Luke 7:24-30
I have compared expectations to balloons, to fault lines, to the aroma of freshly baked bread and to the movies. We might also think of expectations like the pendulum of a clock. Expectations swing both ways; they can be high or low, positive or negative.
Expectations can also have a hypnotic affect. Stare at them too long and they will put you in a trance, leading you down the path of fantasy and illusion.
Once John’s disciples have left, Jesus begins to speak to the crowd about John. In doing this Jesus is getting the people to consider their own expectations. Jesus does not want the people to fall into a trance or be misled. From verse 24 Jesus says…
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.’
To contrast John with ‘a reed swayed by the wind’ is a poetic way of saying that John was not a voice echoing public opinion. Likewise, to contrast John with a palace official ‘dressed in fine clothes’ is a way of saying that John was not a spokesman for the rich and powerful.
Rather, John was a prophet. He was a spokesman for God and as God’s spokesman he did not compromise his message. He was not interested in scratching the itching ears of his audience by telling people what they wanted to hear. John gave God’s message straight up; no spin, no hidden agenda.
It seems to me that Jesus is trying to bridge a gap in people’s understanding. He is helping people to make the logical connection. Given that John the Baptist is a prophet from God, it logically follows that to accept John’s message is to agree with God. But to reject John’s message is to call God a liar.
Luke spells out the connection Jesus is wanting people to make in verses 29-30, where he says…
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
Once again this goes against the grain of our expectations. We would ordinarily expect the religious leaders to model the right example and accept God’s purpose by repenting and being baptised. But they don’t.
In a bizarre reversal of expectations, the non-religious people (including the really bad people like tax collectors) are able to recognise John as God’s prophet and they flock to him in their thousands.
Jesus and John may have had very different approaches to ministry but they both had the same goal: to reach out to people and bring them closer to God. John used the stick of God’s judgement, while Jesus used the carrot of God’s mercy. Different approaches, same result. People turned to God.
This is in contrast to the religious leaders who were more aloof and did not help people come to God. Jesus and John did not dance to the religious leaders’ tune and so (like spoilt brats) the religious leaders refused to play with them.
Now, it’s tempting for you (in the congregation) to sit there thinking to yourself, ‘Well, lucky I’m not a religious leader, like our pastor Will. Man is he going to be in trouble when Jesus comes back’. (Maybe, but I hope not.)
Here’s the thing. Being a religious leader is not the problem. Being self-righteous is the problem. Anyone can be self-righteous. You don’t need to be a religious leader for that. So the thing to avoid is self-righteousness.
To be self-righteous is to live as if you don’t need God. A self-righteous person expects to be able to do what is right without God’s help. And if they do make a mistake they think they can make things right without God.
The unfortunate thing about self-righteousness is that it hides in our shadow, where we can’t see it. So when we are being self-righteous we are blind to it. We don’t realise it. It’s like we are in a trance, being misled by the illusion of our own expectations. Pretty much all of us have a bit of religious leader in us.
John’s question of Jesus shows that he was not self-righteous. It takes real humility to acknowledge what you don’t know and to ask for help.
In verse 28 Jesus has this to say about John…
28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
I’m not sure I fully understand Jesus’ words here. Most of the experts I read on this passage say it has to do with two different epochs of history. John belongs to the old age and Jesus to the new. So maybe it’s like we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. We stand on John’s shoulders.
Leon Morris puts it this way: the least in the kingdom is greater [than John], not because of any personal qualities he may have, but because he belongs to the time of fulfilment. [1]
The message seems to be: we are lucky to live at a time in history when Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf. This means, for example, that we no longer need to keep sacrificing animals or performing other rituals to make ourselves right with God. We can be right with God by accepting Jesus.
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we enjoy privileges that people before the time of Christ did not. Of course, with privilege comes responsibility.
Conclusion:
What are your expectations of Jesus?
Do you expect judgement or mercy when Christ returns?
