Sermon - Gaudete 2019 - Matthew 11:2-11

Who’re your role models in life? Who’re the people you look up to and try to emulate? Your first thought might be a parent or a relative, a teacher or a friend. But let’s think a little more practically. Who’re your role models on a daily basis? I’d wager a guess that you don’t even know who all of your role models are or who influences you on a daily basis. Maybe it’s a politician you like to listen to, or a particular historical figure you’re interested in, maybe it’s a fictional character from a tv show or movie or a book. I’m sure each of us are influenced by many more people than we often realize. 

As Christians it would be wise for us to pay attention and deliberately choose certain people to emulate and look up to for advice. Historically Christians have considered martyrs and other large figures in the history of the church to be worthy of emulation. The Bible is chock-full of good examples of Christians worth emulating!

 Today Jesus introduces us to one of the greatest role models of the faith: John the Baptist. “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” John the Baptist is a marvelous example of Christian faithfulness. Just as St. John the Baptist resolutely clung to Christ, so must we abide in Jesus who comes to comfort us poor sinners with the Gospel. 

John the Baptist was a little bit different from most people, especially by today’s standards, but even by ancient Palestinian standards. The angel had announced to Zechariah, John’s father, that “he will be great before the Lord. He must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” Sure enough John was, when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, John “leaped in her womb,” having faith in the Messiah even before being born! 

When John grew up to be a man, he “wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” He put off living a luxurious life in order to prepare the way for the Christ by calling sinners to repentance. When John saw Jesus walking by the Jordan, he pointed at Him and declared: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

John’s ministry was entirely focused on pointing people to Jesus. Even when John’s in prison now, soon to be beheaded, he sent his disciples to go and see Jesus and learn for themselves that Christ is the promised Messiah. John unwaveringly trusted in Christ and continues to point us to Christ even today. 

While John languished in prison, with only a few disciples left, and the great crowds having forgotten about him, Jesus remembered John and praised him before the crowds, saying: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” 

John’s steadfastness and faithfulness is held up to us by Jesus as an example which ought to be followed by all pastors and indeed by all Christians! We ought not be like a fickle and erratic reed, easily shaken by every wind of doctrine. Rather we are to be grounded like pillars and columns in the house of God. We ought to be deeply rooted like strong trees and built up in christ! 

Jesus points out that John doesn’t wear soft clothing, not only referring to him wearing camel’s hair, but referring to what kind of a man he was! The word for “soft” used in the Greek here actually has more of a meaning of effeminate, referring to a catamite, a homosexual boy who presented himself as a girl to be used by kings. These boys played the part of a catamite often in order to get ahead politically. Jesus is being a little crass here, referring to the sodomy taking place, to teach us that John is not like that at all! He’s a man’s man, not like a macho man or a he-man, but a real man who is bold in his convictions and doesn’t just do things to get ahead politically. In fact what John does is proclaim the truth of repentance even when it makes him unpopular with the people and kings and winds him up in prison.

John is a good and holy example for us Christians to follow and emulate. Like him, we must speak out against the world, and that will make us look different, like loonies out in the wilderness. The winds of doctrine are drastically changing today in America. No longer do the values of our culture generally mirror the values of the church. Instead, people are engaging in the most vile of behaviors today, as they were 2,000 years ago. 

In John’s day homosexuality, pedophila, and other sexual deviancies were considered acceptable and normal. They had gymnasiums, like we do today, except the word gymnasium comes from the word gymnos, meaning naked. Referring to the fact that gymnasiums were for men and boys only, where they would wrestle in the nude. Exactly the horrible things you think would happen there, happened. 

We are well on the same road here in America! Libraries are hosting drag queen story hours, where men, dressed up like women, often in revealing clothing, read stories to little kids. A multitude of sexual deviancies are being celebrated with parades across America. More and more, we’re being required not only to tolerate these atrocities, but to celebrate them! In Finland right now the Lutheran Church is under investigation simply for upholding the Christian teachings on human sexuality. These things are coming for us in America as well!

 We need to be bold and unwavering like John the Baptist! Things are crazy and difficult! Our lives as Christians and the beliefs we hold don’t meld with our culture. So look to John as an example! See that he is strong because his Savior is strong, and that you can be strong and bold like Him because you have the same Savior and the same faith. Know that you have a sanctuary, a safe place, here at church where the culture won’t win the day. In this place we’re not Americans who have to abide by American standards of morality, here we’re Christians, rooted in Christ, built upon that solid rock of our salvation. 

Jesus is one worth holding onto for all it’s worth! He is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the Nations, who will cleanse all the world from sin and its dominion. Hear and see what Jesus does: “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” The miracles which Jesus performed reveal to us what kind of ministry He comes to perform among us, namely a ministry of comfort!

From a world so distressing and filled with an abundance of grotesque sin, Jesus comes to you with healing and comfort. “See! Your God comes and will help you. At that time the blind will have their eyes opened, and the deaf will have their ears opened. At that time the lame will skip about like a deer, and the silent tongues will give praise.” Jesus speaks to us, the weary, He preaches to the distressed, He binds up broken hearts, He proclaims rescue to the captives and deliverance to the bound. 

Jesus comes to destroy the works of the devil, He comes to destroy sin and all of sin’s calamitous fruits! He comes to forgive and proclaim to you the Gospel that your many sins are forgiven. All of Jesus’ outward miracles of bodily healing point us to what He desires to accomplish inwardly for the soul’s healing. Many doctors can heal the body, but Jesus alone can heal the sin-sick soul from which all of our bodily ailments arise. 

We are the poor in spirit, the sinners John calls to repentance, the sick that Jesus heals. So don’t be offended by the Christ, don’t be offended at His words of rebuke and repentance, but accept them with joy! Be glad and rejoice, be comforted in that your Savior Jesus is the one who comes and He comes to you. Even when you’re flaky and blown about like a reed, or you’re one who’s been dressed in soft clothing, Jesus forgives you. He heals you and invites you to stand with John in the faith which is held firm by Jesus who grounds you in the promise of salvation. Go in peace and joy in the comfort that we have received from the Lord’s hand double for all our sins.