The Advent Preaching of John the Baptist

December 6, 2020 Advent 2B

Gospel Lesson: Mark 1:1–8 [After me will come one more powerful than I]
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,
3the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

4John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John the Baptist proclaimed the advent of the Messiah. He prepared the people for the coming of Jesus Christ. John lived in the wilderness and it was there that he preached. He lived in the wilderness and so lived off the things that the wilderness provided: he ate locusts and wild honey. Even his clothing was from things that could be found in the wilderness, perhaps woven from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. He lived in the wilderness and so that is where he did his ministry, and people from all over the region of Judea and Jerusalem came out to where he was. He proclaimed a baptism that would forgive their sins when they repented and confessed their sins. And he knew that the great Savior would soon come who would baptize the people with the Holy Spirit.

I wonder what John the Baptist would preach today if came to Okinawa. Okinawa is not a wilderness, but an island, so fFirst we would change the Bible reading from Isaiah 40:3 which says, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” For Okinawa, maybe this verse would be appropriate, Isaiah 42:10. “Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.”

If John the Baptist came to us, what would he say to us? He would say that Jesus is coming, so in order to prepare his road we need to straighten out our hearts and our lives. Therefore, John would proclaim to us also “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” 1:4. If we have already been baptized, he would not tell us to be baptized again, rather he would tell us to keep that baptism alive through faith. He would tell us to keep our faith not dry but moist and fresh. We do this through repentance.

Repentance is true faith. True faith is necessary for true repentance. Faith knows that Jesus died to forgive our sins. And so repentance is not just a time of spiritual torment over our sins, it is a time of joy to know that our sins are forgiven. Repentance is an act of worship to thank and praise God for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Repentance knows that the death and resurrection of Jesus gives us eternal life. And so it becomes our way of worship and our way of life. Martin Luther wrote his famous 95 Theses. The First Theses is this. “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”

Our Gospel reading today is from the Book of Mark. Here John the Baptist is rather a nice guy. But in the Books of Matthew and Luke, John is very accusative of the people who come to hear him. Those people are Jewish believers in the True God, yet John opens their hearts and exposes their sin.

Matthew 3:7-10. “7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax 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 what would he say to us? John would open our hearts and expose our sing. He might say, ‘You have Martin Luther as your father? God demands that you continue the Reformation with repentance and reform and righteousness. Faith is not just knowing the right answers, but producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.’ John the Baptist would help us on the Advent path. In the Book of Luke, we hear his words of advice which might be similar to what he would give to us too.

Luke 3:10-14. "10 What should we do then?" the crowd asked. 3:11 John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." 12 Tax collectors also 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."

Since John is called “John the Baptist,” I think he would tell us to live in the power of our baptism, to know that we are a baptized child of God, to wait with joy the advent of Christ and then to follow where Christ leads us. This is the “Adventure of Advent” because we are not just waiting for Christ to come at Christmas, we are celebrating that he has already come to us.

Amen.

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM

What is baptism?

Baptism is not merely water, but it is water used according to God's command and connected with God's Word.

What is this Word of God?

As recorded in Matthew 28:19, our Lord Christ said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

What gifts or benefits does Baptism bestow?

If effects forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and grants eternal salvation to all who believe, as the Word and promise of God declare.

What is this Word and promise of God?

As recorded in Mark 16:16, our Lord Christ said, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."

How can water produce such great effects?

It is not the water that produces these effects, but the Word of God connected with the water, and our faith which relies on the Word of God connected with the water. For without the Word of God the water is merely water and no Baptism. But when connected with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul wrote to Titus (3:5-8): "He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. This saying is sure."

What does such baptizing with water signify?

It signifies that the old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil lusts, should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance and be put to death, and that the new man should come forth daily and rise up, cleansed and righteous, to live forever in God's presence.

Where is this written?

In Romans 6:4, St. Paul wrote: "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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