162 john the baptist prepares the way pew ed

John The Baptist Prepares The Way Canon Graeme Winterton at Holy Trinity Kew - Advent 2 - 4th. December 2016

Matthew 3:1-12 1. John the Baptist strode in from the desert wearing a camel skin coat and had something to say which brought the people flocking to hear him.

Had John turned up today he would probably have arrived in a stretch limo accompanied by a retinue of keepers and promotion agents; the marketing team would have organised press conferences, national TV interviews and talk back radio. A heavy advertising campaign would promote engagements to fill the major stadiums around the country and the crowds would continue to grow. Everyone was talking about him and were asking Who is he? Where did he come from? What do you think about him? The answers varied, opinion depended upon one’s bias; John was an egotistical attention seeking rabble rouser; a harmless religious fanatic; a political liability.

2. Jesus was asked for an opinion and replied, “there has been none greater than John the Baptist� John was certainly controversial. Beyond the popularism it is worth exploring why Jesus said there was no one greater than John the Baptist.

3. Four questions will lead us to a fuller understanding of the heart and message of this baffling outspoken prophet and bring us to see its relevance for us in our time.

1 Who was he really?

2 What was his purpose?

3 How did he implement his agenda?

4 What was the essence of his message?

FIRST QUESTION - Who was John?

3.

I can’t think of better credentials than those held by John the Baptist. Jesus’ affirmation that there has been no one greater is elaborated upon by St. John who said he was a man sent from God A man with a mission.

The information we have of his life before the spectacular appearance which attracted the crowds is perfectly consistent with Jesus’ and St. John’s oponion of him. We know he was brought up in a God fearing traditional Jewish home. His father Zechariah,was a priest who served in the temple and his mother Elizabeth, was related to Jesus’ mother Mary. John was about six months older than Jesus.

St. Luke records that John grew, and was in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to Israel. The people who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls, used the term living in the wilderness to refer to their community at Qumran near the Dead Sea. It is probable that John spent some of his early years being educated at Qumran where he learned to live a celibate, ascetic and disciplined life.

4.

Who is John? A stern principled and austere man whom the people recognised as a great prophet. Jesus confirmed it. “John is a prophet and more than a prophet. He is the one spoken of in Malachi 3:1, the messenger who comes to prepare the way. John represents the climax of the Law and the long tradition of Jewish prophets looking forward to the promised deliverance to be ushered in by the Messiah. Who is John? “A man sent by God” SECOND QUESTION - What was John’s purpose?

5.

John was a change agent. He prepared the way for Jesus.

J o h n prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus by raising the issues and announcing the imminent arrival of the promised Jewish Messiah. If you like John was the key note speaker who introduced the theme of the conference which would run for the next three years under the leadership of Jesus.

John’s contribution was God inspired and divinely sanctioned. He lived out the message in his own life. Quite the opposite to our modern experience of mass saturation advertising. We are often unaware of the massive and invasive influence it exerts upon our lives. We are constantly being manipulated to receive a message, invited to embrace new ideas, change our views and adopt new ways to achieve the questionable self seeking goals of others

What was John’s intention: To prepare the hearts of people to receive Jesus. He said “I am not worthy to untie his laces, he must increase, I must decrease.

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THIRD QUESTION - How did John implement his agenda?

Although I have questioned modern promotional methods I can’t help being impressed by John. He could certainly teach today’s spin doctors a thing or two.

Consider what he did. It was a time of national upheaval and occupation by a foreign power; the people were disillusioned and felt God had forgotten them. John tapped into the national psyche and focused his message at the River Jordan. It was masterly. The Jordan River was highly significant because it was Israel’s place of origin. The Nation began there.

It was the the place where God divided the waters for his people to enter the promised land. A visit to the Jordan would always be highly charged with emotion for patriotic Jews in the same way as it is forAustralians to visit Anzac Cove on Anzac Day. At the Jordan, John turned the hearts of the people Godward, at the Jordan he introduced the Messiah, and at the Jordan God publicly validated Jesus as his beloved Son. FOURTH QUESTION - What was the essence of John’s message?

John’s Call was for a return to fundamentals; to the foundational principles of the nation which were given by God and were the basis of its unity and strength. He reminded them of Moses’ charge before they crossed over the Jordan to possess the land. Remember God and his commands and to be faithful.

John understood that the strength of a nation depended upon its moral fibre and he knew that this was true also of families and individuals. In essence John was reminding the people of two things: First, that the Life of faith and living life are inextricably bound together! Second, What a person believes dictates how a person behaves. The Life of faith and living life is a socio/political reality.

The argument has raged down the centuries on the question of the division between the civil and the spiritual powers. S hould there be a Separation of church and state?

Can they, or should they be combined? ( We are not entering into that debate today.)

The reality is that the two have been combined through most of the Church’s history. Only of recent times has the so called secular state arisen and gained preeminent dominance in the mind set of the Western World.

There is no separation in the thinking of Islam. Observe its manifestation in the turmoil of the Middle East today and its influence upon international terrorism and the politically correct view of multiculturalism in Western society. We can’t escape the consequences. John the Baptist’s call for change, repentance and action was personal, individual and collective.

It was unavoidably political!

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The Life of faith and living life are inextricably bound together! Belief Determines Behaviour. Do I really need to spell it out? It’s the vexed question at the heart of every war crimes trial. The underlying driver of international terrorism, every trade union demonstration, every political manifesto and party platform. Belief determines the behaviour of every religious adherent including every one of here in church today. And it’s fascinating to observe that every atheist is committed to a strong belief that nothing exists beyond a closed system of cause and effect.

John the Baptist was possessed of a charisma so powerful that he stirred the people and upset the establishment - (His outspoken challenge eventually cost him his head!) Listen again to today’s gospel: You snakes! he said to them. Who told you that you could escape the punishment God is about to send? Do the things that show that you really have repented of your sins; and furthermore, stop whispering among yourselves and saying that because you are descendants of Abraham this doesn't apply to you!

Well, history reveals that few listened - John was killed, so too was the one for whom he prepared the way, and so has it been in every age, and so it is still in the world of today.

A FINAL QUESTION — what significance does the message of this obscure eccentric Israeli prophet of 2000 year ago have for today?

The eternal message is that God calls his people to be true to the fundamental principles of his revelation. Christians are the people of God. Each of us have crossed over the spiritual Jordan and entered the land of a new community as members of the Kingdom of God in his Church. Advent calls us to mind the fundamentals. Advent calls us to open our hearts and lives to Christ even more deeply and honestly.

John challenged the people of his time to practise what they preached. Each person has much to gain from this reminder The call is threefold: 1. A CALL TO CONFESSION Be true to our God and live holy lives.

2. A CALL TO COMMUNITY Build each other up “Love one another as I have loved you” 3. A CALL TO COMMUNICATE Share the good news.

If John the Baptist was here right now he would probably look each of us in the eye and bluntly ask: “What do you intend to do about it ?”

Holy Trinity Kew - Advent 2 - 4th. December 2016

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