Christ Church Cathedral

Fredericton, NB

Sermon by Dean Keith Joyce

² When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" ⁴ Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. ⁶ And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

Jesus Praises John the Baptist

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written,

'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.'

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

St. John the Baptist is in prison, likely having been there for a year. Herod has imprisoned him in the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea.  John is wondering what's going on. The One to come after him has been doing good things, like healing and teaching, but where is the judgement that was also to be part of his ministry?  Jesus hasn't even brought judgement against Herod's unfair and cruel imprisonment of John! No wonder John is having second thoughts!

So, off go John's disciples to ask Jesus,  "Are you the one to come, or should we expect another"?  It's understandable that John has some questions.

In response to the questioning, Jesus simply points to the fulfilment of what's in Isaiah 35, that "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy."   Even though Jesus likely was aware that John knew these things, and that these things were the very reason for John's questioning, he chose only this message to send back with John's disciples.

It's as if Jesus is saying to John, 'Yes, what you have heard is correct.' Jesus does not reduce himself to justify what he is doing, or rather not doing in this case. He does not attempt to live according to another's expectations.  From the very beginning Jesus did not try to please everybody. He did not feel compelled to mould his ministry according to what others might think.  Nonetheless, even in recalling what the prophet Isaiah had said, that same passage contains words of warning about God's coming judgement. By referring to passages such as Isaiah 35 Jesus is not entirely ignoring John's concern. The note of judgement is very much part of that passage. But judgement, for now, in this new age of the coming One, is delayed.

And that's the rub. When we really look at Jesus, he does not always conform to our expectations.  He does not always do what we think he should do, let alone do what we want him to do.  And this, at times, is difficult to take. Like John, we get frustrated.  Is Jesus really who we think he is?  Again, it is no wonder Jesus says, "Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

Some of you may have been upset with me this week!?  I was upset with me this past week! But even so, you probably recognize that last Sunday I did us all an act of kindness by speaking about repentance!   Why you might have been upset for a time is that, this past week, you discovered both the shock and the joy of repentance. One morning at Matins that was my experience.

As I turned toward God in prayer, in facing God, looking for comfort and consolation, I could not avoid seeing how deeply I was caught up with myself rather than with Him and His ways. I simply wanted Him to affirm me and support me in my ways.  But He is to come first in all things.  I was devastated that I really had put myself so front and centre. The shock is that God is not necessarily who we might have expected Him to be! He didn't just make me feel good in what I wanted!   The light of His presence showed me my sin.  Like John hearing of a Jesus he did not expect, in the act of repenting, we can encounter a God we do not expect!

In repentance we turn to God. Yes, and he is a loving God. But in turning to him we come before the full blaze of his awesome and holy presence and that has a dramatic impact on us. We are at the very least astounded and amazed!   But the real shock is that, in confronting his holiness, we begin to see ourselves for who we truly are, and that's not always something we want to see. I know I don't always want to see it! God is holy, and the purity of his light shining on our less than perfect lives cannot but reveal our imperfections. It's sin we often see, and whether we like it or not, we do sin. The holiness of God's character will show that up every time. No wonder again, that Jesus, as the one who reveals the Father, says, "Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." We do, at times, take offence!

Let me illustrate in this most serious of illustrations.

It is told that two fellows opened a butcher shop and they prospered. Then an evangelist came to town and one of the butchers was saved. He tried to persuade his partner to accept salvation also, but to no avail. "Why won't you, Charlie?" asked the born-again fellow. "Listen, Lester," the other butcher said. "If I get religion, too, who's going to weigh the meat?" (James Dent of Charleston, W. Va., Gazette)

If we stick with it, then, with the act of repenting, yes, we will see the shame of our sins (which don't have to be the great evils of our day) but they are blocks to our spiritual growth, they are hindrances in our relationship with God, and at times, in our human relationships. 

Again if we stick with it, we recognize that God is doing us a favour by showing us our imperfections which we might have thought of as inconsequential. Things like pride, jealousy, envy, hatred, dishonesty, just to name a few.  But when these things are seen in the bright and loving glare of God's holy light, there is also, upon our true remorse and confession, the great joy of his forgiveness, and the healing that comes with his forgiveness. It's like we are the prodigal son who says, ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'

And we continue to read in Luke 15 that ²⁰ ... he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:18-20)

Such forgiveness brings an inner peace that is not going to come from any other source, and it restores the clarity and joy of our most significant relationship which is our relationship with God. It brings a profound relief to know that we are forgiven and we do not need to carry that guilt with us any longer.  Thus we are being prepared for God's continual coming to us in his Son Jesus Christ.

That's why speaking to you about repentance last week was a favour - and speaking again about it continues the favour!    And I've been grateful for this favour this past week!

The ultimate impact of repentance on the soul is sublime. There is a strange peace that comes over us, settles us, and enables us to move forward with a power and a resolve that we did not have before. It prepares us for service, for action, in God's name.

That's what happened to the prophet Isaiah when he was confronted with the majesty and holiness of God. He said, "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)

It's worth the shock, it's worth the less-than-pleasant view we see of ourselves, precisely because it releases us from the things that bind us, and it enables us to serve our Lord in whatever He calls us to. And it's worth it because we end up with a fuller and more accurate picture of our God. We see this in hearing the rest of the encounter between Isaiah and God.

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷ The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" And he (God) said, "Go and say..." (Isaiah 6:6-9a)

The more we enter into this kind of repentance, the healthier we will be, the stronger the Church will become, the clearer our message will be heard, and the kingdom of God will be expanded.

This is not the popular way to go, but it is the way of God. Besides, as we celebrate in Advent, we will be ever prepared for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to our hearts.  And that is cause for great rejoicing!