Isaiah 11: 1–10; Psalm 72: 1–7, 18–19; Romans 15: 4–13;
Matthew 3: 1–12
This
is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, delivered at St. John's Church in Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 4, 2016.
“OF PROPHETS, PROPHECY
AND THE WILDERNESS”
(Homily text: Matthew 3: 1–12)
Each year, the Second Sunday of Advent places before us the ministry of
St. John the Baptist. This Sunday sometimes carries the informal title of “John
the Baptist Sunday.”
Our focus this morning, then, is on this very interesting and colorful
person who carried out hi.s ministry in the wilderness of Judea, announcing a
baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We would do well to consider the matter of prophets, of their
ministries and their words, and the role that the wilderness plays in their
warnings to God’s people, then and now.
First of all, we might look at John the Baptist (or – as he is
sometimes known – John the Baptizer)[1].
John’s ministry unfolds in the manner of the prophets of the Old
Testament period. In fact, the gospels portray John as the last in the line of
the Old Testament witnesses before the coming of Jesus. Both the Old Testament
prophets and their successor, John, point beyond themselves to God’s will….notice
John’s forward-looking statement: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but
one who is more powerful than I is coming after me….”
As if to strengthen the connection between John the Baptist and another
Old Testament prophet, notice how John’s manner of dress is described: Matthew
tells us that he was clothed with a leather belt and with camel’s hair. If we
turn back to II Kings 1: 8, we notice that the prophet Elijah was clothed in
much the same way. The connection between Elijah and John the Baptist is more
than coincidental: Matthew’s point in drawing the connection is to tell us that
John’s ministry is pointing beyond himself to the one who is coming, that is,
Jesus. Matthew also draws on a common understanding that, before the Promised
One of God would come, Elijah would return. So the importance for our
understanding is to see that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the
prophecy found in Malachi 4: 5–6, which tells us that Elijah’s return will
mark the great day of the Lord.
And what of John’s message?
Essentially, John’s message is one of speaking God’s truth. Since the
popular understanding of the word “prophecy” has taken on the meaning of
predicting the future, we need to recover and recapture this essential meaning
of the word. (Unfortunately, the ministries and preaching of many
televangelists, which focus on future events, lends support to the
misconception that prophecy has to do with future events. Future events can be
a part of prophecy, but the scope of the word’s meaning is far greater.)
John’s message is an urgent one:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!”
And then, what of the location of John’s ministry? It is in the
wilderness.
The wilderness figures prominently in the Bible. Consider the forty
years that God’s people spent in the wilderness as they made their way out of
Egypt to the Promised Land…it was in the wilderness that God gave His people
the Law. It was in the wilderness that God gave them water to drink, and manna
and quail to eat. It was in the wilderness where God purified His people and
made them ready to cross the Jordan River into the land that God had promised
to give them.
Later on, it was the prophet Elijah who spent time in the wilderness.
As Elijah asked God to show Himself to Elijah, it was at Mount Horeb, in the
wilderness that God gave Elijah a glimpse of His nature[2]….And
in the final analysis, God’s true nature wasn’t to be experienced in the
dramatic signs of a strong wind, or an earthquake, or a fire. God’s true nature
was experienced most fully in the sound of total silence.[3]
The wilderness is an interesting place, biblically.
The wilderness is the place where the troublemakers hang out. Both
Elijah and John the Baptist were the troublemakers of their day, for they
challenged the powers-that-were, each in their own time. Each spoke God’s truth
to those powers.
The wildness is a desolate place. There are few distractions to take
our focus away from God.
The wilderness is a place where our dependence upon God becomes very
important, for the wilderness – absent God’s care – can be a place of death, a
place of no return.
Prophets, prophecy and the wilderness are essential parts of every
Christian’s life.
We need to hear God’s truth, spoken by the prophets of old and the
prophets of our day. (In fact, I can’t resist saying that preaching ought to
have a strong element of the prophetic voice, if it is to be faithful to God.)
We need wilderness experiences, whether those times in desolation are
found in getaway retreats, or in quiet times spent alone with God and with the
prophetic voice of the Bible, or if we find ourselves in a spiritual wilderness
where little seems to be happening in our walk with God.
This last point prompts me to offer the thought that mature Christian
living quite often involves times in the wilderness, of the sort where we feel
we aren’t being fed, we aren’t being nurtured. Whenever someone tells me that
they are in a spiritual wilderness, part of me rejoices in the fact that they
are aware of their spiritual condition. For such an awareness is the beginning
of a closer walk with God. Much good can come from the depths of our neediness
whenever we find ourselves in the wilderness places of life.
Ancient Israel’s time in the wilderness came to an end when they entered
the Promised Land. God’s ancient people were changed as a result of their
wanderings, and they remembered God’s faithfulness (and their own
unfaithfulness) that took place during that time. John the Baptist’s prophetic
voice wasn’t meant to remain in the wilderness, either…..notice what he tells
the leaders of God’s people in his day: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” John’s instruction to the Sadducees and the
Pharisees was that they should return to their leadership roles in society, to
do good and to set aside their corrupt and self-serving ways.
Today’s theme might prompt us to ask when was the last time we have
encountered a prophet, and the prophetic voice. When and where did we
experience God’s truth, and what was our reaction to that message? Do we find
ourselves in a spiritual wilderness? If we are in such a place, are we aware of
where we find ourselves, and are we concerned to be in such a place? Can we see
the dangers that are present in the wilderness, if we stay in the wilderness
too long? Can we see the blessings of being able to experience God more fully
and more closely during our time in the wilderness?
If we ask God to reveal
Himself to us, even in the wilderness, God will do so. Perhaps God will
demonstrate His power in some discernible way, the modern equivalent of the
wind, the earthquake, and the fire. Or perhaps God will reveal Himself most
fully in the sound of total, thin silence. If we are willing to seek Him, He
will reveal Himself and His truth to us.
AMEN.
[1] Sometimes this second title is applied so as
to minimize any connection with John’s ministry and those Christians who are
known as “Baptists”. There is no formal connection between John the Baptist and
Baptists as we know them. But both share a desire to be a faithful witness to
God.
[2] See I Kings 19: 9–12.
[3] The Hebrew is a bit difficult to translate.
Sometimes, the meaning is conveyed in a “thin silence”, or in a “low whisper”.
