Go and Tell What You Hear and See

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday December 12, 2010, the 3rd Sunday of Advent.

Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 146:5-10
James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

As we read last week, John had promised everyone who had come to the Jordan that while he was there to baptize with water for repentance; after him will come one who is more powerful than he, whose sandals he is not fit to carry. He who follows will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Then in the verse that immediately follows last week’s gospel selection we read, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.” John recognized who Jesus was. Matthew’s gospel tells us that John would have prevented Jesus from being baptized by him saying, “I need to be baptized by you.” Jesus recognized who John was too. He said, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”

They recognized one another. The story of the Baptism of Jesus ends with a voice from heaven saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

John knew who Jesus was, but by the time of our reading this morning, Jesus wasn’t doing the things John had expected the Christ to do. Jesus wasn’t doing the Messianic stuff, the Holy Spirit and fire he had expected, he had prophesied, wasn’t coming. Where’s the brimstone when you need it?

Of course, John’s expectations of a Messiah who would come with fire weren’t his own creation. There was a long history of prophets who had prophesied the coming of the Messiah with fire. Our reading from Isaiah promised God will come with vengeance and with terrible recompense. Isaiah promised divine retribution coming to destroy the enemies of God. Now we’re talking about the Holy Spirit and fire with a vengeance.

The conventional wisdom of the day was that the Messiah would come to free the nation from its oppression by conquerors. Freedom from Rome, freedom from Babylon, freedom from Egypt; the Jews expected a military and political leader who would free them from the traditional shackles of the world and restore the Kingdom of God on earth.

But with everything The Baptist knew, knowing Jesus is the Christ, what Jesus was doing didn’t meet his expectations for the acts of the Messiah. He knew Jesus was the answer, but where’s the fire? Where’s the vengeance? Where’s the terrible recompense? Where’s the divine retribution? Where is the destruction of the enemies? John’s in prison. He isn’t long for this world, and I am guessing he is feeling the pressure of prophecy and the weight of the cosmos upon him, so he sends his disciples to ask. “Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to wait for another?”

Jesus answers John’s disciples. “Go and tell John what you see and hear.” He tells them don’t ask me, see for yourself and tell your master, your Rabbi; tell John what you see.

So, what has happened since Jesus has been baptized?

According to the New Interpreter’s Bible, in the narrative of the book of Matthew, Jesus performs twenty distinct miracles with additional miracles only mentioned in summaries.[1] This is more than any other gospel.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus cleanses the man whose skin is blemished, curing his leprosy. He heals Peter’s mother-in-law from her ailment. He heals the paralytic declaring that his sins are forgiven; then asking the Pharisees who declare this blasphemy which is easier to say, “your sins are forgiven” or “stand up and walk?”

He heals the man with the withered hand and gives sight to the blind on at least two occasions. While not found in Matthew’s gospel, there is a story of Jesus healing a deaf man in Mark’s gospel. On the flip side of this miracle, Matthew reports the story of a man who cannot speak becoming able to express himself in voice after he is exorcised of demons.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus performs two exorcisms and eight healings. He also performs three more healings that are also exorcisms. There are two miracles at sea and in three stories the needs of people are miraculously met. In life and in death; raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead and cursing a fig tree to its death rounds out the table of miracles.

In his own more concise words to John’s disciples, “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

In just these few words, Jesus invites John’s disciples to remember what was written in Psalm 146, the Psalm we used as our call to worship this morning, “The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!”

In one simple sentence, Jesus reminds John’s disciples of the miracles and blessings he has shared in the name of Holy God, to give glory to God. In one simple sentence, Jesus points to the Father, who points back to the Son.

Jesus tells them exactly who he is. And if he isn’t what they expected, that wasn’t his concern. Jesus says that if his actions don’t pony up to their expectations about what the Messiah should do, they should take another look at their expectations.

Jesus is exactly who he is, he is exactly who he says he is, and he isn’t Lord of creation to meet others expectations or desires. Like John and his disciples, we all have an idea of who God is, but that may not be who God is at all. So how do we find out who God is? We do just what John did, he asked. So we ask.

But we must beware of the questions we ask and how we ask. To get good answers first we need to ask good questions. In Douglas Adams’ hilarious novel “The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” it is discovered that the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything is… 42. Oh, it’s the right answer, it was later discovered that they didn’t ask a very good question. The question wasn’t good enough to reach a meaningful answer.

Yet we are fortunate, one of the joys of our questioning is that we have the source of the answers. Scripture is the word of God. Its authority is in the fact that the Bible is the authoritative historical witness to Christ. It is the testimony of those who actually saw and witnessed to the saving acts of God in history.[2] The Bible is worthy to be called Holy Scripture because it conveys, mirrors, or reflects what is authentic and valid about God and God’s works.[3]

Of course we have to beware, there are lessons that are easy to take that are incomplete, or not really there at all.

