“Are you the one or should we look for someone else?”
Let us continue the story of Christmas after Jesus’ birth
Matthew 2:13-15 (Hosea 11:1) Refers to Joseph, Mary and Jesus their escape to Egypt, and the prophecy “Out of Egypt I have called my Son” – a text that is very important for African Christians. Jesus was in Africa for a time.
In Luke2: 21-39 we see Jesus’ naming and circumcision – the naming is reflected in infant baptisms where parents are asked “Would you name your child” – it is an important responsibility for the parents to decide what the name will say to the child and to others about who they are.
And then there is a temple ceremony for purification and dedication. Mary and Joseph offer the sacrifice set for those who were poor – a pair of doves or two young pigeons
While they are there they meet two other people who recognise who Jesus is and who have great joy at his coming.
Just because we say our prayers does not mean we always get it right, but it is often prayerful people like Simeon and Anna who have a sense of what is really going on. Such people are a gift.
In the church where I was converted when I was an engineering student the congregation had prayed for revival, but when God answered their prayers not in the way they wanted with something tidy and Presbyterian, but something untidy, unpredictable and charismatic among the youth. Many older folk were upset at youthful spiritual over-confidence, especially when it did not show proper respect for the elders.
But an elderly Irish Christian, Mr Coulter recognised what was going on. He saw that at one level youth were just being youth, especially as this was New Zealand not Malaysia. At another level what was going was something he recognised from memories of his own country, Ireland, and of stories of revivals there. What he saw was the Holy Spirit bringing young people to faith, discovering God’s Holy Spirit in their lives, and learning to discern God’s gifts and calling. And of course this did not mean they got everything right or that they had the maturity or experience to recognise that the different expressions of faith by older people in the congregation were also valid.
Perhaps Mr Coulter might have shared in the words of Simeon
Now Lord let thou thy servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen thy salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people, Israel.
This may be our response in different situations as well – when we have seen situations long prayed for brought to a resolution. One day we can let go a burden or see that a hope is being realised because we see that God has indeed brought things to a new place.
Simeon and Anna brought other words as well, more things for Mary and Joseph to ponder: about God’s choice of Jesus, about his role in judgment and salvation, in the experience of conflict, and in opening up secret things.
We too may have words that have come to us, through others, or in our own hearts, and convictions about what God is saying to us. They may be things we are not sure about. And we may be wise not to always speak them out. People can do harm bringing words of judgment which are not their gift or place to share.
But there can be words of comfort or reassurance that are quite personal. We cannot demand these things from God, but we should not despise them either. We should I think not be too quick to decide what God is trying to tell us, but such words can be very meaningful.
I myself had the experience of an elderly praying lady reassuring me about the salvation of my father. He had had a difficult life as a child and his own actions brought pain to others. Yet at the end of the day he too was a person of faith.
But there is another story in our readings this morning.
John the Baptist, at a time which proved to be near the end of his life, suddenly had doubts whether he had made a mistake in declaring Jesus to be the promised Messiah.
The story of John the Baptist and the messengers he sent to Jesus is often told a few weeks before Christmas to remind us of those who go ahead to “prepare the way of the Lord.” It is a time when we can also thank God for all those who prepared the way leading to our own welcoming of Jesus into our lives.
But I think it is good to think of John the Baptist not only in that role, but also as an example of one who was at the centre of what Jesus was about and who suddenly found himself having doubts and questions.
It is not uncommon after a big event for there to be a bit of a letdown. The experience of a low after a spiritual or emotional high can be quite real. It famously happened to Elijah after his spectacular defeat of the prophets of Baal.
We can map highs and lows in the disciple’s lives as they followed Jesus. Even the day after Christmas may be a bit of a letdown after the excitement of Christmas Day.
John sent messengers to Jesus to ask a serious question: “Are you the one or should we wait for another?”
In all the Gospels John is an important prophet, calling people to a baptism of repentance. He was astonished to find that Jesus also came to him for baptism. We remember his words about Jesus that “he must increase and I must decrease” and that “I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I. I am not good enough even to untie his sandals” (Luke 3:16) “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
John had a successful ministry, and some of Jesus’ disciples had first been disciples of John (John 1:35), but he also suffered for the courage of his convictions and the directness of his preaching. When he criticized the governor Herod Antipas for taking his brother’s wife, he was put in prison. Antipas was the son of the King Herod who had met the wise men on their way to visit the baby Jesus and who had children killed in Bethlehem in an effort to get rid of him. In Matthew 14 it explains how his son Herod Antipas wanted to kill John the Baptist but was afraid to do so until he was tricked by his wife and his own foolishness.
Waiting in prison fearing something like this was likely to happen was not a good time for John. He began to have questions and doubts. His diet had never been good, now it was worse. It was not easy to think straight about all that had happened.
However, he did do something about it. He managed to arrange for messengers to go to Jesus and ask the question that was on his heart. In asking “Are you the one?” he was not testing God or looking for a sign. He was not playing games with Jesus saying you had better bless me and if you don’t I will go and try some other God. He was not threatening Jesus with some sort of performance review.
It quite proper for us to take seriously the questions that arise for us out of a search to know and do God’s will. It is important to do so. The New Testament is very understanding about questions like these. Sometimes we may feel Jesus was a bit rough on people asking questions – he does challenge people to work things out – but it all depends on why people are asking. Is it about following Jesus and knowing the truth, or is it about keeping Jesus at a distance and looking for reasons to avoid doing what we know to be right?
We can take courage from John Baptist going to Jesus – and the matter of fact way Jesus put the question back to him to think again about what was going on and what that must mean.
There are OK questions for us to ask on the journey of life of faith. It is important that we do so that we grow our understanding of God with our experience of the complexity of life.
We can reassure our children and ourselves that there is nothing that is too big or too complicated for God. That there is no understanding about the complexity of how the world works, in science, or in philosophy, in economics or politics, where it is not possible to appreciate that God is big enough for these things.
We will have questions. Jesus is likely to ask us to look at the evidence. But in doing us he will indicate that he understands us, he loves us, and he is at work in us too.
AMEN
John Roxborogh
