Comfort from the Coming One
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Advent is all
about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: His coming in the Flesh by way of
the Virgin; His coming now in Word and Sacrament; and His coming in judgment on
the last day. John the Baptist, that greatest of Advent preachers, proclaimed
our Lord’s coming. He was a voice in the wilderness, breaking down the
mountains of sin in men’s hearts, calling them to repentance. He preached and
baptized to prepare the way for the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins
of the world.
But by this time,
John is no longer baptizing and preaching. The people basked in the heat of his
passion for a while, but then his stern message got him into trouble. He spoke
against Herod’s immoral marriage, and Herod put him in prison, where he awaited
the executioner’s sword. But John’s work was complete; our Lord’s ministry had
begun. It’s time for John to decrease as he foretold. From death row, the one
sent to comfort God’s people with the good news of the Messiah’s coming, seeks
comfort from the Son of his kinswoman, Mary. He asks, “Are You the Coming One?”
He is not rebuked
for this. In fact, Jesus praises John with unequaled praise. John is the voice
of faith crying from the wilderness. He is about to die the martyr’s death.
Upon that deathbed He seeks absolution, grace, and comfort. He does not ask to
be let out of prison or spared Herod’s satanic wrath. He asks only for a word
from Jesus. Our Lord does not disappoint him. He reassures. He promises. He
gives. He points John back to the prophet Isaiah. He says: “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 the good news
preached to them.” Yes, John, your martyr death is near. But do not be
afraid. Do not give up hope. The Messiah has come! The kingdom of heaven is at
hand. Blessed are those who are not scandalized by God in the flesh. Blessed
are those who do not try to master Him, but who submit to His Word and will.
But many are
scandalized by Jesus. His preaching is too absolute, too uncompromising. They
prefer a Messiah who looks more like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny—comical
figures who proclaim no doctrine, who have no morals. These are the ones
embraced by the masses. But if John is not a reed swayed in the winds of human
opinion and curiosity, then neither is the Christ he proclaimed. Jesus is not a
member of the peace corps come to spread good will. He is a soldier with a mission.
He has no time for hypothetical debates and scholastic speculation. He comes to
baptize with the Spirit, to give the vision of faith to the spiritually blind,
to enable those crippled by sin and death to walk by faith. He comes to cleanse
filthy hearts, purify dirty minds, to bind-up disturbed consciences, and to
open ears to His Word. He comes to proclaim the Good News of His arrival to the
poor. He comes to give life to the dead. That’s the comfort John sought from
prison. That’s the comfort Jesus gave him.
Still today, the
power of His death and resurrection, the power of life—grace itself—is delivered
in His Word. He comes still. He comes now. He comes in His Word—preached,
heard, and read. He comes in the word of Holy Absolution, where He declares
sinners righteous, restoring them. He comes in the waters of Holy Baptism,
where sinners are joined into His death and resurrection, cleansed with bloody
water and the spotless Word. He comes in His body and blood. He comes by His
Word to strengthen and encourage, to comfort, to console. His Word is a
creative, powerful, life-giving Word. It never passes away. His Word is rest
for the lonely heart; comfort for the repentant; and life for those who once were
dead in sin. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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