When In Doubt...

and wild honey.

And his message was so different from what the people were used to hearing –

he was telling the people to change, to repent.

As the crowds came out to see John, God revealed something to John about these people.

Many of them really weren’t all that sincere.

They were materialistic people – their god was money, power, and

possessions.

Many of them weren’t interested in changing their lives

and preparing for the Messiah at all.

John was just a tourist attraction to them, and that’s about it.

That’s why, in verse 7, John calls them a “brood of vipers.”

In verse 8, John told them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Don’t just stand there, John told them.

If you really are sincere, if you really are repenting in your life,

then change, do something that people can see.

Time was running out, John told the people.

In verse 9 he said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that

does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And, like I said before,

This is, of course, the good news.

So, why doesn’t it feel so good when I hear it?

The guy sounds nuts if you ask me.

And yes, that is a professional clinical diagnosis of John…

Nuts! Off his rocker! Lunatic!

Pick a winner…

They are all good words to describe him,

And they certainly make it much easier to dismiss him and walk away.

There is just one problem.

Jesus called John the greatest of all the prophets.

Jesus himself was baptized by him and called him great.

And also something else happened here in this interaction…

Many of the people did in fact repent, were baptized,

And did make a sincere effort to change their lives.

Suddenly this crazy man doesn’t seem quite so crazy.

Maybe a better word to describe him is the word “disturbing”

Because that is who John was.

John was disturbing.

And his words disturb us today.

That is why we are tempted to just avoid this guy altogether and dismiss him

As nuts.

We do not like being disturbed.

In many ways, we are like those people who came out to see John.

We struggle with the same problems – don’t we?

Money, power, possessions.

Two thousand years later and we still have the same problems.

Maybe, just maybe, we are not as evolved as we think.

And maybe, just maybe, John is the only sane one

And the rest of the world is crazy.

John the Baptist calls out to you, and asks you hard questions.

If you know that it is wrong to wield your power, why do you continue?

If you know it is wrong to serve your money and your possessions,

Why do you do it anyway?

If you know what is right – why do you keep on doing what is wrong?

That’s what John the Baptist was addressing many years ago.

He pointed out the people’s sins.

And, to be honest, they don’t sound too much different from the same

Issues people struggle with today.

And, as I have said twice before,

This was the good news.

Now, you must be thinking by now that I am the one who is nuts.

How on earth can this be good news?

All we have heard this morning is judgment and condemnation from this guy.

He has called us names,