Sermon for Sunday, October 27, 2024 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament reading:
[Isaiah 40:1-5 ESV] 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
New Testament reading:
[Acts 1:1-5 ESV] 1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Gospel reading:
[John 1:19-28 ESV] 19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 3:1-6 ESV] 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Introduction
Christmas is coming [the goose is getting fat] so I’m skipping the Christmas material for now from Matthew chapters 1 and 2, and we’ll return to it, Lord willing, in a few weeks.
Today, we are in chapter 3 of Matthew’s Gospel and we have John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ. We’ll be looking then at “The Wildness Preacher.”
John is The Wilderness Preacher.
He’s usually called “John the Baptist” but more accurately is called “John the Baptizer.” It is not like he was a member of a Baptist church. The text of the Scriptures doesn’t tell us us explicitly what his views were on the mode of baptist (as dunking or sprinkling) nor whether he believed infants should be baptized. Though I think his statement “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight” indicates, with the rest of the New Testament, that ALL ages are to be baptized. But that is not our focus today. We want to look at the man himself, his preaching, and his savior.
So we have those three points:
I. What John Looked Like
II. What John Preached
III. Johns’ Connection to Elijah and to Jesus
I. What John Looked Like (v. 4-6)
John, the wilderness preacher is a CHARACTER. I say this endearingly. I love characters. Incidentally, you should never say someone is strange, just say they are a character. And life is stranger than fiction. There are people you know and people you meet, who have greater depth of character than anyone invented by a novelist.
John the Baptizer was indeed a real person. And a character indeed.
We might say he was a bit like another man who shared his name — Johnny Appleseed. Nature lovers, eating strange diets, wearing strange things. Johnny Appleseed is said to have worn a pot as a hat, and not to be outdone John the Baptizer wore a garment of Camel’s hair.
We have a greater description of John than of most any Biblical person. It is clear that the author wants us to know what he looked like.
We learn in the text about his clothing, his food, and his location.
A. Clothing
“John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist.”
That’s a little strange, don’t you think? Even if you dig into the depth of your closet, will you find a camel hair coat? I’m fairly sure I don’t own one, and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anyone wearing camel.
John also had a leather belt. That’s more common, even today. Though in some circles, leather is out. Years ago my sister had an interview with some environmental agency and they specified that the applicant shouldn’t wear a leather belt. John, while he lived in nature, even embraced it, was nothing like the extreme environmentalists of today. His clothes were made of camel and of cow, for the leather.
B. Food
To add to the image of John, we have not only his clothing specified, but his diet. His food.
What did he eat?
It was a balanced diet. On the one side of the scale was wild honey, and on the other side was locusts.
The promised land was always described as flowing with milk and honey. John is benefitted from that; at least from the honey.
Both of his foods — locusts and honey — are things of nature. It is wild honey, and I suppose, wild locusts. There are no locust farms. I think this is showing a real trust in the Lord to provide his food. He’s not growing any crops. He can’t be because he’s “on the move.” He’s got a message to preach. And he’s eating what he can on the way.
To our modern sensibilities, locusts are not edible. Much of what we eat is closely related to the Biblical pronouncements on what is clean and unclean. In other cultures — think Asia or remote places of the world — people eat all sorts of things that God told the Jews not to eat. Lizards for example, snakes. But as for locusts, the Bible doesn’t actually outlaw the eating of them.
The law in Leviticus actually says:
[Leviticus 11:22 ESV] 22 Of them you MAY eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
So it is perfectly acceptable for John to eat locusts.
Thinking of the wild honey might remind you of Samson, who also ate wild honey. And You have to imagine that John had long hair like Samson. I could be wrong, but there weren’t many barbers in the wilderness. And many scholars thinks John had taken a Nazirite vow, which includes the vow not to cut your hair.
C. Location
So John is quite a character. Dressing oddly and eating local. John eats local, and organic.. A little too organic if you ask me.
But also included in the description of him is his location. He is in the wilderness. He is the wilderness preacher.