Do you expect to carry on as you are or do you need to make some changes?
Do you expect to escape pain and uncertainty in this life? Or do you expect to receive the strength to face whatever the day may bring?
Do you expect Jesus to behave in a certain way or are you prepared to let God be God?
Let us pray…
Heavenly Father, the events of recent times have left us not knowing what to expect. Give us strength and wisdom to follow Jesus through the uncertainty and the pain. May we not become so entranced by our own expectations that we exclude you. Have mercy on us and on this world that you love, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
Can you remember a time in your life when your expectations did not meet with the reality of your experience? What happened? How did you feel? What did you learn?
Why did John ask if Jesus was the Messiah (the one to come)?
How does Jesus respond to John’s question? Why do you think Jesus responds in this way?
What should we do when we experience disappointment with God? How can we help others who may be going through similar disappointments?
Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ words in Luke 7:28. What is Jesus saying here? What might this mean for us?
What are your expectations of Jesus? How might you know if your expectations are fair or accurate? Do your expectations need to change? If so, how?
[1] Refer Leon Morris’ commentary on Luke, page 143.
Imagine a can of peaches. Most people would agree the contents are more important than the label. The quality of the peaches inside the can matters more than the picture on the outside because you don’t eat the label, you eat the peaches. The label is still useful though, provided it is accurate.
(I’ve always found this brand to be good by the way.)
Today we continue our series on John the Baptist. Last week we heard about John’s magnum opus, his great work, of preparing people for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.
This morning we take a look inside the can of John’s character. John has the label of a wild man, living in the desert, preaching hell fire and repentance. But, underneath the tough exterior, there is a winsomeness to John which is quite lovely. From the gospel of John chapter 3, verses 22-30 we read…
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
This reading from John’s gospel gives us a glimpse inside John the Baptist’s character. What we find in the can, is not peaches, but the fruit of humility.
John’s humility:
Mother Teresa had this to say about humility…
Humility is the mother of all virtues… It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed, you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint, you will not put yourself on a pedestal.
Mother Teresa is not just speaking for herself here. She is reflecting Christian wisdom gleaned over centuries. Humility is about being completely honest with yourself. It’s about knowing who and what you truly are. Having an accurate estimation of yourself in relation to God and others. Humility, therefore, is about being real, authentic.
Being humble is not about being self-effacing. Often, in kiwi culture, we cut ourselves down before anyone else has a chance. But humility, in the Bible, is not the same as self-sabotage.
A humble person is quietly self-affirming. They have a healthy self-awareness, without being self-absorbed. In other words, a humble person knows their own imperfections and limitations but still accepts themselves.
John the Baptist was humble. He knew who he was and what he was in relation to Jesus and others.
After Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in the night, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside where they spent some time baptising people. Jesus’ disciples happened to be baptising in the same area that John was baptising, because that’s where the water was.
You may remember John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. It was a sign of surrender to God and making a fresh start in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.
By having his disciples baptise people, Jesus was showing his support for John’s ministry. Jesus was not competing against John. They were on the same team, like a batting partnership in cricket.
As sometimes happens with intense religious people, who insist on being right, an argument developed between the disciples of John the Baptist and a certain Jew over ceremonial washing. We don’t know who this Jew was or precisely why he took issue with John’s baptism.
Given the details are not mentioned, it doesn’t matter, which serves as a lesson to us. Some things are not worth dwelling on or arguing about. A humble person knows when to let it go and walk away.
John is not drawn into a pointless argument. He is walking humbly with God. John is secure in the knowledge that he is doing what God wants him to do. He doesn’t have anything to prove.
John’s disciples are not so secure. They are concerned that Jesus’ disciples are baptising more people. John’s disciples were loyal to John and felt jealous on his behalf, because Jesus was becoming more popular.
