Sermon 12-17-23

Pastor Ray Lorthioir

Trinity Lutheran Church

W. Hempstead, NY

The Third Sunday of Advent — examining the Nativity of John the Baptist, Luke 1:5-25, 57-79 and Jesus as the Lamb of God, John 1:29

Many Will Be Brought Back

Each Advent, the lessons follow a particular order. The first Sunday always has Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as the Gospel text. The second Sunday always has John the Baptist’s ministry as the Gospel text. The third Sunday is also devoted to John the Baptist. The fourth Sunday is devoted to the Virgin Mary and what happened to her from the time the Angel Gabriel appeared to her to the birth of Jesus.

Now since this Sunday is devoted to John the Baptist, I’m going to turn to a text that never appears in our three year cycle of Sunday readings, namely John the Baptist’s nativity narrative. Jesus is not the only one with a marvelous nativity narrative. His cousin, John, comes in a distant but interesting second.

We read in Luke 1:5-10, “5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. 8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.”

This was a very normal setting in the Jerusalem temple. There was an altar of incense as commanded in Exodus. Zechariah was fulfilling the duties of a priest to burn incense on that altar as commanded in Torah. In order to do so, he went into the central building of the Jerusalem temple where the holy of holies was. That central building was parted by a heavy curtain. Behind the curtain was the holy of holies. Only the high priest could go in there, and then only once a year, bearing blood sacrifices on the Day of Atonement known as Yom Kippur. However, in front of the curtain, priests performed regular sacred duties. So that’s where Zechariah was.

And because Zechariah’s work involved incense, it was a work of prayer. We read in Psalm 141:2, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” And this is also why the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

We then read in Luke 1:11, “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.” The term angel simply means messenger. We’re not told what specie of spiritual being this messenger was. But he appeared to Zechariah in human form, like such angel messengers always do. For this reason, no matter what specie of spiritual being such a messenger is, we collectively refer to them as the holy angels.

And since holy angels come from the presence of the holy and righteous living God, they are as holy and righteous as He is. Therefore, they give off a certain glory, a certain shine. This is why Zechariah was afraid. For, how can a sinner stand in the presence of a being holy enough to stand in the presence of the living God? The only way is by the mercy of God. Thus, we read in Luke 1:12-13, “But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.’”

The good news was that Zechariah had nothing to fear from this angel come from God. In fact, like most angelic appearances in Scripture, this particular angel came bearing good news and not wrath. In this case, it was that Zechariah’s prayer had been heard by God and a favorable answer was now going to be given. Thus, we read how the angel continued in Luke 1:13-17, “13. . . ‘Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.  16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’”

The angel’s statement is quite a compilation from Moses and the Prophets. First, there are several passages in the prophets that speak of bringing back people to the Lord. Here’s one from Ezekiel 34:16, “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.” This means that Yahweh Himself will bring back to Him those who have strayed from His covenant of love and favor.

Next, never taking wine makes John the Baptist a special servant of the Lord described in Numbers chapter 6, and known by the term, Nazirite. Then, coming in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children comes from the prophet Malachi. Indeed, it’s the very last prophetic word that was written before Old Testament prophecy ceased for over four hundred years. 

Therefore, the angel prophesied that John the Baptist would fulfill the prophecy of Malachi and thereby bring an end to that four hundred year period of divine silence. By so doing, John would bring Old Testament prophecy to a conclusion with the announcement of Messiah’s appearance. Finally, as we saw last week, preparing the way of the Lord comes from the 40th chapter of Isaiah.

As for being filled with God’s Spirit, that’s something that God did to the Judges of Israel, some of the kings of Israel and the prophets. From the New Testament, we know that being filled with God’s Spirit enables a sinner to live and move both in the Word of the Lord and in the ways of the Lord. Jesus and the Father sent the Spirit to us precisely for this purpose. Therefore, the angel predicted to Zechariah that John would be numbered with those whom Yahweh filled with His Spirit. He would be the last such person from the Old Testament.

Next, we read in Luke 1:18-20, “18 Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’  19 The angel answered, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.’”

It never pays to argue with an angel that stands in the presence of the Lord, or to doubt what such an angel says. As a priest presumably steeped in Torah and the Prophets, Zechariah should have known that when it suits the Lord, He can give a child to any previously barren woman. Most miraculously, He gave Abraham and Sarah a son when Abraham was a hundred and Sarah was ninety. So, if the Lord said Elizabeth was going to bear a son in her old age, Zechariah should have simply said, “Yes, Lord. Let it be so.”

But, the Lord can even turn our doubt to His purposes. We read in Luke 1:21-22, “21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.” Because Zechariah had been made mute on account of his doubt, people realized that something supernatural had happened to him in the temple. His muteness was the mark of an authentic vision from God.

We read in Luke 1:23-25, “23 When his time of service was completed, he [Zechariah] returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 ‘The Lord has done this for me,’ she said. ‘In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.’” Indeed, at that time being childless was a huge disgrace for a married woman. From her words, it’s clear that Elizabeth felt the sting of her barrenness keenly.

After verse 25, the narrative is interrupted by the angel Gabriel’s appearance to the Virgin Mary and Mary's visit to her cousin, Elizabeth. But the narrative of John the Baptist’s birth resumes in Luke 1:57-64, “57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, ‘No! He is to be called John.’  61 They said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives who has that name.’  62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, ‘His name is John.’ 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.”

Once Zechariah had fulfilled and obeyed Gabriel’s message to him, another great wonder took place. He was relieved of his temporary muteness. We read the result in Luke 1:65-66, “65 The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ‘What then is this child going to be?’ For the Lord's hand was with him.”

