Mondays are for John the Baptist Ramblings…

Every Advent we have the privilege of going back and looking at the life and ministry of John the Baptist. He may surface again sometime around Lent as we talk about Jesus’ baptism and his venture into the desert, but this is the season for John. This season of preparation is John’s season. What great joy there is then and going back and really thinking through John’s life and peculiar role in the coming of the Kingdom of God.

During my sermon yesterday I took us into the story of John. (You can listen or download it here 12.4.11 – An Unusual Love Story)I actually thought about preaching a first person sermon as John, but my time wasn’t sufficient last week to prepare a first person sermon. So instead I did what I do best, I simply told a story. I choose to begin with Hezekiah and his fateful decisions that led Israel into exile and carried that story through the inter-testimental period all the way through John’s baptism of Jesus. John is such a fascinating figure and his story, his person, and his mission lend themselves to vivid description.

In retelling this narrative I had to add some of my own creative elements and borrowed from the work of other writers who have speculated on and illustrated from the life of John. But here are the questions I would most love to know about John.

1) Since John is the only person who was ever born with the Holy Spirit what did John’s communion with God look like.  Jesus talks about being one with the Father, but we don’t get John’s voice on his connection to the Father. I would love to hear John speak about intimacy with God.

2) Did John and Jesus know each other? We know that Elizabeth and Mary were somehow related, cousins of some sort, but did John and Jesus ever know each other? If so, what was their connection before Jesus’ baptism?

3) Was John part of the Essenes? What we know about John and the Essenes seems to indicate a strong resemblance between the two. It makes sense that John would have lived in such a community. If so, how long was he there? Did his parents, who were much older when he was born, die early in his life? Did he live out a large chunk of his life there in the wilderness?

4) What was John’s reaction to being told that Jesus wasn’t going to rescue him from prison? Did John question God as to why he was being left to die in Herod’s prison? Did John recognize that his role was complete or feel like he had more to be done?

5) Did John think about dropping everything and following Jesus after his baptism? John’s life with its Nazarite vows and Essene like existence outside of the culture would not have fit well with Jesus’ incarnational living. But was John tempted to go with Jesus and be part of his ministry?

Those are some thoughts on John the Baptist for this fine Monday. It is so beautiful to spend time with John during Advent and to hear his message again.

Spend some time today thinking about John and considering again his words of preparation.

From Luke -

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

¹³ “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you withthe Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.