3 John 1:6–8; 19–28

Advent III

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

¹⁹And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

²⁰He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."

²¹And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

²²So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

²³He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

²⁴(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

²⁵They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

²⁶John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,

²⁷even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."

²⁸These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Most people like to talk about themselves, whether they admit it or not. I'm reminded of two people who were visiting each other, and one was monopolizing the conversation. At last she took a breather and said, "Well, enough of me talking about myself, honey. Why don't you talk about me for a little bit?"

People can go on talking for hours about themselves. I have observed many a conversation where one person simply asks the other a question about themselves and the other person spends hours answering, telling stories about how he did this and that. In the end when the conversation is ended, the person who does all the talking remarks to the first person, "You are a delight to visit with. You're such a good conversationalist." Yes, the conversation is always interesting when we are the subject of it. We are absorbed in ourselves. We are proud of our goodness and our deeds of mercy. We are proud of what we have accomplished and the name we have made for ourselves. We are proud of who we are and what we have to show for our work.

But nothing could be further from the truth about John the Baptist. He was not at all interested in talking about himself. Notice his short, clipped answers when asked about himself. "No." "I am not." "I am not the Christ." What answers they could squeeze out of him told mostly who he was not, instead of telling anything about himself. He's not the Christ. He's not Elijah. He's not the prophet Moses. He's not the prophet that Moses promised back in Deuteronomy 18. In sheer exasperation the Jerusalem delegation demands, "Give us something to report to those who sent us. Who are you? What do you say about yourself?"

Even then John didn't have anything to say about himself. He would only tell what Isaiah said about him: "Me?" he seems to say, "I don't have anything to say about me. But I am the one Isaiah was talking about when he said, 'Behold, a voice crying in the wilderness. "Make straight the way of the Lord."'"

A voice? Did he say he was just a voice? Yes. His significance was only his message. He was merely a voice; a wilderness voice. A voice for calling people to get ready for the coming of the Lord. That's what he said about himself. He was just a voice.

Well, then, they wanted to know. "Tell us, Voice, who gave you the authority to baptize, to promise forgiveness of sins, if you're not the Christ and you're not Elijah the prophet? By whose authority?"

Still, John did not talk about himself. Rather than talk about himself, he was content to merely announce the coming of the Lamb of God. He was not the important one here. Jesus was. He was merely here to talk about Jesus; to point the way to Jesus.

So his answer to their question, "By whose authority?" at first doesn't sound like an answer at all. He says, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is he who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

That's John's answer. The One among them, whom they don't recognize, is the One who has authorized him to preach and invite people to repentance. He's the One who has authorized John to summon all people to leave behind the old ways of sinful behavior; their self-sufficiency, their pride, their greed, their self-righteousness, their anger and bitterness toward others, and to embrace the new life that depends entirely on the mercy of God. The life of repentance, faith, forgiveness and love. This is the One who is so much greater that John. The One preferred before him because he was before him. You see, though our Lord was born six months after John the Baptist, John knew that he was the One who was before all ages. He is the Word through whom all things were made. He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

And now John is telling his audience, "Look at that One who was before me but who is now coming after me." Look at what that One has come to do! He didn't come among us to be served, not even to have his sandals tied, but he came among us in order to serve us! The water of Baptism flows at his authorization, and what it grants is nothing other than washing us clean of our sins—freeing us from both sin's guilt and sin's power over our lives. He stoops to serve us!

He forgives all of our sins. All of our pride and self-absorption is forgiven. All of our self-righteousness is forgiven and washed away. All our self-centered living is paid for because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Lamb was the Old Testament sacrifice for sin. Jesus is called the Lamb because He is the one who laid down his life and was sacrificed as the payment for our sins. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood because the wages of sin is death. Jesus was the Lamb whose blood was shed; whose life was taken, not for any sin of his, but for our sins. He is the propitiation for our sins. His death reconciles God to us because it atones for our sin.

And by his resurrection he raises us up as new people with changed hearts. He renews our lives and hearts so that our pride and self-centeredness are changed and replaced with love and humility. He gives us hearts of love that cling to him and serve our neighbor.

For that reason John was content to be nothing more that a voice announcing the coming of the One who serves us all by being the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. Being that voice defined John's whole life. He didn't want to talk about himself, because he was sent to talk about the greater One who is among us and whose sandals we are not worthy to untie. The One who comes to be our Savior. John points all of us to what the real message is: Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John focuses us on Jesus so that in the church the talk isn't about us. It's always about another. It's not "Enough of me talking about me. Why don't you talk about me for a while?" In the church, the talk is always about the One whose sandals we are not worthy to untie.

It's about the One who is infinitely greater that we are, because he was before us. We are each one the work of his hands, just as we are also the creatures of his redemption. He came among us as one of us precisely so that he could save all of us. He shouldered our sins as he carried his cross, and he died our death and shattered our hell. He overcame the sharpness of death and he opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Truly, the Son of Man did not come among us to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as the ransom for many, indeed, for all.

During these holy days of Advent and Christmas, we then speak of the One who came on that first Christmas, born of a Virgin and laid in a manger. The One who came to take away our sins. Even in the simple things we proclaim the message of the Christ. We are proclaiming Christ with the decorations and lights we put in our homes; with the special music of the season that tells the story of the birth of a Savior; with special Advent and Christmas services in church, all of these proclaim to the world the real meaning of the season: "For unto you a child is born, a Son is given, and he shall save his people from their sins."

Advent is half over, and the time of overflowing joy will soon begin. And so John does us the service again this year of focusing all the joy of the Church entirely in Jesus. John reminds us that the joy of the coming days isn't found in presents and memories and family gatherings and sentiments of goodwill and cheer—blessing thought they are. It certainly isn't found in gluttony and drunkenness—blessings they are not. Before long we will be staring with Mary and Joseph and the shepherds in wonder at the Child who is indeed among us, our Emmanuel, who comes to us today and dwells with us in Word and Sacrament. We will sing songs of greeting to him, rejoicing that he came among us. We will rejoice in why he came among us.

Joy is the theme of today, the Third Sunday in Advent. The traditional Gradual for today is taken from Zechariah: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation." Today is called "Gaudate Sunday" which means "Rejoice." That is why today, the Third Sunday in Advent, we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. It expresses Joy in this otherwise solemn season of Advent.

John teaches us that the joy of the Church, and the joy of each of our lives, is found in the One who is among us, Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Only in Jesus is there forgiveness of sins. Only in Jesus is the remedy for those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

Amen.