Advent 3
Dear friends in Christ. Today’s Gospel reading introduces us to one of the main figures of the Advent season—St. John the Baptizer. John is described as a rather interesting person [Mt. 3.4]: John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. In a sense, it seems that John had suddenly just burst on the scene [Mt. 3. 1-32] In those days John the Baptiser came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!"
However, John’s coming and preaching was in no way unexpected. Not only did the angel Gabriel announce to John’s elderly and childless parents that they would become parents—against all odds—but the angels announced to John’s father, the priest Zacharias, [Lk. 1.15-17]: He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. In other words, John the Baptizer was given and sent by God to prepare the way of the Messiah, to announce His coming. That’s what Zacharias recognized by faith as he sang of John at his birth [Lk. 1.76-77]: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the Face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins.
But not only was John’s coming and work announced at that time, but his coming and work was already prophesied in the OT. That’s exactly what Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading. John was in prison and still trying to shake off some disciples who were following him instead of Jesus. So he sends these disciples to Jesus to hear from Jesus Himself just who exactly Jesus is. Jesus points to His miracles as fulfilling the prophecies of what the Messiah would do—healing the blind, lame, deaf and lepers; raising the dead and preaching the Gospel. All these things that had been foretold by the OT prophets Jesus was doing in fulfillment of them; showing by that that He is the long-awaited and expected Savior. And then Jesus talks about John [Mt. 11.9-10]: what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and even greater than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' Jesus Himself testifies that St. John the Baptizer is the one already foretold in the OT, who would be the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who would come on the scene right before the Messiah does and prepare the way for Him.
John was that “preacher of preparation.” He preached that sharp message of the law showing the people that they were sinners and that by their sin they earned only God’s wrath and eternal punishment. But he would also be that preacher of grace, of the Gospel [giving] knowledge of salvation to [God’s] people by the remission of their sins. In fact, John could do something that none of the other OT prophets could do. They, too, preached God’s law and wrath against sin; they too called people to repentance. They, too, comforted the people with the Lord’s grace and the promise of the Messiah who would pay for the sins of the world and reconcile sinners to the holy God. But they could only do that at a distance, point to the Savior who was coming in the distant future. John, though, could and did, with his very finger, point to Jesus, the long promised Savior and say [John 1.29]: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Here we are in the midst of the season of Advent. Advent means coming. We remember Jesus’ coming: His coming in the flesh, the Baby born in Bethlehem, that He now comes to us in His holy word and sacrament, and like we heard last week, His Second Coming—this time in glory as Judge. But what is it that we notice with Jesus’ coming? Isn’t it that Jesus does not come secretly? Doesn’t He always announce His coming so that we may be prepared to receive Him? All throughout the OT we have the Lord promising through the prophets that a Savior from sin and death is coming. Right before our Lord begins His earthly ministry, St. John the Baptizer is preparing His way, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near," announcing that the Lord is near.
In the same way today, Jesus does not come clandestinely/ secretively as He comes to us in His holy word and sacraments. By their very nature, the word and sacraments, by which Christ comes to us, must be proclaimed/ announced/ distributed. And Jesus’ return in all His glory, in Judgment on the Last Day is also announced and proclaimed beforehand. To announce His coming to us in grace in His word and Sacrament and in glory and judgment on the Last Day, Jesus has appointed preachers of preparation. Those are the ones that St. Paul talks about: Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Jesus has given His Church the holy apostles, through whom He mightily worked establishing/ setting up His NT Church. They were with Jesus and taught by Him during His earthly ministry. He sent them into the world with His saving word. He gave them His Holy Spirit in a special way so that what these blessed apostles spoke and wrote as apostles was kept free from error. By them and their co-workers He set up congregations, establishing the holy Christian Church.
Now that through them and their work Jesus firmly established His Kingdom, the NT Church, down through the ages until the very last day, Jesus will continue to give His Church faithful shepherds, pastors, to proclaim His word and to administer the holy sacraments: that which Jesus has entrusted to His Church; that which both announces His arrival and through which He comes. In other words, just as in OT times there were preachers preparing the people for the coming Savior; just as right before Jesus began His earthly ministry with His baptism St. John the Baptizer was preparing the people for Jesus’ coming; just as right after His earthly ministry Jesus gave the blessed Apostles to proclaim His word and administer the sacraments establishing the Church; so also now Jesus continues to give His Church faithful preachers of preparation, that is, those who preach the word and give the sacraments, so that He can continue to come into peoples’ hearts and lives bringing them His Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, etc. Through this Christian life lived by faith, we then are prepared and look forward to our life in heaven, soul and body, with the holy Triune God, angels and saints.
