Fourth Sunday in Advent

1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. John 1:19-28

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” John 1:23

There are many voices calling to us these days. We hear voices in the marketplaces (often our living rooms and bedrooms) trying to sell us new cars and trucks, stylish clothes, the latest electronic devices, tasty foods, and promising us happiness and joy if we listen to these voices. We hear voices on the political scene offering us better healthcare, an improved economy and even free college education if we will just give to them our votes. We hear voices in our schools and educational institutions extolling achievements of world peace, an end of bullying and violence and prosperity for all if we reject the old and restrictive values of religion and accept the new, modern world views.

But there is still “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.” The voice probably doesn’t have the most Facebook views or the most Twitter impressions. It’s certainly not at the top of Google’s search engine rankings. But the voice continues to call on people everywhere to get ready for that day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and to carry out vengeance upon all who have not obeyed the message of the Gospel (2 Thess. 1:6-10).

This is what God called John the Baptist to do. The Angel Gabriel told Zecharias, when he appeared to him in the temple and announced John’s coming birth: “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:15-17).

And, what did John say of himself? “The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias” (John 1:19-23; cf. Isa. 40:3ff.; Mal. 4:5-6).

John did not exalt himself. He didn’t claim to be the Messiah. He didn’t claim to be Elijah come down from heaven (cf. 2 Kings 2:11; Mal. 4:5-6). He didn’t count himself as that Prophet like unto Moses (cf. Deut. 18:15-19). He counted himself nothing. But he served as God’s voice, calling all to repentance and faith in the Messiah and Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. His work was to speak God’s Word to the people and prepare them not for Christ’s birth — Jesus had already been born some 30 years earlier, about six months after John — John was sent to make people ready for Christ’s second coming by preaching the threats of God’s Law and the comforts of God’s Gospel.

The Gospel of Mark opens with a description of John and his ministry: “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost” (Mark 1:2-8).

And what is it to preach repentance? Luther, in the Smalcald Articles (one of the Lutheran Confessions found in the Book of Concord), states: “This, then, is what it means to begin true repentance; and here man must hear such a sentence as this: You are all of no account, whether you be manifest sinners or saints [in your own opinion]; you all must become different and do otherwise than you now are and are doing [no matter what sort of people you are], whether you are as great, wise, powerful, and holy as you may. Here no one is [righteous, holy], godly, etc. But to this office the New Testament immediately adds the consolatory promise of grace through the Gospel, which must be believed, as Christ declares, Mark 1:15: Repent and believe the Gospel, i.e., become different and do otherwise, and believe My promise. And John, preceding Him, is called a preacher of repentance, however, for the remission of sins, i.e., John was to accuse all, and convict them of being sinners, that they might know what they were before God, and might acknowledge that they were lost men, and might thus be prepared for the Lord, to receive grace, and to expect and accept from Him the remission of sins. Thus also Christ Himself says, Luke 24:47: Repentance and remission of sins must be preached in My name among all nations” (Part III, Article III. Of Repentance, Par. 3-6).

That is what John the Baptist did. He called upon all — from the lowliest Israelite to the most righteous priest and Pharisee — to repent of their sinful ways and look to the Christ, that Lamb of God who would be offered up a sacrifice for the sins of the world (cf. John 1:29).

And John baptized those who came to him confessing their sins (cf. Matt. 3:1ff.). He baptized with water, but said it was the coming One, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and regenerate them (cf. Tit. 3:4-7). And John warned of God’s coming judgment upon those who merely feigned repentance, who confessed their sins but had no intention to forsake them and bring forth fruits fitting of true repentance.

So, what does John’s ministry have to do with us today? What are we to see and learn from this Word of God?

As I said earlier, many voices are calling to us today, voices promising peace, happiness, joy, etc. But there is still a voice crying in the wilderness, sent by God to prepare people for the coming of the Lord Jesus in judgment. Though John was put to death by Herod — beheaded — for his testimony to the truth, the voice still sounds, though usually not from the most popular places and venues.

That voice still cries out in the pages of Holy Scripture — the God-breathed writings of the apostles and prophets. Through the Scriptures, the Holy Ghost continues to work, convicting and condemning us because of our sins against God’s commandments but then offering and giving to us the promise of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross (2 Tim. 3:14-17; Rom. 3:19-26; 1 John 1:7 — 2:2).

And through the Church, God still calls men — pastors — to be His voice and to preach His Word to the people (cf. Jer. 23:3-4; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11ff.; Tit. 1:5ff.). He entrusts to them His Word and Sacraments and commands them to be good and faithful stewards (1 Cor. 4:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:1ff.; Jer. 23:28). It is not that the pastors are anything in and of themselves. They are simply to be the voice of God, speaking nothing but the words of God to the people.

It is as Article V of the Augsburg Confession states: “That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.”

And so, though John the Baptist is long dead, the voice still cries in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” With the words of God’s law, every point of human pride is removed. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). But through the preaching of the Gospel, that which is low is raised up. God’s voice tells of “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood…” (Rom. 3:22-25).

Sad to say, not all listen to this voice crying in the wilderness. Too many other voices get in the way, including the voice of our own human reason which does not wish to accept the truthfulness of God’s Word. It is often more appealing to think we need no repentance or that we can please God by our faithfulness in worship or our observance of religious traditions. And when we fail to heed God’s voice, we remain unprepared to meet Him. We are deceived by our own sinfulness and we fail to truly repent and look to Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.

And Jesus told His disciples not all would hear but added this explanation: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me” (Luke 10:16).

Let’s not be of those who fail to hear the voice crying in the wilderness. Let’s not let it be drowned out by all the other voices competing for our attention.

Let’s not neglect to heed the message of God’s voice by failing to examine our ways in the light of God’s Word, by failing to humble ourselves before God and confess our sins, and by failing to look to Christ alone in faith for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Let’s listen and heed God’s voice, acknowledge our sins and look to Christ and His cross in faith that we might be found ready on that day when Christ, our Savior, returns. For only through faith in Christ can we sinners receive God’s pardon and forgiveness and be received into the eternal joys of heaven on that day!

God grant that we hear and heed that voice crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Amen.

[Scripture quotations are from the KIng James Version of the Bible.]