But John’s ego is not bruised by Jesus’ success. John is not proud. He is humble. John knows what he is in relation to Jesus. John replies with an accurate estimation of himself…
“A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’…”
In some ways, we are like tea pots. The tea pot does not make the tea. The tea pot is simply a vessel for holding and pouring the tea. Nor does the tea pot have any ownership rights over the tea. The very purpose of the tea pot is to share the tea.
In this analogy, God is the one who makes the tea. The tea pot (that’s each of us) can only receive what is given from heaven. As the apostle Paul said,
‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us’.
John was successful in the sense that people came to him in their thousands to listen to him preach and to be baptised. But that success wasn’t because of John. That success was given by God. John was under no illusion. He knew that people came to him because he was serving the heavenly tea of God’s word. And he served the tea hot, not lukewarm.
In verse 29, John offers this metaphor to describe his relationship with Jesus.
29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
The bride in John’s analogy is the nation of Israel and the bridegroom is Jesus, the Messiah. The friend is John the Baptist. John is like Jesus’ best man at the wedding between the Messiah and Israel.
Notice here how humility opens the door for joy. The best man is not envious or covetous. He does not want to keep the bride for himself. The best man is happy to see his friend get married.
As I’ve said before, joy is the positive energy that comes from hope. John has been waiting and listening for Jesus to come and be united with Israel. Now that is finally happening, John’s hope is realised and his joy is complete.
John is genuinely pleased that the people are flocking to Jesus, for that means John has done his job.
And so we come to some of the most winsome words in the whole Bible. John says of Jesus, in verse 30: He must become greater; I must become less.
The best man has a key role to play in assisting the groom, both before the wedding and on the big day itself. But once the ceremony has taken place and the speeches are done, the best man slips away. After all, it was never about the best man.
He must become greater; I must become less, reveals more than just humility; it also reveals John’s self-giving love for Jesus. “It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent.”
John willingly gave his time and strength to prepare the way for Christ. And he was glad to give up his popularity for the sake of Jesus. Eventually he would give up his freedom and his life also.
He must become greater; I must become less.
When I reflect on what that means for us, I am mindful of the people Tawa Baptist has donated to other churches and to the work of mission over the years. We have given away some of our best and brightest for the greater good of God’s kingdom. We have become less so that Jesus would become more.
Thinking on a personal level, He must become greater; I must become less, is the process of a lifetime really. It describes the journey of faith. Very few people give their whole life to Jesus all at once. Most of us give ourselves to Jesus incrementally (bit by bit).
We do well to remember, with thankfulness, those who have acted as a John the Baptist in our lives; introducing us to Jesus and then becoming less so he can become more.
We do even better to consider who we might be a John the Baptist for.
If you are a Sunday school teacher or a youth group leader or a parent, then you can be like John the Baptist for those in your care. You know you won’t have these young ones forever. They will grow up and move on. But while they are with you, you can point them to Jesus.
Likewise, when you point friends, neighbours, work colleagues or school mates to Jesus, through winsome words and deeds, then you are being a John the Baptist for them. May God bless you with joy as you become less and Jesus becomes more.
How is humility formed?
Some of you may wonder, how is humility formed? How can I become humble, like John? Well, the Spirit of God can develop humility in all manner of ways. I don’t think there is a formula to it necessarily.
But that’s not particularly helpful to you, so let me suggest three things that I’ve observed (anecdotally). Among other things, humility is formed with acceptance, with the wilderness and with a personal experience of grace.
Humility is about being completely honest with yourself; telling yourself the truth. Being honest with yourself goes hand in hand with accepting yourself. To not accept yourself is to live in denial of who you really are.
If the can contains peaches, then it is best to accept that fact. Nothing good comes from pretending the can contains something else, like boysenberries.
John the Baptist was honest with himself. He knew he was second fiddle to Jesus and he accepted that fact. At no point did John entertain a Messiah complex. He never let his early success get the better of him. He never lied to himself or misled anyone.