Yesterday, protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas were on the picket lines again. According to their own website, “The humble servants of God at WBC have picketed 44,729 times - preaching on the mean streets of 814 Cities - including in all 50 States (plus Canada and Iraq) - commanding all men to fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come!”[4]

On a side note, for everyone who wants to spend time expressing rage and furious anger against these “humble servants,” according to their web site, they have lost and will lose exactly zero “nanoseconds of sleep” over anyone’s “opinions and feeeeellllliiiiiings.”[5] (emphasis theirs)

Westboro Baptist first made national headlines in 1998 for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepherd, a University of Wyoming student who was brutally beaten and murdered. During the trial of his accused and convicted killers, witnesses stated that Shepherd was targeted because he was homosexual.

The congregation graduated to constant headlines in 2005 after declaring its intention to picket the memorial service of Carrie French in Boise, Idaho. At the age of nineteen, French was killed on June 5, 2005 in Kirkuk, Iraq where she served as an ammunition specialist with the 116^th Brigade Combat Team’s 145^th Support Battalion.

The Reverend Fred Phelps, Senior was once quoted saying, “Our attitude toward what’s happening with the war is [that] the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime.”[6]

Yesterday members of the Westboro Church went to Raleigh, North Carolina to protest the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards because of her tolerance for gays. Their hope was to promote “awareness of the dangers of homosexuality”[7] and condemn her for “spewing blasphemy.”[8]

Now, here’s why I share this: In his own way, Reverend Phelps has asked a question and prayed for guidance. He sees something wrong with his community, and asks what can be done to redeem the situation. The answer he has received is that it’s just plain too late for America and he’s going to get the word out because time is short. He and the people of the Westboro Baptist Church have chosen to picket churches, funerals, football games, and rock concerts as the way to share the word that God’s hard rain is falling.

Rev. Phelps is telling the world and our nation in particular are going to hell in a hand basket, literally. In this way, he has joined in with what Jesus has commanded the disciples of John, they are going and telling what they see and hear. Frankly, this is what prophets do.

The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” My guess though is that the people of Westboro are heavy on the ruin of the wicked.

As for me, I don’t agree with his interpretation of scripture. I will say nothing about the sincerity of their convictions; instead I think they have asked their questions poorly and got 42 for an answer.

Of course, in their own words, they won’t lose any sleep over my “opinions and feeeeellllliiiiiings.”[9]

This week my Facebook profile has been ablaze with no shortage of people who hope that the folks from Westboro get a sore throat, forcing them to be quiet. Some have suggested they would like to picket Rev. Phelps’ funeral with signs that are far from complementary. As for me, I would like to see a funeral sign that says, “God is love and God loves… even Rev. Phelps.”

As for me, I believe we live in a nation that is a shining light among the nations of the world. Do I believe that our nation is all that it can be? Do I believe that we have reached the apex of our ability to follow God? No, surely I believe that sin is real in this world, in both individuals and in the governments we create.

Yet I have faith, I believe that no one and nothing is beyond God’s redeeming work done in Jesus Christ. I believe that as long as there is life in Christ, the miracles of the Lord are still real. I believe we are a Psalm 146 nation following the Lord lifting up those who are bowed down and loving the righteous. We are a nation that watches over the strangers and upholds the orphan and the widow. And we are a nation that will truly bring the wicked to ruin.

I believe this because it is what I have seen and what I have heard. It is what I have found in scripture. It is what I have seen on the faces of the people, people whose lives reflect the light of God. I find it in individuals in the military. I see it in teachers. I even see it in a handful of politicians. It is what I hear in the voices of those who sing God’s praises and cry for God’s justice. I believe this because it is what I have seen and what I have heard; and it is what I must go and tell.

John’s disciples asked if Jesus was the one. Like only Jesus can, he says, “Yes I am, just look around and see the Kingdom of God blossoming around you. It may not be what you expected to see, but it is what my Father expects me to do.” Fred Phelps sees wrath, I see grace and redemption. We are both called to share what we have heard and seen. And by this, may no one take offence at the Lord our God.

John’s disciples left to spread the Good News of Jesus. We need to ask: Who are you, O Lord? Where are you at work in this world? What are you doing? How shall we share what we have seen and what we have heard?

Advent is upon us. Let us share this, the good news that Jesus is coming. As for me, I am excited. So now, let us spread the Good News of our God who reigns now and for all generations.

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[1] “The New Interpreter’s Bible,” Leander E. Keck, Convener. Vol. VIII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995, p 241-244.

[2] Authority of Scripture, Richardson, Alan, “Interpreters’ Dictionary of the Bible.” 21st Printing 1992. Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1962

[3] Authority of Scripture, Barr, J. “Interpreters’ Dictionary of the Bible—Supplemental Volume.” 13th Printing 1996. Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1976.

[4] http://www.godhatesfags.com/picketlocations.html, retrieved December 11, 2010.

[5] http://www.godhatesfags.com/index.html, retrieved December 11, 2010.

[6] Oxley, Chuck. “His church was bombed, and now he protests funerals of the war dead.” Seattlep.com. Retrieved October 5, 2006.

[7] http://www.carynews.com/2010/12/11/v-print/24444/westboro-baptist-protest-sparks.html, retrieved December 11, 2010.

[8] WBC Press Release found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/elizabeth-edwards-funeral-westboro-baptist-church_n_794333.html, retrieved December 11, 2010.

[9] Ibid. http://www.godhatesfags.com/index.html, retrieved December 11, 2010.