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Advent 2 2023
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 10, 2023
Isaiah 40:1-11, 2 Peter 3:8-14, Mark 1:1-8
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Before the judge enters his courtroom the bailiff, loudly, announces his arrival, “All rise. The Common Pleas Court of Butler County Ohio is now in session, the honorable Michael Oster Jr. presiding.” And everyone stands until the judge tells them to be seated. To be prepared for the judge is to rise.
In a scene from the Luther movie, the monk Martin Luther is visiting Rome and an announcement is made that Pope Julius II is riding down the street. Everyone kneels in preparation as the Pope rides by dressed in the golden armor of a knight.
In the Navy, if a senior officer is entering a room the first one to notice announces, “Attention on deck,” and everyone stands and salutes.
People need to be prepared when an important person arrives.
In our Gospel reading today John the Baptist is preparing the people for the arrival of the long promised Messiah, the Christ. God is arriving. God is arriving clothed in flesh to do a great work. The Christ’s arrival has been foretold in scripture, and not only His arrival, but but also the arrival of the one to prepare His way.
Mark 1:2–3 (ESV) 2 … “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ”
John the Baptist is God’s messenger preparing the way. For context, it is a dark time for the people of Israel. The 10 northern tribes were taken into exile in 722 BC by the Assyrians, never to return. The Southern Tribes are defeated by the Babylonians in 589 BC and many of them are taken into exile. The Jews begin to return to Judea in 538 BC and the rebuilt temple is finished in 516 BC. Israel is under the control of the Persians who defeated the Babylonians, and then under control of the Greeks who defeat the Persians in 332. The Jews rebel in 164 BC under Judas Maccabeus after the temple is desecrated by the Greeks sacrificing pigs on the altar to Zeus. The Jewish rebellion is successful and they retake Jerusalem. Hanukkah is established when one day of oil lasts eight days in the temple lights. The Roman Empire then rises to power and Pompey the Great conquers Jerusalem in 63 BC. Julius Caesar appoints Antipater to be Proconsul of Judea and manage the financial affairs. Antipater’s son Herod, gets in good with the right Roman authorities and through many political moves the Roman Senate declares Herod to be King of the Jews around 36 BC. Herod the Great rules for 37 years and is known for his colossal building projects including rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Herod is called king, but he answers to Caesar. At the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry the Romans have ruled Israel for 67 years with two of Herod’s sons and a Roman Governor now in charge. When will the Jewish people be free? They have been through so much for so many centuries. The Messiah has been promised, but it has been so long. There have been false Christs. Judas the Galilean starts a revolt against Rome around 6 AD and many think that he is the Messiah, but he is not. Will the Messiah ever come? The last prophet to preach of the coming Messiah is Malachi 400 years earlier. Malachi 4:5 (ESV) 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” When will the Messiah arrive? It has been 400 years of silence from the Lord.
And then out in the desert down by the Jordan River there is a voice crying in the wilderness. The great and awesome day of the Lord is near. John the Baptist is the new Elijah preparing the people. How do the people prepare? John proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. To be ready for Jesus is to admit you are sinner who needs forgiveness and submit to receiving forgiveness in John’s baptism. Mark 1:5 (ESV) 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” The Messiah is coming. And the one who is coming is so mighty that John is not worthy to stoop down and untie His sandals. Even though He does not look like it, John knows Jesus is God in human flesh. John is not worthy to even be near Him.
John is not worthy, but Jesus arrives in the very next verse to be baptized by John. Mark 1:10–11 (ESV) 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Jesus has promised to be here with you today to forgive you your sins. How did we announce His arrival? You rose and I announced, “In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!” These are the words with which you were baptized and remind you that you are a baptized child of God as you begin worship. And then you knelt and acknowledged your status before God – you confessed that you are a sinner who is not worthy to be near to the Lord. And the Lord forgave you all your sins and is coming to you in Holy Communion.
Advent means arrival. During Advent we remember and celebrate Jesus’ threefold arrival. His arrival as the incarnate Son of God as a baby in Bethlehem, His coming each Sunday to you in His Body and Blood in Holy communion and His final coming on judgment day. Each week you prepare by remembering your baptism and confessing your sins and being forgiven. You prepare by rising for the reading of the Holy Gospel in honor of Christ. By preparing for Jesus’ arrival here each week you stay prepared for His third arrival when He comes again on the great and awesome day of the Lord.
It is an ongoing struggle. Your sinful, prideful self does not want to admit to being helpless to sin. You naturally want to believe you are good enough and you can do it yourself. By nature you want a do-it-yourself religion.
At John the Baptist’s time there were some who did not want to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. There are many today who do not want to submit to baptism and confession. It is a difficult thing to admit that you are a sinner. It is tough to confess that you are doing something wrong and you need to stop. To admit you are a sinner is to acknowledge that you are not good enough, that you are in bondage to sin and you cannot free yourself. To admit you are a sinner is to admit helplessness and being helpless is not a good feeling. It means you are vulnerable.
Picture each of your sins as a link in a chain and that chain is wrapped around you and locked with a big padlock. You can do nothing to free yourself from this bondage to sin and guilt. Jesus is the key that unlocks the lock and the chains fall off. You are in bondage to sin and Jesus is your savior so you cry out in despair, “Save me!” And Jesus saves you. To admit helplessness is to know that you cannot do it yourself and to know, if you are going to be saved, you need a savior. It is to admit you are poor in spirit. It is to be brutally honest that you are by nature sinful and unclean.
It is an ongoing struggle. Your sinful, prideful self does not want to admit to being helpless to sin. You naturally want to believe you are good enough and you can do it yourself. By nature you want a do-it-yourself religion.
A wise Lutheran Theologian, Francis Pieper, wrote in the 1950’s, “[there are] but two essentially different religions: The religion of the Law, that is, the endeavor to reconcile God through man’s own works, and the religion of the Gospel, that is, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” There is the religion of “do” and the religion of “done.”
The religion of “do” is your natural religion. It is the one that feels most comfortable. This is what makes the voice of one crying in the wilderness so radical. John calls for the people to repent -- to turn away from sin and turn toward Jesus; to turn from a religion of “do” and receive the religion of “done.” Because it is such a natural fit, it is a great temptation for people and churches to give up on the religion of “done” and go back to the other religion of “what must I do?” The religion of “do” is a deception of the devil because you cannot do it.
The children of Israel went through the waters of the Jordan to enter the Promised Land after their exodus from Egypt. John the Baptist is having the people go into the waters of the Jordan to be forgiven and enter the Kingdom of Heaven; the reign and rule of God. In confession and absolution you return to your baptism to remember you are forgiven and are already under the reign of your Lord and Master, Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark is a compact, fast moving account of Jesus’ Gospel Ministry bringing the Good News. The first words are Mark 1:1 (ESV) 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Perhaps more literally, “The beginning of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Gospel means Good News. What is the Good News? “It is finished.” Jesus has paid the price for your sin. He has unlocked the chains of your sin and guilt and set you free to love God and love your neighbor because He first loved you.
Mark writes in a very straightforward, concise manner. As Jesus begins His ministry after His baptism and temptation, Mark records Jesus summing up Christianity in one sentence. Mark 1:15 (ESV) 15 … “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Amen.