Mat 11:2-10 - What Reason Do We Have to Rejoice?
The new Christmas song for 2020 goes like this: "You better watch out, you better watch out, you better watch,..." Seems like this year is one bad surprise after another for most people. If you try to share some Christmas cheer, people ask, "What reason do we have to rejoice?" It's easy for us to feel let down during a time of suffering and trial.
Imagine how John the Baptizer must have felt. God had appointed him to be the forerunner of the Savior, to preach that the Kingdom of God was at hand, to preach repentance and baptize. Yet his life was not one of good cheer. He lived in the wilderness, near the Jordan River, ate locusts and wild honey and wore clothing made of camel's hair and a leather belt.
Now camel's hair is not scratchy like horse hair or goat hair. It's actually softer than merino wool and prized for its insulating qualities. And it is not clothing that poor people would wear. Such clothing was made for those who had to be out in the weather without much shelter, who had to depend on their clothing to retain warmth on cold nights and protect them from the heat of the day. It was the Goretex of its day. Likewise a leather belt was more durable than a braided rope or cloth belt.
Matthew's account underscores that John lived rough in the wilderness with no place to call home while he did his work. And it was to remind people of Elijah, who "wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather".
There are no in the description of John's work. He preached repentance in preparation for the visitation of the Lord Himself. He was to make the crooked ways of the heart plain to his hearers, so that the way of the Lord into the heart would be level and smooth. For many, his preaching struck a chord; people came from all over Judea to be baptized by John. But for many of the leaders, he was a thorn in their side, because he dared to call them to account for their sins.
In tonight's text we find this man of the wilderness in Herod's dark prison, the Machaerus. The reason for his imprisonment is made clear: "For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have her.' And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet."
It is here that we have to ask ourselves, "What reason did John have to rejoice?" There are not many who would be comfortable living homeless to preach a message that many people found abrasive. There are not many who would want to be cooped up against their will in a dark prison. And more than this, John knew the reputation of the Herods; he was likely going to die at their hands.
So what reason did John have to rejoice? Jesus tells us that John was the greatest among those born of women, but even so, John was a real human being, and that dark moment must have been very difficult for him. He knew the One he had been appointed to announce. He pointed to Him and declared, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." He knew that he was preaching what he should have been preaching, and yet like every saint of God, he needed the Word of the Lord to strengthen him; he needed divine encouragement in the midst of his troubles. And this is just what he receives from our gracious Lord.
"Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" Jesus doesn't come to John with platitudes and small talk. He doesn't sugarcoat anything.
"Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.'"
Jesus pointed him to Scriptures and showed John that He was the fulfillment of the prophecies with His miracles bearing witness. How those words must have redirected that last Old Testament prophet from the dank dungeon and the looming prospect of the grave to a brighter image of that fair land above. John had reason to rejoice, even in the midst of his terrible situation. More than that, these words must have served to bring rejoicing to the faithful remnant of God's people throughout Israel. Those disciples did not keep this news to themselves. So even though John's time as forerunner was nearly at an end, the good news was spreading far and wide through the people that their Savior had come.
"As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: '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 [fine, luxurious] clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'"'"
What reason did the people of Israel have to rejoice? It was the same reason that John had. He was God's messenger in the wilderness. He was the messenger who prepared his people for the coming of the Son of God. The long fulfillment of God's promise to the devil in Eden was about to happen. God was about to make the sacrifice for His people, to atone for their sins, to redeem them from death, to save them for Himself. And all this was happening in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, a man like us, a human being, who conversed with His fellow human beings, who wept with His fellow human beings, who sympathizes with us in our weakness.
Now, they did not see with the clarity of hindsight like we do. Maybe for a time, they were confused by the wonder of the incarnation, with the Almighty coming into human flesh and joining Himself to us in our troubles. But after the Resurrection and Pentecost, their joy could not be contained.
And so their joy became our joy, passed down through the ages, to reach us all cooped up in our homes, confronted by disease and cultural turmoil, confused by many untruths. We did not come here tonight to hear a comfortable message, but the truth. We did not come expecting a flimsy message that would be like a reed shaken by the wind. You came to hear me faithfully speak the Word of Truth and Life to you at my Lord's bidding. We came to hear that we are sinners, to freely acknowledge that fact in God's sight, knowing that He is quick to forgive us for the sake of Jesus. We came to hear that blessed Word of God that lifts our eyes from the dank prison to the bright mansions of heaven, the Words of eternal life. We came to hear God say, "I love you; I forgive you; come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." And who should speak to us but the Lord Himself, down through the centuries, across continents, His gracious Words spoken and sung by the lips of fellow blood-bought sinners, the joyful confessing Christians before us.
So what reason do we have to share our rejoicing? The reasons should be obvious by now. Yes, there may be hard times now or ahead. Yes, there may be trials and temptations. Yes, we stumble and fumble about in our weakness and often make a mess of our lives. Yes, these things we see and freely admit, but do we not also confess that God is greater than these things, that we are not even worthy to untie His sandals.
Fellow redeemed, let us not be schwafelling softies about God's Word, just to avoid hurting feelings or causing discomfort, because God has placed us here and now to share the reason for the hope that we have. Let us not live downcast in 2020 or ever, but lift up our eyes, sins forgiven, hearts overflowing with the love that we ourselves have received. Lift up your eyes rejoicing, preparing and watching.
We're not looking for Santa Claus to come to town, nor need we fear the "or else" that "You better watch out." implies. And though we may have let ourselves feel let down during this year of suffering and trial, we have the real Christmas cheer. With John and all the prophets of old, with the apostles and disciples of Jesus' day, with all those faithful Christians who went before us, we have the real reason to rejoice this season, this year, and always, and His name is Jesus. To Him be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.