Today we lit the Third Candle of Advent, the Candle of Joy. This is the Sunday known as Rose Sunday in which we are given a sneak preview of the coming Christ and the joy that will bring to all believers. Advent is set aside as a twofold period of waiting. In Advent we await the Second Coming of Christ and at the same time reflect upon the time of waiting preceding Christ’s first arrival on earth and John the Baptist’s proclamation that Jesus of Nazareth is the long awaited Messiah.
John the Baptist as described by Jesus was dressed more like a hermit or a cave man, than a PR guy of our times. He was dressed in animal skins and lived off of wild locusts and honey. His attire, which was far from Wall Street’s look of today, reflected his blunt message of repentance. His home was not in a luxurious penthouse, but in the wilderness where the wild animals roamed. Probably unshaven and with long hair, John the Baptist would have blended better with the hippie look of the 1960’s. So what made this unkempt, wild man the talk of the nation? Why did people flock to hear him?
Well, it was probably his very blunt message against King Herod combined with his message to prepare for the arrival of the soon coming King of Kings. Yet, when Jesus comes to John to be baptized, John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. In the first chapter of John, it is written, “The next day he (meaning John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’”
Now John the Baptist, who was one of Jesus’ relatives, was older than Jesus so how could he be before John? John’s statement is in reference to Jesus as the Messiah. The Messiah was the only Begotten Son of God which means that Jesus was present from the beginning with God. Now Jesus was not present in human form, but in spirit, being one with God the Father. Yet, his true spiritual identity was not revealed to John the Baptist until Jesus came to him for baptism. Only then did God reveal to John the Baptist who Jesus really was. This means that John the Baptist had been proclaiming the soon arrival of the Messiah on faith.
In our gospel reading for today, John the Baptist has been imprisoned by Herod. Under Herod’s guard, John has second thoughts on Jesus’ identity. So John sends his disciples to ask Jesus a very important question. “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Jesus responds with a list of works that were expected from the Messiah. He tells John’s disciples, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” These are all confirmations that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah.
Then Jesus praises John the Baptist for fulfilling the words of the prophets Malachi and Isaiah. Malachi wrote, ‘See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me…” Of John the Baptist, Isaiah wrote, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness; ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight…” Jesus confirms that it is John the Baptist of whom the prophets prophesized. John has fulfilled his mission on earth that God gave him to do. He preached repentance in order for the people to prepare their hearts to receive the Messiah. Because of John’s obedience to God, the people are now ready to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Not long after this time, Herod has John the Baptist beheaded.
We are not told what John’s response to Jesus’ message is. My personal opinion is that Jesus’ response to John’s question confirmed for John what John had told his disciples before he was imprisoned. We read these words in the Gospel of John, an Apostle of Jesus, chapter 3, beginning with verse 25:
“25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.* 26They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’ 27John answered, ‘No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah,* but I have been sent ahead of him.” 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.’*”
My hope for John the Baptist is that he died knowing that his destiny had been fulfilled. He had prepared the way for the Messiah. John’s joy had been made complete. Jesus was the Messiah so now John could die in peace. He had finished his work here on earth.
There are some here today, who like John the Baptist, are going through a time of darkness in your journey in life. You may not be enclosed by physical walls like John was, but you are suffering just the same. It is in the darkest periods of our lives where the joy of Christ is needed the most. Faith is so easy when times are good; it is the times of darkness wherein we are tested.
These are the times when a word of encouragement can mean more than any riches on earth. Like John the Baptist we need to be reminded that Jesus is the Christ. It is through Christ that we are made into new creations. The old has been cast away and we have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness. It is in Christ where we find our joy. If we but take time to remember that it is the Joy of the Lord that is our strength, then the darkness cannot over take us. Even in the darkest pit, the joy of Christ is there for us.
We, who are in Christ, are never alone. He is always with us. The promise in Isaiah for the redeemed is our promise. We who have accepted Jesus as the Messiah are promised everlasting joy. This is the real joy that does not come from earthly knowledge, but from acceptance of Jesus as our Savior. It is in Christ that our joy is made complete.
So let us claim the words of Isaiah as our promise from God. Isaiah writes, “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
May we join with John the Baptist and rejoice in Christ our Lord; knowing that the Messiah who came to earth will return again. May His Joy remain in us as we await His Second Coming with great expectation. For Jesus of Nazareth is the long awaited Messiah!
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