Advent 2 (3)
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1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”
always prepared —motto of the U.S. Coast Guard
Boy Scout motto. Be prepared.
(NIV)
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”
When I was a pastor in North Dakota, I must admit that I was either foolish, naive, or confident when it came to traveling between my two congregations which were 30 miles apart (8 of which were gravel so I am used to driving on gravel roads.) I say I was either foolish, naive, or confident when it came to traveling because I did not have an emergency kit in my car. Had my car broken down or if I had an accident on some of those lonely stretches of country roads without a house for miles in the dead of winter, I would have been in a predicament with no way to call for help (this was before the days of cell phones and Onstar), no food or water, and more importantly, no way to keep warm or to administer first aid. I would like to think that I did this because I had complete trust in the Lord to protect his called servant but the reality was that I was either foolish or naive. Thankfully, I never had a problem but we must all be aware of times when others were not so fortunate. My advice to you on this matter is that when you are traveling, be prepared by having a way to call for help and having an emergency kit in your car.
How important is it to be prepared for the future? I would say that the greater the consequences for not being prepared, the more important it is to prepare. Certainly several well known organizations know the value of being prepared. The motto of the US Coast Guard is Semper paratus — always prepared. The Boy Scouts? Be prepared.
The Coast Guard is prepared to help people during maritime disasters. The Boy Scouts claim they are prepared for anything.
What do you prepare for?
Cooks prepare a meal.
Those who leave home prepare themselves (hygiene, clothing, etc.)
We prepare for important events. Certainly, many preparations are being made for Christmas as we see even here at church.
We prepare for people. Back in the old days you would prepare for a phone call by thinking ahead of what you were going to say and clearing your throat. Some people also prepare by turning on their hearing aids although I have had people who were hard of hearing forget to do that before they called me and that was usually a difficult conversation. Now, some of us have to make sure we put on a decent top and comb our hair because we make a video call.
We prepare more when we are going to meet people in person. And the more important they are, the more prepared we get. I remember the one time I saw a President of the US in person and how my friend and I wore suits because it was the President even though he wasn’t going to pick us out in the crowd.
Today’s sermon is about preparing to meet the most important person in the world. The immediate context is being prepared to meet Jesus for the first time. The application is how we prepare ourselves to meet Jesus in worship and how to prepare for the great day when he will come again on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead.
Prepare to Meet Jesus
Context: This is Luke’s account of the ministry of John the Baptist.
Luke is very precise when this takes place. He dates it according to who was in power at the time. This was a common way of marking time before modern calendars. We still keep time that way. Events at church are often described as when so and so was the pastor or at school when so and so was a teacher or in sports when so and so was head coach or quarterback. (Not a big point to make.)
“the word of the Lord came” This is an expression often used in the OT to describe how the Lord would bring a message to a prophet. A prophet is one who would speak God’s word to God’s people. The word of the Lord had not come to a prophet since Malachi -- a period of 400 years.
John, son of Zachariah. His own miraculous birth is narrated in . John is a distant cousin of Jesus.
“In the wilderness”. This location emphasizes his asceticism.
“A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Remission (ἄφεσιν). See on . The word occurs in Luke more frequently than in all the other New Testament writers combined. Used in medical language of the relaxation of disease. Both Luke and John use the kindred verb ἀφίημι, in the same sense. ; .
Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 280). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
A key component of the preaching of John was the need to repent. (describe what is meant by repentance). He used baptism in a unique way. Ceremonial washing with water was a part of the Jewish religion but limited to Gentile converts (research). John introduces it as ceremony for Jews (many of whom would object because of their sense of entitlement). He calls people to repent and those who confess their sins are reassured of it by this washing with water.
Did the baptism itself forgive sins or was it used in the same way as sacrifices which only pointed ahead to forgiveness? (research)
3:3 baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins Baptism demonstrated repentance and a commitment to a changed life in preparation for the coming Messiah. In this way John’s baptism was related to forgiveness of sins.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
He preached “a baptism for repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 3). This was not merely ritual washing, but involved a definite break with sin. Luke sees John’s ministry as a fulfillment of . John was the transitional prophet between the old and new era (cf. ), and he was preparing all people for God’s salvation.
