Category: Preaching

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A Voice in the Wilderness: When John the Baptist Preached

John the Baptist played a central role in preparing Israel for the coming Messiah. His ministry was linked to Isaiah’s prophecy (Is. 40:3; Mt. 3:3; 11:10; Mk. 1:2-3; Lk. 3:4) as he laid the groundwork for Jesus’ ministry. He was not the Messiah (Lk. 3:15-16; Jn. 1:6-8), but he was the final prophetic voice before the Christ stepped onto the world’s stage (Mt. 3:11; Mk. 1:7-9; Lk. 3:16; Jn. 1:8,15). Dressed in camel’s hair, wearing a belt with a diet of locust and wild honey (Mt. 3:4; Mk. 1:6), he appeared like Elijah redivivus (i.e., revisited). Jesus rightly confirmed people’s suspicion (Mt. 11:14; 17:10-13; Mk. 9:11-12).

Instead of darkening the doors of the Synagogue or standing on the steps of the temple, John’s sanctuary was the wilderness. People came to him and listened to him preach. Unshackled by local ministries, John lived in isolation and freedom as he preached and called his listeners to repentance (Mt. 3:11; Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:1). Amazingly, they journeyed into the desert, where many repented and were baptized. For he was a lone voice crying, pleading and entreating in the wilderness.

While John’s ministry was short lived, he pulled no punches. Through the Gospel accounts, we know he spoke to at least three groups of people where his call for repentance rang loud and clear.

He confronted the religious leaders (Mt. 3:7-10). He called them a “brood of vipers” as if they were children of snakes. More to the point, he called them children of The Snake. While they were pretending to repent, he questioned their motives and confronted trusting their religious heritage. In essence, God didn’t need them, they needed God. And while being a descendant of Abraham was important to them, it wasn’t valued by God. In fact, God was ready to prune anyone refusing to repent. Thus, producing fruit in accordance with repentance is what God was seeking (Mt. 3:8).

He confronted the general population echoing his message from the religious leaders (Lk. 3:7-9). When they asked him what they needed to do, assuming they were in the process of being baptized, John drew from the Eighth Century prophets (Amos, Micah, Hosea and Isaiah) in tone and substance. To those listening, he told them that if they have enough food and clothing, then share with those who don’t (Lk. 3:11). To the tax collectors he warned them to stop padding their own pockets and collect only what is fair (Lk. 3:13). To the soldiers he told them to stop falsely accusing people, which of course is a violation of the ninth commandment. He also told them to stop extorting monies and to be content with their pay (Lk. 3:14). Such actions display the heart of repentance and how social justice underpinned his sermons.

He confronted the governor for not only stealing his brother’s wife (Mt. 14:4; Mk. 6:18), but for a host of evil things Herod had done (Lk. 3:19). Never playing party politics or glossing over the corruption of the person, John shot his arrow straight and with laser accuracy to the heart. He didn’t bend his message either to appease the ruler or to save his own skin. John wasn’t interested in pleasing anyone. With his preaching falling on deaf ears and a hard heart, John was arrested by Herod and eventually executed by beheading (Mt. 14:1-12; Mk. 6:14-29).

The forerunner for Christ played a significant role in preparing the hearts of people for Jesus. His rugged appearance and rough exterior attracted onlookers and seekers. His preaching penetrated people’s hearts, and they began changing their lives. They repented. They were baptized. Neither the temple nor the synagogue could hold him, and it’s clear that the religious system couldn’t hold him as well (Mt. 21:25-27; Mk. 11:29-33; Lk. 20:4-7). But God held him and the Jews needed his preaching. But those in control and in charge of the system couldn’t stomach John’s preaching. What I fear most about American churches today is that we couldn’t stomach his preaching either.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

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Reclaiming the Voice in the Wilderness

John’s ministry was located in the wilderness of Judea, near the Jordan River. His message called people to repentance, and no matter who stood before him, his message never wavered. To those who believed their religious/political heritage was going to save them, he called for them to produce good works of generosity (Lk. 3:9). To the tax collectors, he told them to curb their greed (Lk. 3:13). To the soldiers, he told them not to falsely accuse people, and to be content with their pay (Lk. 3:14).

But some believed John overstepped his boundaries; he switched from “preaching” to “meddling.” In his passion for righteousness, he rebuked Herod for the evil he had done, including, but not limited to, stealing his brother’s wife, Herodias (Lk. 3:19). Such an indictment stirred the waters of political unrest, giving Herod’s enemies a means to stand against the king (according to Mark 3:6 he had his supporters). At best, a seed of discontent was planted, fueling responses to the “Complaint Department.” At worst, John was stirring political unrest which could fuel civil unrest, riots and embolden a foreign power into an aggressive position.  Beyond right or wrong, John’s voice needed to be silenced. For that, he found himself locked up in Herod’s prison (Lk. 3:20).

We applaud John because he was willing to stand against the tide of political pressure for what was right. And while he was removed from his wilderness “pulpit,” and eventually executed by Herod, he never lost his Wilderness Voice. Other prophets failed where John succeeded. 

In 2002 Billy Graham’s voice was heard on a 1972 recorded tape in tandem with President Richard Nixon as the President made disparaging remarks concerning the Jewish people of America. How could a man of God, who preached repentance to thousands of people all over the world, who also embraced desegregation and refused to hold segregated revivals during the 1950’s, be complicit to such racist comments? I’m not sure of the answer, except that when God’s man gets joined to the hip of political aspirations, the result is often a selling out of integrity (followed by a diluted prophetic message). The arena Billy Graham operated in is power addictive, so that the position he holds becomes more important than the message he preaches.  Where Billy Graham should have questioned the President, he found himself complicit in racism. 

When the church snuggles too closely up to the political world, we risk losing our Wilderness Voice. I’m very comfortable linking arms with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, as they seemed like godly men whose spiritual conscience helped guide their presidency. But what does the church do when the presidents (or any of our government officials) get their hands dirty? What does the church do when we’ve rallied people for a candidate who eventually acts on immoral or unethical principles? The same can be asked when the party we support acts unchristianly or supports an action which stands in violation with God’s Word.

During the 1930’s too many of Germany’s churches lost their Wilderness Voice by endorsing the Nazi movement. Sympathizing with their government, Adolf Hitler had their support, as he led the nation out of the brink of economic devastation to prosperity. National pride replaced shame. Hope emerged once again. And the church, caught up in the national movement, turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the travesty of racial hatred at the core of the very nation they loved and supported (in part because the preachers and Christians who Reclaimed the Wilderness Voice were quickly silenced). In the end, to say the least, the churches in Germany were complicit in the deaths of six million Jews.

When the church endorses the political movement or climate, they risk losing their Wilderness Voice. When the relationship between the church and the government is too friendly, a conflict of interest arises for who then will stand for God’s Message? For them the political clout is more important than the Word, and the Wilderness Voice is finally silenced. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)