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. The very fact that our Lord sends these preachers of preparation is purely His grace. It is His grace that we have people like St. Paul, all the Apostles, and faithful pastors even today. No one is “worthy” of being a servant of Christ and steward of the mysteries of God. But, in pure grace, the Lord gives His Church faithful pastors who are merely sinners forgiven and saved by grace. By His grace, He blesses, strengthens and empowers them by His Holy Spirit to preach that one true saving word and to give out the holy Sacraments.
Very easily, being the almighty Lord, Christ could merely speak a word and create faith in the heart of a person; save a person; come to that person and “zap” them every heavenly and spiritual gift and blessing. But He doesn’t! He gives His Church faithful proclaimers of the word. He gives His Church faithful pastors to preach that word of the Law through which He works to show the person their sin and their need for a Savior from sin and death; and to preach that lifesaving/ giving Gospel—the good news that in Jesus our sins are forgiven us and that Jesus is that Savior from sin. Through this glorious word of Gospel, Christ comes giving us His Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts. Through His holy Sacraments Christ comes to us, unites with us, gives us the blessings He won for us on the cross. Through these frail sinful human beings and through seemingly weak/ humble things Christ comes to people/ He has come to us. That is pure grace indeed!
Theses preachers of preparation are servants of Christ or better put, helpers of Christ. In grace the Lord called them to be preachers of preparation and in grace He had them do that most vital work for us, because we are all in need of the grace of God. Just like the OT people wouldn’t have known of a coming Savior unless God had told them over and over again through the prophets that He is sending them a Savior from sin and death; just as the people in Jesus’ day wouldn’t have been ready and prepared to welcome that Savior unless John had first pointed with his finger to Jesus [John 1.29]: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, so also we would not know anything about Christ, our salvation, the forgiveness of sin, eternal life unless it is told, proclaimed to us, as St. Paul writes elsewhere [Rom. 10.14]: How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
We need the Lord’s grace; we would never come to know the Lord and our salvation in Him unless He first comes to us in His holy word and Sacraments. That’s why He sent the prophets to the OT people; that’s why He sent St. John the Baptizer; that’s why He sent apostles; and that’s why He sent us pastors—to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Did you catch that word, mysteries? The faithful preachers of repentance are stewards/ managers of the mysteries of God. The mysteries of God are the holy word and sacraments. They are mysteries because human wisdom can’t discover the true gifts and blessings of God. A few chapters before our text, St. Paul had just shown that the preaching about Christ, the cross, is foolishness to natural human reason: how can the death of one man on a cross 2000 years ago save me from hell? How can that one man be both true God and true man? I’m not that bad, certainly not deserving of hell and God’s eternal wrath! The way of salvation—God’s way, the only way we can be forgiven our sin and rescued from eternal damnation—is a mystery to us. That’s why it must be proclaimed! Jesus said [Mt. 11.25]: I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. That’s why Christ has given His Church preachers of preparation—those pointing us to Jesus and His saving work for us; those pointing us to Jesus telling us Who He is and what He has done for us; those stewards of the mysteries of God, those who pour out on us the saving water of holy baptism, ushering us into Christ’s kingdom and who give us with the bread and wine Christ’s very Body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.
The true and greatest blessings that God here gives us are hidden; they are mysteries of God. In baptism and in the Blessed Sacrament we are connected with Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection; through these the Lord bestows the gift of grace and the promise of resurrection—and all this is hidden to the eyes and to reason—but it is proclaimed by for our blessing and comfort by servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
What faithful preachers proclaim and distribute as helpers and managers of God’s holy word and sacraments—the mysteries of God—is God’s. It comes from Him and gives His graces and blessings. It is all God’s pure grace to us sinners. Rejoice this Advent season: through His helpers and stewards Christ comes to you now with all His blessings in His word and sacraments and through them He announces His coming and creates fain in our hearts that we may receive Him. INJ Amen