Advent 3 - Gaudete (Baptism of Hannah Emilee Lucek) December 17, 2023
Matthew 11:2-11
Joy in the Least!
V.11 Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Dear friends in Christ, this Sunday brings us great joy in the midst of the penitential season of Advent leading up to Christmas. Today, we heard our children’s voices at St. Paul raised in praise to the God who came to save. Furthermore, we were blessed to receive little Hannah Lucek into our family of faith through the waters of Holy Baptism! What joy it brings to us to welcome a new sister in Christ into our midst. Such joyous occasions fill our hearts to bursting! But sometimes joy can be difficult to find–especially in trying circumstances.
Such was the case for John the Baptist in our text. He had been imprisoned about a year before by King Herod Antipas after John called the king to repent of marrying his brother’s wife. To silence the embarrassing (though true) accusations, Herod had John arrested. Soon, John would be executed. During his incarceration, John is waiting for news of Jesus as the Messiah, but it didn’t seem to John that Jesus was measuring up to his expectations. Where was the rescue for John as Jesus’ loyal disciple? Where was the wrath against the pagan king who had unjustly imprisoned John? What was going on? Not a lot of joy to be found while languishing in prison.
We, too, wrestle at times with our expectations of the Lord Jesus. We pray and we pray, but sometimes it seems as though He isn’t really listening–that our prayers go unanswered–or answered in ways we don’t like. We would love Jesus to miraculously rescue us from our financial difficulties, family squabbles, work trials, health problems, and our annoying neighbor who so dislikes Christians. But nothing happens. We too might wonder, “Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Is there a greater, more action oriented Jesus we should be looking for–one who reminds us of the superhero Avengers–who take names and kick some butt?
Yet Jesus' mild response to John is good for us too. “Go and tell John what you hear and see…” and then Jesus relates how He has indeed fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the Messiah who would heal every dread disease–even overcome death–and who would proclaim good news to the poor in spirit–those drowning in their sin and guilt and shame. These words and deeds of Jesus prove that He is the Christ, and that those who are not offended by Him shall be blessed for all eternity.
Of course, there’s the rub, isn’t it? It’s not always easy to not be scandalized by the Lord Jesus. His Word is pretty rough at times, especially to our modern day ears. Words that demand perfection to His Law as outlined in the Ten Commandments. Words that offend our neighbors’ current sensibilities regarding “a woman’s choice,” “sexual orientation,” or “gender identity.” Words that call all people to repent of their sin and to look only to Jesus for salvation–no one and nothing else. That strikes our pluralistic society as very narrow and close-minded. But as Jesus Himself says (Matthew 7:14, 21), “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few…Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,’ ‘Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.’” And don’t forget Jesus' words in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
It is easy to rejoice in Jesus’ words and works when we are surrounded by fellow believers here in this sacred space (a good reason to gather here regularly each week), but it gets significantly harder when we are alone dealing with difficult family and friends and coworkers who are often hostile to Christ and His Word. Our love for them often leads us to soften Jesus’ words, or to simply be silent rather than start an argument. After all, we don’t want to offend anyone! But Jesus’ words remain, “Blessed is the one who is NOT offended by ME.” Despite the humiliating death that Jesus will suffer on the cross–a death that makes Him look so weak and insignificant that it is a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23)--yet by faith we recognize that Jesus’ suffering and death is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
And so we come together, dear brothers and sisters, for strength and peace. We come to hear our Lord’s words of forgiveness and grace proclaimed into our ears–how the blood of Jesus has paid for our sin and removed our guilt and shame. We come to receive His gifts in the blessed Sacraments–to wash our sins away in Holy Baptism–to feed on His body and blood in the Eucharist–and to uplift and support one another with prayer. From our newest, tiniest sister in our Christian family–Hannah–to the older and wizened brothers and sisters in our midst. And there is great joy in this place as we are forgiven and uplifted by the blood of Jesus! For we have been set free! Redeemed by the work of Christ who was crucified for us.
