The Fourth Sunday in Advent – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. John 1:19-28 “Who are You?”
December 22, 2024 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, it is good and right that we should give thanks to You, that You have given us a glorious baptism like that of John the Baptist, and that therein You have promised us the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life through Your Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech You, by Your grace and mercy preserve us in such faith, that we never doubt Your promise, but be comforted by our baptism in all temptations; and grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may renounce sin, and ever continue in the righteousness bestowed on us in baptism, until, by Your grace, we obtain our eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. . (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 148)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 1st chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who through His Word you hear and see the work He has done for you, whose way was prepared, and your heart prepared, so He may dwell in you, dear fellow redeemed:
Have you ever played the game called “Guess Who?” It is a game where you and your opponent are trying to guess which person is in front of you. Now each player has a group of pictures of other individuals. In the sea of people, you must ask questions to narrow down which person your opponent has. You might ask the question, “is your person a boy or a girl?” In doing so, you have effectively eliminated fifty percent of the field. If it is a boy, you might ask if he has a mustache, or are his eyes blue? As you narrow down the group in front of you, the race is on to find out who it is. In our text, we see the religious leaders asking John questions, trying to narrow down who he is. In their main question of “Who are you,” they were given more facts than what they bargained for. They heard not only who John was, but they heard who was coming after and how much more special of a person He would be.
Now the people who have arrived at the riverbank are not playing twenty questions to guess who John is. If they really cared about his name and lineage, they simply had to ask who his parents were. He was the son of a Levite, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. They are not coming out to the Jordan to ask his parentage. So, let’s look and see what they were after with their question, “Who are you?” And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” It looks like they aren’t getting anywhere on finding out why John is preaching a message of baptism and repentance in the Jordan. They thought they had asked the right questions, and he only answered, no. Why would John answer no to these questions?
Well, the first question gets a no for an answer because it is true, John is not the Christ. What about the other two? Is he Elijah? No. What about the Prophet? No. The questions from the priests and the Levites were on the right track. They understood the Old Testament had prophesied about Elijah coming again and a great prophet like Moses. The priests and the Levites are taking these prophesies thinking the actual Elijah will come back again. But Elijah isn’t coming back. Even though he was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire, God was not planning on sending him back to earth. As the priests and Levites have this wrong, this now creates an issue with John. They still don’t understand or realize who he is. So, they ask once more, because now they need to take an answer back to the people who sent them. He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” The people of Israel needed to be prepared. While John truthfully told them who he was not, it is in those questions and his answer as to who he is.
Now you might be wondering, how are the religious leaders wrong when the prophet Malachi clearly says that Elijah will return? To find out when Elijah will come and another answer of who John is, we must go back to the day the angel Gabriel visited John’s father, Zechariah. “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16-17). John was right, he was not Elijah, he was the second Elijah. He has the spirit of Elijah. And what will his job be? He is to prepare the Lord’s people. He is to cry out and be the voice in the wilderness. He preaches to the people about repentance for the kingdom of God is near. While John is not the Elijah the people wanted, he is the Elijah who was needed because he reveals to the people who they are as they stand before God and there needs to be a change for the One coming.
This message of change is essential for us, and we especially think about it during the penitential seasons. Of course, this doesn’t mean this is the only time we look at John’s message, we need to continually prepare our hearts for the great coming of the Lord. As the religious leaders searched to find out who John is, it is in his message he tells them who they are and who we are. We currently live in a world that is consumed with this topic. The world would say, we have followed the rules close enough to not need punishment, we have been almost perfect, and we don’t need anyone to tell us who we are. Our feelings are a great guide to dictate who we are, right? John now turns to you as the one who prepares and says, “who are you?” He doesn’t just stop and wait for your answer. To prepare the way for the One who is greater than himself, he tells those who have come to see him and us we have not followed God’s law close enough, we have not been almost perfect, and because of this we do need to hear who we are. We have sinned and deserve punishment for them. As this cuts our hearts week after week, and day after day to hear it, it prepares our hearts for change and healing.
John had what was needed to change and prepare the hearts of the people. His mission was given to him by God. Therefore, it is God who was working through him. The people’s hearts didn’t change on their own because they couldn’t. While they knew who they were because of their failings, God brought them healing and they received it through the baptism of John. “I baptize with water, but among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” Not only did John bring them healing, but he pointed out the healing they were receiving was coming from someone far greater than him. John knew he wasn’t the Messiah, and he wasn’t worthy himself to prepare the way for the Messiah. He knew the message he preached applied to him, but it didn’t apply to the One who was to come.
John was preparing the way for someone great. In telling them who he was, he also began to reveal who was coming behind him. The question asked was, who is John? John answered, “I am unworthy, but the One coming is worthy.” This is why John gladly did his work. He knew who he was, and he knew the One to come could do so much more. So, while we know the message that John preached does not excite anyone, it is the message of repentance that brings the waters of forgiveness. The waters of forgiveness flow through the One who comes after John and because of His coming we can, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:4-6).
These words from St. Paul echo the work of John at the Jordan. The people are now crying out to the Lord because their hearts have now changed. They are changed because they know who they are. They are children of the Heavenly Father, and the Father is going to take care of them and heal them with the life and work of His Son. The people can rejoice and sing His praises because He will bring them comfort. Concerning John Isaiah prophesied, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1). This comfort can only come if the voice in the wilderness was preparing the way for the Lord. As he prepares the way, God’s Son comes, and He nestles into their hearts because of who He is and the message. God changes hearts and with His kingdom He dwells in them as He says, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:20b-21).
John and Jesus both proclaimed the coming kingdom of God. You see the kingdom in the midst of you as you hear every week who you are. You hear how you have sinned in many ways and confess you only deserve God’s wrath and punishment. Your heart is prepared by the same message John preached in the wilderness. While you are unworthy of the One who came after him, Jesus still comes for His people, and He comes for you. Like Isaiah prophesied, “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5). The people whose hearts John prepared saw the Savior in the flesh. They saw His baptism. They heard His gracious and lifesaving Word. They watched Him die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and rise from the dead and you hear and see Him too, with your prepared hearts. You hear Him in His Word, and You see Him in His sacraments where you receive His comfort, healing, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
As you know the comfort of your Savior, there are still people out there who do not know John or the Savior. The world is asking the same questions the people in John’s day were asking. John gave his answer to the people using God’s Word and it is this same Word that will go out and change the hearts of the people now. A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:6-8). As the Word endures forever, you never have to ask the question, who are you? John has prepared the way, Jesus has come, still comes, and you can rejoice because you are saved. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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