Third Sunday in Advent

December 12-13, 2009

“Is He the One?”

Luke 7:18-28

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our heavenly Father, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

So often, our perception of something, or someone, depends upon our own expectations. Those who have been attending the midweek Advent services have heard this theme the past two Wednesdays, in the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptizer. Zechariah was rendered speechless, mute, for nine months because the announcement of the angel Gabriel to him that he and his wife would have a son did not fit his own expectations. Elizabeth likewise had long resigned herself to the disappointment of being childless, and had to realize that her expectations were well below God’s ability to provide for her. If you’ve missed those services, you can still catch the last one this Wednesday, when we focus on the story called the Annunciation: Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary, announcing to her that she will conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit, and become the mother of the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah; something that was certainly well beyond her expectations in life.

But this really applies to all of us. What are your expectations in any given situation? When President Obama first came into office, many people had expectations for him that were so unrealistic, he couldn’t possibly live up to them. Now his approval rating is below 50%, and some of that is because of people who are disappointed that he hasn’t done everything they expected him to do. Lots of Chicago football fans are disappointed in this season, because the Bears haven’t performed up to their expectations. I still love the Steelers, but I’m in the same boat as you Bears fans – they haven’t met my expectations for this season. And how many people will be disappointed this Christmas season when things don’t meet their expectations; when the family gathering isn’t perfect, or the Christmas ham doesn’t turn out just right, or they don’t find the gift they really want under the tree?

So we know about perceptions being based on expectations. And maybe that was the case for John the Baptizer, as he sat languishing in prison, having been arrested for publicly calling Herod to repentance over his immoral affair with his brother’s wife. John had been sent to prepare the way; he knew that after him was coming the Messiah, but he may not have been exactly sure how things would happen after that. He may have been looking for a Messiah who would come and right all wrongs, liberate the Jewish people from Roman tyranny, straighten out the false teachings and hypocrisy of the scribes and teachers of the Law, usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the people of God. Jesus seemed to do none of those things. He brought a message of love and forgiveness, and was welcoming of Gentiles as well as Jews, speaking even of the great faith of a Roman centurion.

Being in prison, John couldn’t witness these things for himself, or be a first-hand listener to the words of Jesus. So he starts to wonder; his perception of who Jesus is, of Jesus truly being the Messiah, has been challenged by his own expectations of what Jesus should be like. And this is where our Gospel lesson today picks up the story. “The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” What an astonishing thing to ask, on the surface of it. This is John, the one who came to prepare the way, who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him as a dove, heard the voice of the Father from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This is John, who pointed Jesus out to his disciples and said to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” But now, sitting in prison, maybe he’s not so sure. He’s probably not so sure about a lot of things anymore, because everything has been taken away from him. Let’s not be too hard on John for asking this question. Even the strongest believer can have moments of doubt, moments of questioning. We’ve all been there; we’ve all hit those low moments when we say, in one way or another, “God, are you really the One who’s with me no matter what, or should I look for another? Are you in my life, or am I on my own?”

So John appears to be having a moment of doubt. And how wonderful for us that St. Luke records this: Look, Christians of all times and places, even the best of us has to wrestle with the devil from time to time. There is nothing in your life that the great saints and martyrs of the faith haven’t also gone through. And even better, there is nothing in your life, no sin or temptation, no illness or difficult circumstance, that our Lord Himself doesn’t know about, having taken on our human flesh to dwell among us on earth.

But Jesus won’t leave John, or us, in doubt as to who He is. He doesn’t come right out and say, “I am the Messiah,” to John’s disciples. Instead, He points to what He’s done in fulfilling all prophecy about the Messiah. “In that hour He healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind He bestowed sight. And He answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers and cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’”

It’s as if Jesus is saying, “John, remember the Word of God. When the Messiah comes, He will give sight to the blind, heal the sick, raise the dead, preach good news to the poor. These things are being done by me; stop doubting and believe.” He even adds a final sentence as a word of direct encouragement to John, and by extension, to us: “blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” And John overcame his moment of doubt, and believed that Jesus truly was the Christ, the Son of the living God. He overcame his own expectations, his own perception of who the Messiah should be and what He should do, and relied once again on the truth of the Word of God.

So what is our perception? What expectations do we have? Do we look for God to right all the wrongs in our life, or in the world? Do we expect to have smooth sailing through life because we believe in Him? Is it our perception at times that God works too slowly, or maybe doesn’t even work at all in our lives? Or perhaps, our expectation is that God will accommodate Himself to our desires, and our schedule; that He will fit Himself into our busy, important lives, rather than us setting aside time and attention for Him?

There is a song called “Christmas Lament,” set to the tune of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” It speaks to this idea that we become too busy for God; too busy to keep our focus in the right place, and just expect that He understands. (Read lyrics)

How important it is to remember that our expectation should be nothing, because we deserve nothing. And yet the God of all grace and mercy comes to us, sent His only begotten Son into this world to take our sin and suffering on Himself, and give us in return His life and His righteousness. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are given forgiveness, life and salvation, delivered to us through His Word and Sacraments. We deserve nothing, and are given everything by our loving, merciful God. You are given the tremendous gift of His grace at all times and in all places, and are kept always in His care, beginning and ending each day as it all began at the baptismal font: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep both your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.