Jesus goes on in our text to establish who John the Baptist was–the forerunner of the Christ. He takes great pains to establish how John was the last and greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. Why? Because of his proximity to Jesus. John heralded the Advent of Jesus–baptized Jesus in the Jordan river–and would precede Jesus with a martyr’s death. John is indeed the forerunner of the Lord who was to come. He was no pampered sycophant in a king’s palace. Rather, John clearly preached the Word of God, standing firm and strong, despite the consequences. He was the final messenger to prepare the way of the Lord.
And so Jesus can say, “among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” But here is where the twist comes in. For Jesus goes on to say, “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” How can that be? I mean this is John the Baptist! He was jumping for joy in his mother’s womb when hearing the voice of the blessed Virgin Mary who was merely pregnant with Jesus! John was faithful unto death! John was a stalwart preacher of the Lord’s Word, no matter what. How can you or I or Hannah who has just been baptized possibly be greater than John?
Simply put, beloved, it has to do with the fact that God’s Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every Christian by faith. This is a gift sealed unto all Christians in the waters of our Baptism–making the risen Christ present with all His gifts of forgiveness and resurrected life. As Paul writes to the Romans (6:3-5), “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”
So, beloved, united to Christ in Baptism, you are indeed greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant–for you live in the New Covenant–having been washed in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins–you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and everlasting life and salvation! This gift that you and every baptized Christian has received–assures you day in and day out that you belong to Christ Jesus.
You have had your spiritual eyes opened to see the glory of Jesus on the cross–your ears unstopped to hear the Good News of Jesus and the absolution that is yours through faith in Him–you have been cleansed of all filth and taint of sin in the waters of your Baptism–you have been raised from spiritual death to life by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Gospel preached–and so now you are no longer lame in your spiritual walk of life, but rather may run with joy the race that is set before you–trusting in the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus to sustain you all the days of your life–from your Baptism–to your grave. What joy there is to be least in the kingdom of heaven! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 11:2-11
Joy in the Least!
V.11 Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Dear friends in Christ, this Sunday brings us great joy in the midst of the penitential season of Advent leading up to Christmas. Today, we heard our children’s voices at St. Paul raised in praise to the God who came to save. Furthermore, we were blessed to receive little Hannah Lucek into our family of faith through the waters of Holy Baptism! What joy it brings to us to welcome a new sister in Christ into our midst. Such joyous occasions fill our hearts to bursting! But sometimes joy can be difficult to find–especially in trying circumstances.
Such was the case for John the Baptist in our text. He had been imprisoned about a year before by King Herod Antipas after John called the king to repent of marrying his brother’s wife. To silence the embarrassing (though true) accusations, Herod had John arrested. Soon, John would be executed. During his incarceration, John is waiting for news of Jesus as the Messiah, but it didn’t seem to John that Jesus was measuring up to his expectations. Where was the rescue for John as Jesus’ loyal disciple? Where was the wrath against the pagan king who had unjustly imprisoned John? What was going on? Not a lot of joy to be found while languishing in prison.
We, too, wrestle at times with our expectations of the Lord Jesus. We pray and we pray, but sometimes it seems as though He isn’t really listening–that our prayers go unanswered–or answered in ways we don’t like. We would love Jesus to miraculously rescue us from our financial difficulties, family squabbles, work trials, health problems, and our annoying neighbor who so dislikes Christians. But nothing happens. We too might wonder, “Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Is there a greater, more action oriented Jesus we should be looking for–one who reminds us of the superhero Avengers–who take names and kick some butt?
Yet Jesus' mild response to John is good for us too. “Go and tell John what you hear and see…” and then Jesus relates how He has indeed fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the Messiah who would heal every dread disease–even overcome death–and who would proclaim good news to the poor in spirit–those drowning in their sin and guilt and shame. These words and deeds of Jesus prove that He is the Christ, and that those who are not offended by Him shall be blessed for all eternity.
