How To Treat Jesus Series

How to Treat Jesus

(John 3:22-36)

When Kanye West goes to a venue to perform, he requires that there be a slushy machine for him to use. Singers often have contracts with a venue that spell out how they are to be treated. Madonna must have a vegan chef. Jack White must have fresh home-made guacamole per the recipe provided. Their contracts spell it all out. The most popular contract is the one that the group Van Halen has. It is a 53 page contract and in that contract is the phrase, M&Ms (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES). The reason for this stipulation is that if Van Halen arrives at a venue and there are brown M&Ms, they quickly know that the promoter has not read the contract and there are probably many more important requirements that have to be double-checked.

What if God had a contract? What if in that contract, He spelled out how He wanted to be treated? What would be in the contract? We will consider some possibilities today.

This sermon is titled, How to treat Jesus. We will look at five ways God and His Son, Jesus, should be treated.

1. Submit to God's Plan

John 3:22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

John 3:23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.

John 3:24 (This was before John was put in prison.)

John 3:25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.

John 3:26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

John 3:27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.

John the Baptist is baptizing people in the Jordan River. He has moved across and down the river from where he was before. A certain Jew comes to John’s disciples, his students, and argues with them about ceremonial washing.

The Greek actually just says cleansing. Why is he arguing about cleansing? What does that have to do with anything?

It has relevance because the Jews have a way of cleansing themselves. They strip down naked, climb down into a special pool of water, dunk themselves up and down several times, and then climb out. They go in unclean and come out clean. They still do this today. This is where John the Baptist got the idea of baptism from. Our baptism comes from this Jewish practice of cleansing.

This man and John’s students were probably arguing about which baptism is better, John’s or the Jews’. This Jewish man probably then pointed out that Jesus was down the river doing the same thing and that everyone was going to Him.

John’s students didn’t like this. They went and told John. There was something they did not understand. John understood most of it.

God had a plan. God had a plan when it came to John the Baptist and Jesus. John was to prepare the way for Jesus. John did that. But then John was to get less popular, have fewer followers, and even die (John probably didn’t know that part). All the while, Jesus was to get more popular and get more followers.

What if John didn't like this? What if John decided that he liked the crowds? John could have gone to Jesus and said, “I was here first. Go find your own river.”

No, instead, John submitted to God’s plan. He said, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.” John realized that everything that he had, all those people who came to hear him, all those people that he baptized, all his students, God had given him them. They were gifts from God. God could just as easily take them away, and in some sense He had. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” John knew this, and he submitted to it.

God also has a plan when it comes to us. The things, that we have, came from God, from heaven. They are a part of His plan. Do we see this? I'm afraid not enough. We think that we earned it all. We can only receive what God gives us. And God has given us so much. But God has a plan.

I can guarantee you that there are things in God’s plan that you do not like. I am sure that John didn’t like everyone going to Jesus and not coming to him. But he realized that God had a plan and His plan was more important. He realized that God was working in all of this. Who was he to only take the good parts? John submitted to God’s plan. We also must submit to God's plan. That’s how God wants us to treat Him. Submit to His plan. Another one is: