| December 12, 1999 | Unworthy to Untie | John 1:6-8, 19-28
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Last week we heard about John the Baptist from the Gospel of Mark. This week we hear from John's Gospel which uses deeper, more theological language rather than simply a description of the events of Christ's earthly ministry. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."
The Word is Jesus Christ. He is the life and light too. That leads us to an interesting question: What does it mean that the darkness has not understood the light who is Jesus Christ? The darkness is our world of sin. It is the world full of people with corrupt sinful natures. Into this darkness shines the light of Jesus Christ, but the world has not understood the light. So, how could we fail to understand it?
The world fails to understand by failing to acknowledge Jesus Christ as truly God and we as His creations. This requires humility. This requires taking our eyes off of ourselves and putting them on God with which we have trouble.
Self-elevation can perhaps be seen as a root of all sin. The first sin, with Eve being tempted to make herself like God, was her attempt to deny her humble position as creation of God and instead she wanted to become God herself.
This sinful elevation of oneself did not stop with Eve and Adam but it continues today. Through the course of human history we see the regression in the period of the Enlightenment. Humanism became more and more popular, where man became the judge of all things. This led to humans judging God's Word and determining which parts would be kept and which would be rejected. This is the elevation of human importance over the Scriptures took away the correct position where the Scriptures judged humans.
The situation today is such that people like to decide what is right and what is wrong. They like to design their own religions. I just spoke to someone recently who is of another faith than our own. She said she just couldn't accept one teaching of her faith. Now, I would not hold to the teaching because it is not supported by God's Word. However, the reason this woman did not agree with the teaching of her church was simply that it would leave her guilty of sin. She didn't have a reason from Scripture. She didn't have a reason outside of herself. It was simply her own authority, her own will which dictated what she determined was true and correct.
This is not all that uncommon. I hear of people all the time who disagree with the teachings of our church on evolution, homosexuality, abortion, and women's ordination. I hear of people who believe that we ought to admit to our communion fellowship those who are not united with us in confession of the same faith. I hear of people who believe that men and women living together is acceptable in God's eyes.
All these disagreements and others are common. However, I can't think of a single person who defended their disagreement based on Scripture. I have not heard of one say they think their church is wrong on this teaching because the Bible says something about it. No, instead it is always a matter of personal opinion. They think the church is wrong and that is based on their own authority. This is another example of sinful elevation of self above God and the authority of His Word.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has failed to understand it. This is because the darkness thinks it has its own light. The darkness does not see the need for a light to be added.
As we prepare this Advent season, it is good for us to ponder our state of darkness without our Lord. It is good for us to consider how He came to give us light that we so desperately needed.
"There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."
You will notice something powerful about John. He is described as one who did not draw attention to himself. Instead of trying to be a light himself, he was pointing to the light that was Jesus Christ. He came as a witness, to testify, so that all men might believe.
Perhaps you have noticed how it is hard to direct a small child's attention to something in the distance. You may try pointing to it, but the child inevitably will end up looking at your finger, not at what you are pointing. You have failed to get them to see what you intended.
We see from our text that John the Baptist was not going to have people looking at his finger. Rather, he was going to make sure they were looking at Christ to whom he was pointing. John did this by humbling himself. We heard last week how he dressed humbly and ate a very humble diet. This week we hear of John's humble answers to questions of others regarding his authority. He leaves them looking, not at his finger, but at the one to whom he is pointing.
There were some groups sent out to question John. The text reports that priests and Levites were sent by the Jews of Jerusalem. Either some of these were Pharisees or a second group of Pharisees were sent also. They came to ask John who he was and by what authority he did his baptism.
We must get the proper perspective on what John was doing. He was drawing quite a large number of people to his baptism. What is baptism, by the way? It is washing. It implies that there is an uncleanliness of some sort, in this case a spiritual uncleanliness. He was saying that all of the people of Israel needed to have this washing. They needed to turn from their sins and turn back to God. They needed to confess their sins. This was a rather insulting thing to say especially to the religious leaders. John was saying that all people were dirty with sin and all needed a washing.
These questioners then came out to John to ask him just who he thought he was to make such a claim. People don't like to hear of their sins. They will usually shoot the messenger to avoid hearing the message that they are sinful. So, these questioners were coming to put John in his place.
Imagine the hostile crowd that came to John. They were really predisposed to be his enemies.
Now, suppose you were questioned about your faith in front of a hostile crowd. Do you think you would stand-up for what is right and true? What do you say when you are around a group of non-Christians who challenge what you believe? The temptation is certainly to be quiet. In a world where it is becoming more and more radical to be a Christian we have greater temptations to keep quiet or confess something opposed to the truth.
John, it is reported, gave the good confession. He confessed and did not deny. He was asked who he was. He confessed: "I am not the Christ." He was not the long awaited, long promised Messiah who would redeem God's people.
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." These priests and Levites thought perhaps John was the Old Testament prophet Elijah returned in the same person. Though a prophet is promised in Malachi 4:5 who would serve in the tradition of Elijah, and Jesus does identify John as that prophet, John humbly denies here being Elijah himself.
They try one other possibility on John: "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." They thought that perhaps John fulfilled the promise issued through Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18 of a prophet like Moses who would be raised up. John, in all humility, would not even claim the position of a prophet.
Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"
John quotes from our Isaiah reading last week, from Chapter 40. Notice that he identifies himself as simply a voice, not even a body or position or role, just a voice. That is the voice directing us to the Lord. He is the finger pointing at the Lord.
John's replies really fail to elevate himself. He does not try to bring himself higher up, but takes the low road. This needs to be our way too. We remember the words from the Magnificat:: "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant." Also, "He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." Our Lord calls us to be prepared for His coming by getting off of ourselves. We are in all humility to consider our own sinful nature and record of sins and see where we deserve to be. Humble and lowly, we are ready to receive the king.
Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" They could not understand where John claimed to have the authority to say that all the people of Israel needed to be cleansed from their sins. They thought he was terribly arrogant to place himself in such a high position of seeking people's confessions.
John's answer is as humble as always. "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." John simply points to Jesus. He is among you, right now, but you don't know who He is. This Jesus is the Christ who gives me authority to lead people to Him. John confesses his lowly state before Christ. He is not even worthy to untie those dirty sandals which walked the dirty roads and reflected the worst the world could dish out. John didn't even qualify for the job of touching that part of Jesus.
John makes himself of no consequence, so that Christ may be come everything. This is how it is for us also. We make ourselves of no consequence, by seeing our actual sins and our original sin. We see we deserve nothing. Then for us, Christ becomes everything. He is our life and our light. Going to the cross to take away those very sins we confessed and even negating our original sin, Jesus frees us from all punishment. He lifts us up from our humble position. He exalts us to the highest position. We know in humility that we deserve nothing, but instead we receive everything through the light of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.