Do you want a Santa Jesus? A blind Jesus? A slow-witted Jesus? A soft, teddy

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1 Advent December 15, 2013 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud Isaiah 35:1-10, James 5:7-11, Matthew 11:2-15 What kind of Jesus do you want this Christmas? Do you want a Santa Jesus? A blind Jesus? A slow-witted Jesus? A soft, teddy bear Jesus? A Santa Jesus might bring you lots of stuff. A blind Jesus wouldn t see what you are doing. A slow-witted Jesus could be easily outsmarted by your clever excuses. A soft teddy bear Jesus will sit quietly and wait for you to need him and then He will be there to comfort you and give you a big hug. What kind of Jesus do you want? Maybe you want a doctor Jesus? A feeding Jesus? A caring Jesus? A doctor Jesus to bring healing. A feeding Jesus to fill your empty belly. A caring Jesus to be with you through trouble. What kind of Jesus do you want? What kind of Jesus do you need? I wonder if because life as a Christian has been relatively easy for us in this nation that often the Jesus we seek is a gentle Jesus; a helping Jesus. John the Baptist wants a certain kind of Jesus. John is not liking the kind of Jesus that he is hearing about while he sits in prison. John wants a different kind of Jesus. I ve got to believe John wants a judgment Jesus. He wants a Jesus with the winnowing fork in His hand separating the good wheat into the barn from the evil chaff burned in the

2 2 flames. He wants an ax-wielding Jesus cutting down the evil trees and throwing them in the unquenchable fire. John is not looking for a gentle Jesus because John is suffering the violence that wars against the kingdom of heaven. John is imprisoned in the dungeon of Herod Antipas palace. He likely is sitting chained to the wall in complete darkness with a dank dirt floor that reeks from human waste and rot. He probably has to do battle with the rats and insects who want to eat what meager food John is given or chew on John himself. John sits alone in the darkness, waiting on the will of the king who could release him or cut off his head, John is ready for judgment Jesus. He is ready for Jesus to come and destroy Herod Antipas and all his evil allies. And He wants Jesus to do it soon. What kind of Jesus do you want? What do you want him to do? When do you want Him to do it? The lesson for John and the lesson for you is that Jesus does His Jesusing how He wants and when He wants. Jesus sends word back to John that He is fulfilling the role of the Messiah, Matthew 11:4-5 (ESV) 4 And Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 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 good news preached to them. 1 And that is all part of what the messiah will do. This is the sight restoring Jesus. The orthopedic healer Jesus. The leper cleansing Jesus. The hearing restoring Jesus. The raising the dead Jesus. The good news preaching Jesus. 1 The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

3 3 But there is not yet the judgment Jesus. There is not yet the Jesus that will conquer evil. Not yet for John the Baptist. Not yet for you. Evil still flourishes. And Jesus tells the crowds that (Matthew 11:11 (ESV)) 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Jesus confirms that John is the one predicted by the prophet Isaiah. John is the one to prepare the way for Jesus. John is, after all, the new Elijah. John is great. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 2 Jesus is not about power and glory; he is about humility and service. Jesus later says in Matthew 18:3-4 (ESV) 3, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 3 A child who has nothing to offer is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. A needy child who needs to be served by others is the greatest. All the things we think about power and influence and independence and greatness are turned on their head by Jesus. Basically Jesus tells the crowds don t worry about John the Baptist in prison. You have plenty of people right here in your midst that need to be cared for. Jesus is doing his Jesusing by serving the poor, the lame, the blind, the deaf, the leper, the dead. He is serving the lowly not the mighty. Jesus is not the Jesus we want doing things when we want them to be done. Not then, not now. Jesus is Jesus on His schedule. 2 The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

4 4 Jesus may not be the Jesus you want Him to be doing what you want Him to do when you want Him to do it. He wasn t that Jesus for John the Baptist and He is not that Jesus for you and me. But Jesus is the Jesus you need. Jesus meets your greatest need. Jesus brings forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. Jesus protects your immortal soul and yet it can seem like that is not enough; or is not done the way you want it done. For us Jesus does His Jesusing among us in the seemingly too simplistic means of His Word and His Sacraments. How can this be? How can simple water and the words, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit really do anything? And yet they do. These words and water saved you. These words and water transferred you from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of Heaven. How can the Words spoken by the pastor, I forgive you all your sins, really be effective? And yet they are. The person torn up by the guilt and shame of their sin hears the Words of Forgiveness and has the weight of their guilt taken from their shoulders as they know that Jesus has forgiven them. How can simple bread and wine and the Word of God be the Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins? And yet it is. This is Jesus promise to you. This is how Jesus is Jesusing among you now. Water, word, bread and wine. It does not make sense to our earthly sensibilities. Jesus does not make sense to us. How can the almighty Son of God, the king of the universe be put through the agony and humiliation of crucifixion? Jesus greatest moment is when He is at His lowest. Jesus doesn t run away from sin and sinners, Jesus takes on the sin of the world. Jesus immerses Himself in your sin and takes it upon Himself. Instead of shunning your sin,

5 5 Jesus takes ownership of your sin. Instead of destroying you for your sin, Jesus is destroyed for your sin. Instead of letting you die eternally for your sin, Jesus dies in your place and gives to you eternal life. Jesus doesn t crush you because you did that same stupid sin again. Jesus forgives you over and over and teaches you to do the same for others. Jesus is forgiving Jesus. What kind of Jesus do you want? What kind of Jesus do you need? These are difficult times and they may grow more difficult. The kind of Jesus you want may change as the days grow more violent. Matthew 11:12 (ESV) 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 4 Being a Christian is no protection for your body against those who war against the kingdom. It didn t protect John the Baptist. It won t protect you. Being a Christian can cause you to be attacked because of Jesus. Speaking God s truth can bring you under attack in a world that wants its own truth. Here, in this nation, we can feel it in written and verbal attacks. Around the world our brothers and sisters in Christ can feel it with fire and beatings and imprisonment and worse. As things get worse you may find yourself in the same position as John the Baptist wanting judgment Jesus to come quickly. And he will come one day to judge the living and the dead, but, for now, we cling to the promises of God and give thanks for Jesus doing what he has promised to do each day in His way at His time. We give thanks that Jesus is doing His Jesus work the way he knows is best. Amen. 4 The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001