Accepting yourself is not as easy as it sounds, especially if there are parts of yourself that you don’t like that much. It helps to have one or two significant people in your life who know you and accept you for who you are.
I imagine John found acceptance from his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. They knew who their son was and why he was born. So John likely grew up with a strong sense of his own identity and purpose.
Who is it that sees you and gets you? Who is it that speaks the truth to you, in a gracious way, in order to keep you honest? It might be a family member. It might be your partner in marriage. It might be a friend or a teacher or your spiritual director. Value that relationship, take care of it.
Humility is like walking. It requires us to keep our feet on the ground and to stand upright. Walking humbly is not something we can do alone. No. We walk humbly with God. Ultimately, it is God’s love for us, his presence with us, that enables us to accept ourselves and keep our feet on the ground.
The wilderness is also helpful in forming humility. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness for much of his life. The wilderness has its own way of lending perspective. When you are in the desert or in the mountains or out on the open sea, you learn that you are not in charge. The wilderness is in charge.
It is humbling to walk the length of the valley leading up to Franz Joseph glacier, with sheer cliffs either side of you, and realise how small you are in comparison to the powerful ice that has carved a valley out of rock over millions of years.
Young men are seldom honest with themselves. Young men often think they are bullet proof. When we were still at school, my friends and I used to go kayaking on the Wairoa River in the Kaimai rangers, near Tauranga. One day one of the members of our canoe club was swept under a ledge and drowned. The force of the water (a grade 5 rapid) held him there.
He was an experienced paddler who had run that particular rapid many times before and he respected the river, yet it claimed his life. It was a sad day. A humbling way to learn we were not in charge. The wilderness was in charge.
A third thing that helps to form humility is a personal experience of grace. When someone bestows on us an honour we know we don’t deserve. Or when they treat us with a generosity we have not earned, that is grace. If you let that grace touch you deeply enough, it has a humbling affect.
John the Baptist was humbled by a personal experience of grace when Jesus came to be baptised by him. John feels unworthy of the honour and tries to deter Jesus saying: “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”
Now this is remarkable. John was a holy man. He lived a pure life and had a far better moral compass than most. Yet, despite his righteousness, John did not rely on his own goodness. John knew that he was from earth while Jesus was from heaven.
But Jesus says to John: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented. What else could he do? To deny Jesus would be out of line, it would be arrogant. John is humbled by Jesus’ grace.
We can be humbled by grace in all sorts of ways. To receive forgiveness, when you know you were wrong and are genuinely sorry, is to be humbled by grace.
To realise the privilege of receiving a good education, when others who went before us were denied the opportunity, is to be humbled by grace.
To recognise you have a choice over which career path to follow, when most of the world does whatever job they can to survive, is to be humbled by grace.
I feel humbled by grace watching the news at times. Seeing pictures of the death & devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey & Syria, is sobering. Then there is the suffering of the people in Ukraine. Thousands of lives lost and homes destroyed, in winter.
I know New Zealand has suffered its own trauma in recent times, but I still reckon most of us who live here have won the lottery, even without buying a ticket. We have much to be thankful for. I am humbled by God’s goodness and grace for us in this land.
Opportunities to grow in humility are all around, if we don’t let a sense of entitlement get in the way.
Conclusion:
When we look inside the can of John’s character we find humility. We also find love. As the apostle Paul says in 1st Corinthians 13…
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
John was patient, waiting and listening for Jesus. John did not get angry when Jesus became more popular. John was not proud or boastful. Nor was John envious of Jesus. John had the humility to be honest with himself and to rejoice in Jesus’ success.
Being honest with ourselves requires each of us to ask: What is in the can of my character? And do the contents of that can match the label?
Let us pray…
Father God, we thank you for those people who have acted like a John the Baptist in our lives, introducing us to Jesus, then becoming less so he can become more. Help us to be a John the Baptist for others. Give us the grace to be honest with ourselves and true to you. May we always be motivated by love. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
What is humility? Why is it important to be honest with ourselves? What is in the can of your character? And do the contents of that can match the label?
