"preparing The Way"

“Preparing the Way”

Luke 3:2-6, 15-18, 21-22

John the Baptist put on quite a show and the people noticed.

Can you imagine the crowd coming to the edge of the river and watching what must have seemed like a spectacle of powerful preaching and baptisms?

Excitement would have been in the air and the people must of wondered who this preacher was.

And quite naturally, the people started to lift John up and to project their hopes and dreams onto him.

Verse 15 says: “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.”

And so, they asked him whether he was the Messiah who had come to save them from the oppression of the Romans.

John was clearly an extraordinary person; so, in their longing for a savior, the people wondered out loud whether John was that savior.

The crowd was looking for a star, a leader to take them away from their troubles, and they looked to John with hopeful eyes.

If he had said, “Yes, I am the one,” they would have followed him anywhere.

They were putty in his hands, and he knew it.

It must have been quite flattering.

He could have gotten a really big head out of it all.

He easily might have started believing all the wonderful things they were saying about him.

“Maybe I am as great as they say.”

“Maybe I am the Savior of the world.”

I mean, history is filled with false prophets…

…folks who are so eager for power over others and a way to aggrandize themselves that they will say and do just about anything to hold onto that power.

And yet, John resisted the temptation to accept their praise and bask in the glory that the crowd was offering him.

He resisted the temptation to take advantage of these vulnerable and desperate people.

He chose instead to point them to Jesus with a humility that must have taken his listeners by surprise.

He directed their attention away from himself and instead worked to excite the crowd even further in anticipation of the Great One Who would follow him.

“I baptize you with water.

But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

It is tempting for many of us to accept accolades for the work we do for Jesus and the church.

As we pour ourselves out in service, it feels good to have others notice and give us praise for what we are doing.

But there is a danger there, is there not?

For, if we start doing things, only to receive the praise of people, only to gain power and prestige for ourselves…

…well, why then are we doing it?

Are we doing it out of love for God and neighbor or for selfish reasons?

And if we are simply doing it for selfish reasons, would we still do it even if no one cheered and clapped at the end of the day?

I know it’s all very confusing and mixed up.

We are complex creatures.

And it’s good for us to receive compliments and give compliments to one another—and to encourage one another.

But we must keep things in perspective.

We must remember who we are and Whose we are.

We must keep Jesus at the center of everything we do, and remember that it is because of Jesus and His love for us that we too, can love.

And it is because of Jesus and His salvation, that we are being changed into His image and are called—by His love and empathy to seek to unveil the new life found in Him to others.

Remember what Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians: “think of what you were when you were called.

Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one can boast before him.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”

We are to tell of what God has done through what we do.

You know, even the ability to have faith is a gift from God.

And so, when we think about it…

…we are really saved by God’s faith, not our faith.