It would take about twenty five years before the neighbor’s question was answered. But, for a time these events were the talk of the hill country of Judea.

At this point the text continues with one of the great songs God gave to the Church. From ancient times monasteries have had a routine of prayer. Monks go to prayer at midnight, 3am, 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. In his reforms, Martin Luther preserved the 6am daily prayer time known as Matins and the 6pm daily prayer time known as Vespers. Therefore, in any Lutheran hymnal you can find a Matins and a Vesper service.

Now, from ancient times, the song that Zechariah sang has been used in Matins. The song has two parts. Here’s the first. Luke 1:68-75, “68 ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),  71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us — 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.’”

We know that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were from the tribe of Levi. David was from the tribe of Judah. So, it’s clear that the horn of salvation from the house of David is not John the Baptist, because John is a Levite born of Levites. Therefore, the only conclusion we can draw is that with those words, Zechariah was prophesying Jesus.

Indeed, this whole first section of the song is about Jesus. And the words make me wonder where Israel would be today if they had accepted Jesus as Messiah. Would they have been rescued down through history from the hands of their enemies so that they could serve Yahweh without fear? Certainly, the Lord has rescued Israel from many enemies because Jews still exist on this planet. But certainly they have not been able to serve Yahweh without fear. It makes me wonder what the course of Jewish history would have been with Jesus.

Nevertheless, the Church has lived under the words given to Zechariah. For the most part in the Christian West they have been fulfilled since the time of the Emperor Constantine. Certainly, that’s been true in the U.S. Until now, we’ve been able to serve Yahweh without fear of persecution.

The second part of Zechariah’s song is about John the Baptist. We read in Luke 1:76-79, “76 ‘And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’”

This section of the song contains a compilation of Old Testament Scripture. The rising sun comes from the prophecy of Malachi. Knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins is from Jeremiah 31. A light shining on those living in darkness and the shadow of death is from Isaiah 9. Again, preparing the way for the Lord is Isaiah 40.

All of these passages speak of the salvation that Jesus was to earn for us on the cross. Therefore, John’s father prophesied that John would be the one to announce that Messiah Jesus was at hand. For John absolutely proclaimed that the one coming after him — namely Jesus — was greater than he. Thus, John prepared the way for the Lord. And John’s father, Zechariah, prophesied that John would do so.

Now, as we next turn to today’s Gospel lesson, it’s unfortunate it doesn’t go a few verses more. For we read in John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” With those words, the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord by bestowing upon Jesus one of His great titles — the Lamb of God. A few verses on, John again reiterates the title. Thus, we read in John 1:35-37, “35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” We later learn that one of the two was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

From the Baptist’s words we get part of our communion service — the Lamb of God song, or in Latin, the Agnus Dei. We sing, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. In doing so, the Church prepares the way for the Lord. Let me explain.

I’m going to give you three terms that you need to memorize: 1. The Image of God. 2. The Likeness of God. 3. The Lamb of God. 

Adam and Eve both received the Image of God when they were created. The Image of God is many things. But its primary characteristic is the righteousness of God. Adam and Eve were created as holy, righteous and perfect as their Creator. There was no sin and no darkness in them. They were in perfect union and fellowship with their Creator. That’s the Image of God.

The Likeness of God comes from what the Serpent said to Eve in the Garden of Eden concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We read in Genesis 3:4-5, “4 ‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. 5 ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

As sinners, we know exactly what it’s like to be God. For we get to play God, defining good and evil for ourselves. There’s only one problem. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit forbidden to them, they lost the Image of God for both themselves and us, their descendants. Therefore, what we think is the good often turns out to be evil. Case in point is the mutilation of children being permitted because of gender confusion. And the very fact that children can become gender confused to begin with shows the depth of the crisis that being our own gods can create. Another indication of the severity of the crisis is the monstrous catastrophes Marxist economic and social engineering has caused as Marxists play God of this world.

Our Creator is perfect in Justice. He is Justice. Therefore, all the evil that has been done by billions of us acting in the Likeness of God must be punished. And that punishment is banishment from Yahweh’s presence forever. Those desiring the hell of being their own gods forever, without any restraint from Yahweh, will receive their desire. It will be hell in hell. But for rebels, hell is more preferable than having to live with righteous Yahweh forever and having to see things His way. Indeed, we cannot play God in the Kingdom of God.

But, our Creator is not content to let us rebels go our own way to hell. Therefore, to satisfy His own Justice, Yahweh sent His holy Lamb into this world to be His perfect sacrifice for sin. Being both Yahweh the Son and a true human being, the sacrifice Jesus made of Himself upon the cross as the Lamb of God is sufficient to atone for all sin. Therefore, Yahweh is able to forgive any and all sin because it has all been paid for.

Forgiveness of sin is the key. Yahweh can declare righteous all those from whom He has removed sin. This gracious gift establishes a path whereby forgiven sinners, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, are restored to the Image of God. This path begins here in Christ’s Church but comes to completion in the Kingdom of God, on the Day of Messiah’s return.

It’s in this way that the Church functions as John the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord. Through the Church, Yahweh extends His call to all the earth. All who have been amazed at Yahweh, the works of His hands and His perfect righteousness are free to return to their Creator, confessing their sins and being forgiven through the blood of the Lamb of God. All who have been amazed by Yahweh are thus free to be restored to the Image of God by the Lamb of God. And, thus, all those who have been enabled to answer Yahweh’s call will live with Him forever.

Sinners being restored to the Image of God is Yahweh’s end game. It’s why amazing births took place. It’s why amazing lives were lived: John the Baptist, the prophesied Elijah; and Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Let us rejoice that the Lord has done these great things for us, and we have such a great heritage. Amen.

All Bible quotes are from the NIV.