Discuss / reflect on John’s metaphor in verse 29. E.g. What does the analogy mean? What is the relationship between humility and joy? How does humility make love real, devoted and ardent?
What might it look like for us to become less, so that Jesus becomes more?
Who has acted as a John the Baptist in your life? Give thanks for them. Who can you be a John the Baptist for? Pray about this.
How is humility formed? How can we become/remain humble?
Who accepts you? Who is it that sees you and gets you? Who is it that speaks the truth to you, in a gracious way, in order to keep you honest? What can you do to take care of that relationship?
Take some time this week to consider God’s grace in your life. Let the reality of that grace touch you deeply. Let grace humble you.
Can anyone hear tell us what the phrase Magnum Opus means? [Wait]
That’s right, magnum opus is a Latin term which literally means great work. A person’s magnum opus is their greatest work.
The painting of the Mona Lisa is arguably Leonardo da Vinci’s magnum opus. Moby Dick is considered Herman Melville’s magnum opus. Winston Churchill’s leadership during World War Two was his magnum opus.
And, in the book ‘Charlotte’s Web’, Charlotte (the spider) refers to her egg sac as her magnum opus, the ‘finest thing she has ever made’.
I wonder what your magnum opus is?
Today we continue our series on John the Baptist. Last Sunday we heard about John’s purpose in being born; to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. This morning, we jump forward three decades to that time when John fulfils his purpose. Luke chapter 3 describes John’s magnum opus, his great work. From Luke 3, verses 1-18, we read…
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Today’s message highlights three aspects of John’s opus: John’s timing, John’s baptism and John’s message. Let’s begin with the timing of John’s work.
John’s timing
In cricket, it is a thing of beauty to watch a batsman gracefully drive the ball through the covers with little effort. That’s the power of timing.
Likewise, cooking is all about timing. If you leave your chicken in the pan too long it becomes dry and chewy. Not long enough and you end up with food poisoning. Get the timing right though and the chicken is succulent, delicious.
And when it comes to music, it’s not enough to hit the right notes, one must also be in time with the conductor and the other musicians.
In the opening verses of Luke 3, the gospel writer goes to some trouble to underline the timing of John’s public ministry. Luke lists all the relevant political and religious leaders at the time the word of the Lord came to John.
From what we know of these leaders, historically, they were men of darkness. They abused their power and committed acts of gross injustice.
Among other things, the Emperor Tiberius ordered the deportment of all Jews from Rome. The last years of his reign were a time of pure terror. [1]
Pilate, the governor of Judea, ran an administration characterised by bribery, racial insult and frequent executions without trial. Pilate was the one who handed Jesus over to be crucified. [2]
Then there was Herod Antipas, sort of a puppet of Rome, ruling in Galilee. Herod was thoroughly immoral. When John the Baptist told Herod to tidy up his act, Herod threw John in prison.
Even the Jewish high priests, Annas and Caiaphas were rotten. They conspired to have Jesus murdered.
Probably these rulers thought of themselves as stars. But really they were more like the darkness of the night sky. In contrast, John the Baptist is like the moon against the backdrop of this dark time in history. John reflects the divine light of God’s word and he has a strong influence on the people, bringing about a tide of social change.
According to Luke, John is the one Isaiah spoke about when he said: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord…
Isaiah originally spoke that word, centuries earlier, as a kind of night light to comfort the people of Israel who were sitting in the darkness of exile.
The interesting thing with Isaiah’s prophecy is that, all people will see God’s salvation. So the redemption on offer here isn’t just for Israel, it’s for all people. God’s salvation is universally offered.
John the Baptist came on the scene at just the right time in history, when anticipation of God’s redemption was high and Jesus was about to emerge publicly. John was the bearer of God’s word, identifying Jesus as the true light of the world, God’s Messiah.