Matthew Henry said: “His preaching. This he made his business. He came, not fighting, nor disputing, but preaching; for by the foolishness of preaching, Christ’s kingdom must be set up.” (MH)
So John is the Wilderness Preacher. He is also the wilderness prophet.
Many of the Old Testament prophets were in Jerusalem where their cries of “Woe” could be heard. But John is in the wilderness. This might not sound like the best place to “set up shop.” You can be heard better in the city. But I think his being in the wilderness is implying that God can be heard even from there. John is a voice crying out from the wilderness.
What happens when you scream in the wilderness? No one hears you. The philosophers might even question whether you truly make a sound. John the Baptizer is crying out in the wilderness. Why? Well, we know the ultimate fate of John and of Jesus. It is more dangerous to preach in Jerusalem where you might get arrested. Perhaps his wilderness preaching was in part motivated by that freedom that comes with being away from the authorities.
John preaches in the wilderness. But “No place is so remote as to shut us out from the visits of divine grace.” (MH)
II. What John Preached (v. 1-2)
John’s message. You’re a sinner. Not a popular message. Not going to win many fans.
But the truly wise, even crowds, came to him.
He is the “voice crying out in the wilderness.” This is a reference not to Elijah, but the prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah 40: verses 4, 5, and 6 we read earlier: A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Now John says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Repent, turn away from sin and self and turn to the Lord.
Why? Because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
This is a phrase we’ll see a lot in Matthew’s Gospel; “the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew uses the term 32 times; NO ONE ELSE ever says “Kingdom of Heaven.”
I think here it is important to recognize that Israel had had a lot of bad kingships. And at the time of Jesus they were ruled by a foreign power; the Romans. Saying “the Kingdom of Heaven” is at hand is a great relief to the people looking for a just King. And we have the term “the Kingdom of God” in Matthew and throughout the New Testament, showing us that HE who reigns in the Kingdom of Heaven is GOD. A righteous ruler. The king of kings is coming; Jesus Christ.
We often speaking of “getting right with God” when one is on their death bed. You will soon see the Lord; so you ought to “get right with Him.”
Well, John is saying something similar but different. You will soon see God. Get right with Him. HE IS COMING TO YOU!
Regarding this repentance John says:
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken
This is much like the prophet Isaiah who says:
[Isaiah 57:14-15 ESV] 14 And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.” 15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
So the purpose of John’s preaching is (1) to declare the need for repentance, but (2) even more it is the announcing of the arrival of the Christ.
The Kingdom of Heaven is “at hand.” It is here now. And I think that is important to understand; the kingdom of heaven isn’t just “some later time;” it is there with Christ. In Matthew 11:12 Jesus says “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” That is, believers (members of the kingdom of heaven) have suffered violence (John lost his very head!); and that can only happen if the kingdom of heaven is “already” present in some capacity.
The Kingdom of Heaven is present; and its King (Jesus) along with it. This is what John is explicitly preaching; and it is also in the prophecy fulfillment he fulfills.
That’s where we look at “John’s Connection to Jesus.” As John fulfills prophecy; he points to Jesus.
III. John’s Connection to Elijah and to Jesus (v. 3)
I noted previously that Matthew wants us to know what John the Baptizer looked like. And he has a reason for that. He is showing that John fulfills the prophecy of the return of Elijah; and the return of Elijah is the harbinger of the coming of Christ.
The fulfillment of prophecy is along those three lines earlier mentioned: CLOTHING, FOOD, and LOCATION.
A. Clothing (in prophecy)
John wears a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. The reader would know that this description mirrors what is said of Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of letter around his waist.” It doesn’t say if Elijah’s garment was camel or not, but the reference is clear. John is dressed like Elijah.
Some say that wearing a garment of camel’s hair is a sign of poverty, of ascetic living, and other contend that it was actually nice “soft” clothing. Matthew’s primary point though seems to be “John is the return of Elijah.”