Of course, there’s the rub, isn’t it? It’s not always easy to not be scandalized by the Lord Jesus. His Word is pretty rough at times, especially to our modern day ears. Words that demand perfection to His Law as outlined in the Ten Commandments. Words that offend our neighbors’ current sensibilities regarding “a woman’s choice,” “sexual orientation,” or “gender identity.” Words that call all people to repent of their sin and to look only to Jesus for salvation–no one and nothing else. That strikes our pluralistic society as very narrow and close-minded. But as Jesus Himself says (Matthew 7:14, 21), “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few…Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,’ ‘Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.’” And don’t forget Jesus' words in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
It is easy to rejoice in Jesus’ words and works when we are surrounded by fellow believers here in this sacred space (a good reason to gather here regularly each week), but it gets significantly harder when we are alone dealing with difficult family and friends and coworkers who are often hostile to Christ and His Word. Our love for them often leads us to soften Jesus’ words, or to simply be silent rather than start an argument. After all, we don’t want to offend anyone! But Jesus’ words remain, “Blessed is the one who is NOT offended by ME.” Despite the humiliating death that Jesus will suffer on the cross–a death that makes Him look so weak and insignificant that it is a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23)--yet by faith we recognize that Jesus’ suffering and death is the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
And so we come together, dear brothers and sisters, for strength and peace. We come to hear our Lord’s words of forgiveness and grace proclaimed into our ears–how the blood of Jesus has paid for our sin and removed our guilt and shame. We come to receive His gifts in the blessed Sacraments–to wash our sins away in Holy Baptism–to feed on His body and blood in the Eucharist–and to uplift and support one another with prayer. From our newest, tiniest sister in our Christian family–Hannah–to the older and wizened brothers and sisters in our midst. And there is great joy in this place as we are forgiven and uplifted by the blood of Jesus! For we have been set free! Redeemed by the work of Christ who was crucified for us.
Jesus goes on in our text to establish who John the Baptist was–the forerunner of the Christ. He takes great pains to establish how John was the last and greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. Why? Because of his proximity to Jesus. John heralded the Advent of Jesus–baptized Jesus in the Jordan river–and would precede Jesus with a martyr’s death. John is indeed the forerunner of the Lord who was to come. He was no pampered sycophant in a king’s palace. Rather, John clearly preached the Word of God, standing firm and strong, despite the consequences. He was the final messenger to prepare the way of the Lord.
And so Jesus can say, “among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” But here is where the twist comes in. For Jesus goes on to say, “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” How can that be? I mean this is John the Baptist! He was jumping for joy in his mother’s womb when hearing the voice of the blessed Virgin Mary who was merely pregnant with Jesus! John was faithful unto death! John was a stalwart preacher of the Lord’s Word, no matter what. How can you or I or Hannah who has just been baptized possibly be greater than John?
Simply put, beloved, it has to do with the fact that God’s Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every Christian by faith. This is a gift sealed unto all Christians in the waters of our Baptism–making the risen Christ present with all His gifts of forgiveness and resurrected life. As Paul writes to the Romans (6:3-5), “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”
So, beloved, united to Christ in Baptism, you are indeed greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant–for you live in the New Covenant–having been washed in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins–you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and everlasting life and salvation! This gift that you and every baptized Christian has received–assures you day in and day out that you belong to Christ Jesus.
You have had your spiritual eyes opened to see the glory of Jesus on the cross–your ears unstopped to hear the Good News of Jesus and the absolution that is yours through faith in Him–you have been cleansed of all filth and taint of sin in the waters of your Baptism–you have been raised from spiritual death to life by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Gospel preached–and so now you are no longer lame in your spiritual walk of life, but rather may run with joy the race that is set before you–trusting in the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus to sustain you all the days of your life–from your Baptism–to your grave. What joy there is to be least in the kingdom of heaven! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.