John’s baptism
Okay, so John’s timing was God’s timing. What about John’s baptism?
Well, John was a prophet and prophets usually communicate God’s message in two main ways; through words and through signs.
Sometimes the signs are super natural, like when Moses parted the Red Sea or when Elisha healed Naaman of leprosy. Other times the signs are everyday things, which may appear odd but are invested with a special meaning, like when Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem or when Hosea married a prostitute.
Baptism, immersing people in water, was John’s sign from God to the people.
It was not a miraculous sign, it was something anyone could do, and yet it was both distinctively odd (at that time) and invested with meaning.
Baptism wasn’t really something Jews did. Gentiles, who wanted to convert to Judaism, underwent a ceremonial bath as a kind of ritual cleansing but Jews did not do this because being descended from Abraham was their ticket, or so they thought.
John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In the Bible, forgiveness is not automatic. Forgiveness goes together with repentance. We can’t separate them. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in behaviour.
If you are driving in your car and you take a wrong turn, then repentance is realising your mistake, turning your car around and driving in the right direction. Spiritually speaking, there are two roads you can take in this world. One leads to life and the other leads to destruction. Repentance puts you on the road to life.
Another example of repentance. If you are baking a cake and inadvertently put a cup of salt in the mix, instead of a cup of sugar, then repentance is throwing the cake mix out and starting again using the right ingredients this time. Otherwise you (and everyone else eating the cake) will get a nasty surprise.
Spiritually speaking, we might think of our deeds, in this life, as the ingredients we use to make a cake. We want to make sure our deeds are good because, at the end of the day, we get out what we put in. We eat the deeds we bake.
What are you putting into the mix of your life? The measure you use for others is the measure God will use for you. If you forgive others, God will forgive you. But if you nurse resentment, God will leave you in the prison cell of bitterness. That is what Jesus taught.
John told his fellow Jews, it’s not enough to claim Abraham as your ancestor, you cannot rely on your parents’ faith; that is no guarantee of salvation. Nor will sacrificing animals save you. You need to repent and believe in God’s Messiah, then you will be forgiven. Being baptised is a public sign of one’s repentance. It shows you are committed to righteous living.
Baptism involves being immersed in water and so the most obvious symbolism here is cleansing from sin. Not that the water of baptism takes away sin. No. Jesus is the one who takes away our sin. The water is a metaphor or a sign pointing to what Jesus does.
One of the odd things about John’s baptism is that John himself administered it. This was in contrast to the Jewish washing rituals of the day in which the person bathed themselves. So those who went to John for baptism were putting themselves in the hands of God’s representative. This signified their surrender to God’s purpose.[3]
But wait, it gets even weirder. John’s baptism took place in the wilderness, near the Jordan. We would expect a sacred ritual like this to happen in or near the Jerusalem temple. But no, it happens in the wilderness, an untamed and potentially dangerous place, outside the sphere of institutional religion.
The wilderness reminds us of Israel’s exodus from slavery in Egypt and the Jordan is the river Israel crossed when entering the Promised Land.
By coming out into the wilderness to be baptised by John and then returning home, the people were symbolically leaving behind those attitudes and habits that enslaved them and re-entering their everyday life with a new freedom, characterised by righteousness. The journey to the wilderness and back signified a fresh start.
John’s baptism informs Christian baptism. Christian baptism borrows from John’s baptism the imagery of repentance from sin, surrender to God and making a fresh start by following Jesus. For John and for us, baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality.
That being said, John’s baptism is not exactly the same as Jesus’ baptism. John himself made it clear he was not the Christ saying…
I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
John’s baptism is like a sign post, pointing to Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to repent and grow toward Christlikeness. The Holy Spirit is the primary sign that we belong to Jesus.
John’s pathway to salvation; of repentance, believing in Jesus and being baptised, is still the pattern of Christian conversion for many people today.
Okay, so in thinking about John’s magnum opus (his greatest work) we’ve considered John’s timing and John’s baptism. What about John’s message?
