In Jesus Holy Name December 12, 2021
Text: Luke 7: 21,18,19 Redeemer
“Is Jesus the True Messiah?”
Is Jesus the True Messiah? It is a fair question that John had to ask. With Christmas is just around the corner, people should be asking a similar question: “Is Christmas about a baby named Jesus?” If so, “What is the true meaning of Christmas?”
Christmas cartoon specials can be found on any TV channel. Each of these specials will suggest an option for the true meaning of Christmas. One might be family; another will promote the true meaning of Christmas as giving; and yet another will declare the real meaning of Christmas is having a good heart.
Night after night viewers will be provided a host of programs celebrating the arrival and struggles of Santa, Frosty, Rudolph, the Grinch, Jack Frost, and a whole host of other characters who have become part of our culture's Christmas celebration. There is even a new Christmas song that debuted this year. “Santa Has A Dirty Job.” Created by Mike Rowe and musician John Rich.
These are fun cartoons and a creative new Christmas song…but what is the true meaning of Jesus…That was John’s question. Are you the Messiah?
Charles Schulz wanted A Charlie Brown Christmas to have the religious meaning that was central to his own experience of Christmas. Schulz wanted it to include snowy scenes that recalled his native Midwest. His main goal for a Peanuts-based Christmas special was to focus on the true meaning of Christmas.
A Charlie Brown Christmas was first aired on CBS on December 9, 1965.
The Peanut cartoon had scenes of snow and ice-skating. The music background was a combination of jazz with traditional Christmas carols. Schulz was adamant about Linus' reading of the Bible, despite the producers concern that religion was a controversial topic, especially on television.
Of all the Christmas specials only Charlie Brown's Christmas special will tell the true meaning of Christmas from the lips of Linus, "Unto you is born in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord."
Linus was absolutely right. Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus, the sinless Son of God. The birth of the world's Savior is what Christmas really recalls - the coming of Jesus to offer Himself as the ransom to save us. "Unto you is born a Savior," With the birth of Jesus, the angel’s message to Joseph became reality. “He will save God’s people from their sins.”
(Sermon ideas from Rev. Ken Klaus Dec. 7, 2008)
Before the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and Joseph he visited Zechariah, serving as a priest in Jerusalem. He and his wife Elizabeth had not been able to have children and were now in their old age. God had other plans and their life changed. When Elizabeth gave birth to their infant son, John, there was excitement in their lives and house. When they looked at their miracle baby John, what did they think would happen to their little lad?
If ever parents had reason to dream gloriously great dreams about their child, it had to be this couple. After all, John's name had been picked in heaven. His birth was a biological miracle foretold by an angel. God promised their boy would not only bring joy and gladness into their lives, but he would also be filled with the Holy Spirit and many would be blessed because of him (see Luke 1:13).
Do you think for a moment they ever imagined their boy would end up living in the wilderness; that his clothing would consist of a camel hair suit accessorized with a leather belt? Did they ever suppose his diet would be made up of locusts and wild honey, or that his days would be spent doing baptisms in the Jordan River? Could the family of a respected temple priest ever think their boy would call respectable people like Pharisees and Sadducees a "generation of vipers"?
And even if Zechariah and Elizabeth could have imagined all of these things, they certainly would never have guessed their little boy was going to be thrown into the dungeon of the black fortress of Herod Antipas. Things seldom turn out the way we dream.
John the Baptist was no shy wallflower. He preached repentance from sin. He baptized. He lived what he preached. He called people out. He called leaders out for bad behavior. And that was a problem for Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee. John was rather outspoken and didn’t mince words when he condemned Herod’s divorce from his first wife and then married his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias.
(from “the High Calling” Choosing the Greater of Two Evils)
The Gospel of Luke honestly records the doubts of John the Baptist concerning Jesus. John had clearly proclaimed Jesus as the coming Messiah and had witnessed the miraculous events of Jesus' baptism (see Matt. 3:1-17), but he began to wonder whether Jesus was truly the Messiah. No doubt John, like the disciples of Jesus were expecting a kingly figure who would purify Israel and deliver the nation from its Roman bondage. Jesus didn't fit this bill.
So often, even in the best of situations, things seldom turn out the way we dreamed them.
John had taken a few shots at the existing religious establishment. But then John had gotten personal. John let fly criticism of Herod and his new, slightly used bride, Herodias. You see, Herod had, against all morality, tradition, and law, stolen and then married the wife of his brother, Philip. It was a union God had forbidden; an action John condemned. (From a sermon by Rev, Ken Klaus Advent III)
Criticizing a king can lead to discontent; discontent can lead to revolt; and revolt can lead to an old king being removed and replaced by a new leader. That's why Herod gave the order for John to be taken out of circulation and put in prison.
Things seldom turn out the way we dream. That may have been John's thoughts as he sat in prison. Even though Jesus was doing great miracles, He was not acting as the powerful political savior John had expected. Nor was Jesus executing God’s judgment on sinners as John had promised. So John was perplexed, filled with doubt about Jesus, while sitting in his prison cell.
Maybe that's what John was thinking as he spent days, weeks, months, in prison.
During those lonely hours did his mind wander back to the stories his mother had told him about Mary, his relative from Nazareth who, as a virgin, had given birth to the promised Savior?
Did he think about the day Jesus had come to him at the Jordan to be baptized, or how God's voice from heaven had pointed to Jesus as being the promised Messiah? Did John think Jesus would come to his rescue and release him from prison? That might have been a possibility.
Maybe John wondered: “Where is the power of the Messiah?” Power. That's not a word which people often use when they think of Jesus. It certainly is not a word which pops into their minds when they gaze at the baby in His Bethlehem manger.
Jesus told John’s disciples: Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, and those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached. Why did Jesus give this answer? In the Jewish understanding of the scriptures four things would identify the arrival of the long-expected Messiah.
1) Blind would receive sight 2) Lepers would be healed 3) the dead would be raised 4) the deaf would hear.
John must re-evaluate his understanding of Jesus. That is what John must do. Why is Jesus not throwing out the Romans? Is Jesus the promised Messiah? When John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus didn't command His heavenly host to lay siege to the castle where the prophet was being held; He didn't teleport to John's cell and break the bars or loosen the locks which imprisoned the prophet. John asked a fair question.
Charles Shultz wanted people to re evaluate their understanding of Christmas. What is the true meaning of Christmas. One’s eternal destiny depends on your “belief and trust” in Jesus. On the lips of Linus we find the true meaning of Christmas: "Unto you is born in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord."
John along with the disciples were expecting political power to be their answer?
It is not. The answer to our human crisis is not political power in some state or national capital. It is to be found in the change in our heart, our human nature. It is the defeat of Satan’s power to encourage us to disobey our relationship with God and one another. He is the author of chaos, and destruction God’s values. He is the author of death.
When dying on the cross Jesus did not call for 10,000 angels to rescue Him. That’s why the Pharisees shouted: “If you are the true Messiah, come down from the cross and we will believe you are the “One”.” No, the purpose of His birth that we are celebrating this Christmas, His death on the cross was to transfer His holiness to all who place their faith in Him and transfer from every us, our broken commandment and nailing them to His cross. (Colossians 2:14) That is why God sent His Son, Jesus, by His resurrection from the grave and death would open the doors of heaven for us. His resurrection guarantees that God now sees every believer as holy, without blemish, free from accusation.
His true power was on display when Jesus rose from death and the grave on Easter morning. “By His death on the cross Jesus destroyed the devil who holds the power of death and frees humanity from the fear of human death by providing the promise of eternal life.” Christmas is more than the birthday of a great man, named Jesus. It is the beginning of the celebration for eternity.