Schreiner, T. R. (1995). Luke. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 809). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Luke says nothing different from Matthew when he describes John as “preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” His preaching aimed at repentance. When it achieved its purpose, that is, when it awakened in people a knowledge of their many and damning sins, so that they were desperate for an escape from them, John pointed to Jesus and said, in effect: “He is your way out! He will take care of your sins through his sinless life and atoning death for you. (!) Therefore he can forgive, wipe out, cancel, remove your sins fully, freely, without any condition, without any price for you to pay!” To all such distressed sinners John the Baptist offered baptism as the seal, the divine guarantee, of divine forgiveness. The souls newly come to faith in Jesus are always eager to be baptized and to have their sins washed away. (; ) That was the happy result of the Baptist’s call to repentance in the case of many, as we hear: “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River” (, ).
John’s baptism was “for the forgiveness of sins” (), that is, actually resulted in forgiveness for those penitents who came confessing their sins. This truth must be stressed because some try to downgrade John’s baptism. They assert that John’s baptism conveyed no grace and no remission, while that of Christ did. Such a contention cannot stand. In Peter offered the penitent Jews Christ’s baptism with these words: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The baptism of John and that of Christ are essentially the same. Jesus simply took up and continued John’s baptism. Later he instituted this Means of Grace for all nations. (, )
Franzmann, W. H. (1998). Bible history commentary: New Testament (electronic ed., pp. 52–53). Milwaukee, WI: WELS Board for Parish Education.
Verse 4
Luke teaches that John’s ministry had been foretold in Isaiah. See the context of when this was first written.
John’s mission is not an end to itself but was to prepared people for the coming of Jesus.
Shall be filled—brought low. In allusion to the practice of Eastern monarchs. On occasions of their progress, heralds were sent out to call on the people to clear and improve the old roads or to make new ones. “When Ibrahim Pacha proposed to visit certain places in Lebanon, the emirs and sheiks sent forth a general proclamation, somewhat in the style of Isaiah’s exhortation, to all the inhabitants to assemble along the proposed route and prepare the way before him. The same was done in 1845, on a grand scale, when the Sultan visited Brusa. The stones were gathered out, the crooked places straightened, and rough ones made level and smooth. I had the benefit of these labors a few days after his majesty’s visit. The exhortation ‘to gather out the stones’ () is peculiarly appropriate. These farmers do the exact reverse—gather up the stones from their fields and cast them into the highway; and it is this barbarous custom which, in many places, renders the paths uncomfortable and even dangerous” (Thomson, “Land and Book”).
Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 281). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
We prepare for Jesus to guide our lives by repenting of our sins.
Illustration: Getting a place ready for a visit by royalty. Modern day may be to clean the house for guests or to get ourselves ready for a special occasion.
Literal description of how roads were prepared. Figurative is exalting the humble and bringing low the proud.
Promise of salvation for those who prepare by repenting and being forgiven.
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God (vv. 5–6): The evangelist Luke extends his quotation of to include vv. 4 and 5, thus ending with the proclamation that all flesh shall see the salvation of God (). The evangelist has done this to underscore the coming mission of the church, as portrayed in the book of Acts. This mission will begin in Jerusalem (), to be sure, but it will reach Rome itself (). The Gospel of Messiah Jesus is not limited to the faithful of Israel, but is to be preached to all nations (cf. ). Recall Simeon’s praise: “my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples” (). Simeon was among the first to see God’s salvation.
Evans, C. A. (2003). The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew–Luke. (C. A. Evans & C. A. Bubeck, Eds.) (First Edition, p. 70). Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.
Conclusion
When we prepare for future events or meeting someone, the scope of that preparation can be limited. The President of the United States may be coming to a local airport, but only a limited number of people are allowed to see him and even that group is limited. Certain future events only affect a limited number of people. Even when Jesus came into the world as the incarnate Son of God, it was only for a limited period of time and only a small percentage of the people were able to see him. But Luke concludes this section with the promise that eventually, all people will meet Jesus and all people will be given the opportunity to see the salvation that he comes to bring.
Therefore, even though we may not be always prepared for everything or everyone, it is imperative that all of us be properly prepared to interact with Jesus. Luke summarizes that preparation by saying that John preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Next week we will explore deeper what it means for us to repent and the promise of forgiveness for those who do through Jesus Christ.