John’s message
Well, like the prophets before him, John proclaimed a message of judgement and hope. Judgement and hope may seem polar opposites but, in Christian thought, they are one, like a single guitar string held against the fret board of history.
In verse 9, of Luke 3, John says to the crowds…
9 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
And, in verse 17, John employs another image of judgement, saying…
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
This is a poetic way of saying: The Messiah is coming soon to destroy the wicked and save the righteous. But, as scary as it sounds, the coming judgement is actually good news. Because, if you are oppressed by evil men, then removing the evil will make life better for everyone.
Even if you are wicked though, there is still hope for you, provided you stop behaving badly and start practising social justice.
I’m reading Bono’s autobiography at the moment. As well as being a rock star, Bono has also worked as a social justice activist. Among other things he has lobbied some pretty powerful people to forgive third world debt and provide medicine to fight the AIDS epidemic in developing countries.
In the pursuit of social justice, Bono has had to build relationships with people who hold a different point of view. Bono writes…
The search for common ground starts with a search for higher ground. Even with your opponents. Especially with your opponents. …you don’t have to agree on everything if the one thing you agree on is important enough. [4]
Now I’m not suggesting that Bono is a modern day John the Baptist. For one thing, Bono doesn’t live on locusts and wild honey. But I do like his idea that ‘the search for common ground starts with a search for higher ground’.
It seems to me that John had little in common with those he was communicating with. Nevertheless, John was uncompromising in his search for higher ground.
When the people asked what does repentance look like, what should we do? John pointed them to the higher ground of social justice saying: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
And when tax collectors and soldiers came, John did not require them to quit their jobs and join a monastery. He basically told them to remain in the world and be fair with people and not abuse their power. We can see the wisdom in this. When tax collectors and soldiers act justly and show restraint, the whole community is better off.
The repentance John had in mind wasn’t just personal, it was also social. Forgiveness without repentance doesn’t help anyone. But when you tie repentance to social justice (as John did) that redeems the soul of the individual and it makes the world a better place, at the same time.
Weeding out corruption at an interpersonal level was something almost everyone (except the ruling elite) could agree on. By preaching the higher ground of social justice, John helped many to find common ground with Jesus and with each other.
But you are never going to get everyone to agree. John wasn’t able to find common ground with Herod. Sometimes social justice divides people.
John’s message is still as challenging and relevant for us today as it was 2,000 years ago. Social justice begins with each of us personally. How do we practice right relationships in our homes, our schools, our places of work and our community?
Conclusion:
This morning we have considered John’s magnum opus, his greatest work. John came onto the scene at just the right time in history, reflecting the light of God’s word in a world darkened by evil leadership.
As part of his work John baptised people. John’s baptism was a tangible sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John’s baptism anticipated Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit.
John’s preaching (his spoken word) was a message of judgement and hope. The Messiah is coming soon, so get yourself ready by practising social justice. Then you will find some common ground with Jesus and with each other.
The question remains: Are we ready for Jesus’ return?
Let us pray now as we prepare our hearts for communion…
Father God, you are the author of salvation. You bend the arc of history toward justice. Forgive us for the times we have failed to act justly or show mercy. Lord Jesus, we thank you for suffering on our behalf. Thank you for your grace. May you be honoured in the breaking of this bread and the sharing of this cup. Empower us by your Holy Spirit to live out social justice for your glory. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
What is your magnum opus?
What is significant about the timing of John’s public ministry? What is significant about the times in which we live?
Discuss / reflect on the symbolism of John’s baptism. How is John’s baptism similar to Jesus’ baptism? How is it different?
Can you think of a time when God changed your mind and behaviour? What happened? What deeds are you putting into the mix of your life?
Why does John tie repentance to social justice?
Are we ready for Jesus’ return? How do we practice social justice in our homes, our schools, our work places and our communities?
Tawa Baptist 