John the Baptist ended up in prison, which isn\u2019t surprising. He had the rare and dangerous habit of calling sinners \u2018sinners.\u2019 If the mark of a good preacher is that he avoids conflict, John the Baptist failed miserably. Christ himself failed miserably if you want to judge preachers by that standard. Don\u2019t misunderstand. John wasn\u2019t a bad man. He wasn\u2019t hateful. He wasn\u2019t a criminal. His problem was that he spoke to truth to men whose capacity to sin was only surpassed by their capacity to lie to themselves about their \u2018inherent goodness.\u2019 Simply put, John was in chains because he was the last prophet in the long tradition of men who had been persecuted and killed for speaking God\u2019s truth to sinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hardened sinners never take it well, hearing the law, hearing that their hearts, thoughts, and actions deserve God\u2019s wrath and eternal torment. Never underestimate the lengths to which people will go to protect their mute idols, pet sins, and hidden lusts. Instead of letting the prophets keep to themselves, they resort to whatever means necessary, be it slander or violence, to keep their lifestyles unopposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murdering prophets is what sinners do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elijah complained to the Lord, \u201cThe people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword\u201d (1 King 19:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nehemiah complained. \u201c[The people] were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed the prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed blasphemies\u201d (Nehemiah 9:26).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. Stephen condemned the Sanhedrin that sentenced him to death. \u201cWhich of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered\u201d (Acts 7:52).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus himself says, \u201cO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing\u201d (Matt. 23:37)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John the Baptist was no statesman gently introducing strangers to heaven\u2019s kingdom. Nor was he interested in rehabilitation, taking the time to ease sinners into the works and ways of righteousness before heaven\u2019s kingdom appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John was a man with an ultimatum. \u201cRepent or be destroyed.\u201d Herod Antipas, though he liked the prophet\u2019s bluster well enough, in the way you\u2019re impressed by someone\u2019s audacity to yell at you but know they can\u2019t hurt you, put up with fire and brimstone sermons for a while. But, when Herodias became offended at John specifically singling out the illegitimacy of their marriage, the time for indulgence ended. John was thrown in prison. Soon he would pay the price for his preaching with his life, beheaded for Herodias\u2019 malice and Herod\u2019s careless oath. (Mark 6:14-29)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John didn\u2019t exactly keep his head up and chin out in defiance to the bitter end like you might expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The greatest of the prophets is just a man, flesh and blood like you and me. Like you, he inherited a sin sick heart from his parents. Like you, his inner Christian that lived by faith struggled against his fallen and corrupt desires. Which is to say, don\u2019t be shocked when John\u2019s imprisonment resulted in the question, \u201cAre you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another (Matt. 11:3)?’\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe you think John should have been stronger, more steadfast. Isn\u2019t he the man who was so full of the Holy Spirit that he leaped in Elizabeth\u2019s womb for joy at his Lord\u2019s arrival in the flesh (Luke 1:41)? Isn\u2019t he the man who saw the heavens opened and heard the Father say about Jesus, \u201cThis is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased\u201d (Matt. 3:17)? Isn\u2019t he the one who steadfastly pointed away from himself and to the Jesus as the true Messiah to prepare his way (John 3:20)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think we\u2019d rather the Scriptures left us with the image of John in his strength by the Jordan than showing us this diminished John in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s a romantic and false idea that the Scriptures portray the patriarchs and saints as ever ascending from one spiritual strength and success to another. Yes, their faithfulness and good works are examples for us to emulate. But in their weakness, we find how bitterly and strenuously the spiritual battle of faith verses despair is waged in the human heart. We don\u2019t see steady progress upward toward perfection, but the ups and downs of life-long repentance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember Moses\u2019 transgression when he struck the rock rather than speaking to it as the Lord commanded (Num. 20:11-12). Remember Elijah\u2019s despair as he considered himself the last of God\u2019s people alive in the land (1 Kings 19:10). Remember Jerimiah\u2019s reluctance to take up his office because of his youth (Jer. 1:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you think God\u2019s grace has abandoned you because you struggle? Do you think that you suffer the spiritual attacks and doubt because your faith has failed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we look at ourselves, faith is always failing. Sin is always quenching the faintest glimmers of true Christian love and good works. Which is why it\u2019s so important that you see what John does in his weakness. He doesn\u2019t brood. He doesn\u2019t draw inward and sulk. The object of his preaching hasn\u2019t ever been the strength of human souls. The object of his faith has never been in himself. John the Baptist turns toward Christ, the Lord whom he preached. He turns his heart towards the Lord whom he announced with joy from his mother\u2019s womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John is not disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus doesn\u2019t send back to John saying, \u201cYou should have been stronger! Don\u2019t you know that people are going to see you being weak? Get over it!