B. FOOD (in prophecy)
This diet, of locusts and honey, isn’t said anywhere to be that of a prophet, but it is points to a frugal or ascetic way of life; and a reliance on God to provide his “daily bread” for him in the wilderness as Elijah had done previously.
C. LOCATION (in prophecy)
And that brings us to the importance of the location. The wilderness. Elijah too had spent time in the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for 40 days as he walked to Mr. Horeb AND God provided food for him. (1 Kings 19:8)
[1 Kings 19:1-8 ESV] 1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
So John and Elijah are similar. It is not the SAME person though. We don’t believe in reincarnation. John wasn’t literally Elijah returned. But John fulfills the prophecy of the return of Elijah.
That prophecy is found in Malachi 4:5-6. At the VERY VERY end of the Old Testament. It is the last thing that is said.
[Malachi 4:5-6 ESV] 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
Then later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus confirms that John was indeed Elijah.
[Matthew 17:9-13 ESV] 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
I said last week that genealogy of Jesus pointed to him being the Christ.
Now, the work of John the Baptist also points to Jesus being the Christ.
And the text we skipped over — the birth of Christ — also does the same. He was born in Bethlehem, as the prophecy foretold.
So that is the main theme in these chapters. Jesus is the Christ. And not just by a single point of information; but everything points to that fact.
Most exuberant leaders point to themselves. John points to Christ. This is such a strong evidence of the truth of the Bible. Not written for the aggrandizement of a “prophet” but for the glory of God alone. John is spoken of by Matthew Henry: “The garb in which he appeared, the figure he made, and the manner of his life. … he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, but mean in the eyes of the world.” John the Baptist a simple man, like Jesus. Not a wealthy man.
Somehow there developed in history the Mandeans who remained, they claimed, followers of John without becoming followers of Jesus. They missed the message and followed the man.
Application 1: Focus on the Message, not the man.
John the Wilderness Preacher is a fascinating character. But it is the message that is important. When we look to the most interesting characters, there is trouble in following blindly. Most, if not all, cult leaders are likeable. They win people by their charm; rarely their message. John is a character, but it is his message that he wants you to hear.
And when today you hear politicians, or school board leaders, or friends or family, promote certain positions, don’t say “I like this person, therefore I like the view” or “I I don’t like this person, therefore I don’t like the view.” Rather, base your approval of the message on whether it is glorying to God.
That is, in fact, John’s goal: the glory of God. He says: “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Application 2: Leadership is for the mature.
This is an incident point of the text. We find John and Jesus coming into the scene at about 30 years old. They are mature. Jesus, even at age 12, could run circles around the scribes. But at 30 both John and Jesus can now be heard and respected.
“That young men, though well qualified, should not be forward to put forth themselves in public service, but be humble, and modest, and self-diffident, swift to hear, and slow to speak.” (MH)
There’s not really an age to it. To be president of the United States, according to article II of our constitution, the requirement is 35 years of age. I think that is probably a good requirement.
Now, in times past, people were mature at a much younger age. Going off to college at 13; getting married at 16. A person might be positively OLD at 35.
Today, especially, I would say for people in their teens and twenties, and maybe thirties, it is important to especially important to be “swift to hear, slow to speak.” And at all ages we should respect our elders.
Application 3: Hearing the call of John today
Though Christ has now come, and lived and died, and was resurrected, John’s message still applies:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
We are still to “Prepare the way of the Lord”
We are still to “make his paths straight.”
This is our calling; to turn from sin and to obey the Lord.
And then we are to look to the Lord.
Hearing about our sin is hard to hear, it is tough love.
But hearing about our savior, is like that gentle hand that comforts you.
We need both: the law and the Gospel.
Obey the Lord; and know salvation through faith in Him.
Let us look to Christ.
There are a few mentions of John the Baptist in the book of Acts, Luke’s second book. But then … crickets. In the Epistles there is no mention of him. Why? It’s all about Christ. And John would have it no other way.
Let our way be Christ. And let us pray.