\u201d Instead, according to promise, \u201ca bruised reed [the Messiah] will not break and a faintly burning wick he will not quench\u201d (Is. 42:3). Jesus speaks tenderly to the spiritually afflicted soul, the soul that seeks its only solace from Christ alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGo and tell John what you hear and see: <\/strong>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\u201d (Matt. 11:6-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus says, \u201cRemember the Scriptures. Remember Isaiah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 <\/em><\/strong>Strengthen the weak hands, 5 <\/em><\/strong>Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, Jesus says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Jesus says, \u201cEverything you\u2019ve preached, everything for which you\u2019ve hoped is fulfilled in me. Though you diminish in prison, your preaching concerning me hasn\u2019t been useless and in vain. My kingdom is come in the mercy poured out on the brokenhearted. My kingdom is come in the good news being preached to poor of spirit. Though you doubt, though Satan presses you hard, hear my words and be strengthened in faith. They are enough to save you and all who were blessed by your prophesies which pointed sinners to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n John\u2019s disciples returned to their imprisoned teacher with the message. And we shouldn\u2019t think that John had failed in his office concerning these followers. Though they loved John, soon the time would come to follow only Jesus, the fulfillment of all their teacher had promised. Even from prison, John kept faith with his office as the one who prepares the Lord\u2019s way and makes straight the highway to Zion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To keep us or anyone else from thinking less of John, Jesus says about him,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? <\/strong>What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft 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, \u201c\u2018Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you\u2019\u201d (Matt. 11:7-10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n John didn\u2019t resemble the prophets who came before them. Rather, they all foreshadowed John. No, John didn\u2019t administrate any great partings of water. Nor did he win great victories against the prophets of Baal. But works of power don\u2019t make great prophets. Their promises about Christ are the true glory of their office. In the clarity of his preaching, in his faithfulness of office, John surpassed them all. But you see that John wasn\u2019t great because of any special gift he had achieved by his own strength and power. He was the greatest because he was the closest to Christ and his mercy. He was the greatest because his ears were filled with the Savior\u2019s voice. He was the greatest because he saw his face. He was the greatest because in the moment of his weakness, he was lifted by Jesus\u2019 tender mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus says the least of the kingdom of heaven is greater than John (Matt. 11:11). How? Because you haven\u2019t found heaven\u2019s kingdom confirmed for you in pomp and power the world loves. You know Jesus according to his cross, according to his sacrifice for all the world\u2019s sin. The least of the kingdom of heaven is greater than John because we see and know the fulfillment of everything John and the prophets promised through Christ suffering death and hell in our place. This means that we know our Lord not by his wrath and anger, but by his death, his blood, and the forgiveness of sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re afflicted, don\u2019t lose heart or be afraid. Neither draw in on yourself and your own speculations as to why you\u2019ve been chosen to suffer. Learn from John to turn your ears and the eyes of your heart toward Christ. The Lord won\u2019t crush you. He won\u2019t throw you off. Jesus, your Redeemer, will bind up your broken heart. He will preach good news to the poverty of your soul. By his Word he will forgive and give you eternal life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" John the Baptist ended up in prison, which isn\u2019t surprising. He had the rare and dangerous habit of calling sinners \u2018sinners.\u2019 If the mark of a good preacher is that he avoids conflict, John the Baptist failed miserably. Christ himself failed miserably if you want to judge preachers by that standard. Don\u2019t misunderstand. John wasn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-teach"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":311,"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310\/revisions\/311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/church.immanuelroswell.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
and make firm the feeble knees.
<\/em>4 <\/em><\/strong>Say to those who have an anxious heart,
\u201cBe strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
<\/em>6 <\/em><\/strong>then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. (Is. 35:3-6)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
<\/em>2 <\/em><\/strong>to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
<\/em>3 <\/em><\/strong>to grant to those who mourn in Zion\u2014
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
<\/em>4 <\/em><\/strong>They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations. (Is. 61:1-4)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n