Oak Chapel United Methodist Church

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The baptism of Jesus happened like this. A feral man (wild and untamed), John "the Baptist" began dipping people in a river and raving about repentance.  He drew some attention and caused considerable unrest. The "smart money" took him for a lunatic, but the common people (always looking for charms and tokens) imagined more. Perhaps John was a prophet (Israel hadn't seen one of them for a long time.), or even the Messiah. So to the river they came. Some to scoff, some to listen, some to repent and be baptized in Jordan's chilly water. Jesus, too, came and was baptized.

John Was the Herald

We know, of course, that John was the herald, the crier. He was the opening act, whose job was to warm up the audience. He was the morning star proclaiming that the sun was about to rise. He preached like one possessed, like a man with nothing to lose. He offended the elite, the powerful, even King Herod (and, especially unfortunate for John, Herod's wife). He was imprisoned and eventually beheaded. He had done his job. When the sun rises, the morning star disappears.

Repentance, of course, is always a good idea. It is the opposite of pride and vainglory. If we don't begin our spiritual pilgrimage with repentance, and make it part and parcel of our journey, we won't get very far. Repentance is always appropriate. But John the Baptist had an out-of-the-ordinary reason, a driving reason to call for repentance just then. Time was short. The Kingdom of God was, as he said, "at hand." No time now for consideration, for vacillation, for thinking it over. Jesus was standing in the wings.

Jesus Forces Us to Choose to Be Chaff or Grain

John saw something else, too. He faced up to something we modern preachers prefer to ignore: that Jesus is good news for some and bad news (very bad news) for others. No one wants to bear bad tidings. But listen to what John says of the One who was to come: "He will separate chaff from grain, and burn up the chaff with eternal fire and store away the grain." And, lest we miss the point, Luke adds that John "used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people." Good News and warning at the same time! Strange.

But isn't it always that way? Adam and Eve were given a beautiful garden -- good news -- and a warning! The children of Israel were "chosen by God", from among all the tribes of the earth, to be His special people -- good news -- and then warned that (because they were chosen) they had to live according to a strict covenant, or perish. A child born into a happy family, with good parents -- that is good news -- but such a one knows from the beginning that more is expected of him because of his advantages. I got a good promotion and a raise one time, and for about an hour I was elated. Then the fear of it hit me: now they will expect more! Seldom expressed, a warning comes with every promotion. We like to say, "The closer to the top, the nearer to the door." The Bible says, "To whom much is given, much is expected." Good news and a warning at the same time. That's mad John's point. The coming of Messiah (which the Jews had piously prayed for for centuries), he said, will be both good news and bad. It will make possible salvation, but it will also lay a warning and a responsibility upon us. Our obligation to repent and live according to God's law is heightened by Christ's coming. "He will separate chaff from grain, and burn up the chaff with eternal fire and store away the grain."

Knowledge of the Gospel Gives Us Added Responsibility

The grace of God is free, but not cheap, and must not be taken for granted. God paid an unspeakable price that we might know his love. Thousands of devoted souls have given their own lives that the message of God might be heard. It is a good message, a wonderful message, but we hear it with obligation. We cannot take the Gospel like a rabbit's foot, put it in our pocket, and expect it to bring us good luck. To carry the knowledge of the Gospel around with us gives us an added responsibility.

We are all at different points on our spiritual journeys. Yet, all of us, no matter where we are on the trip, need to be reminded how the gospel message, by its nature, is a plumb line that separates men and women, depending on how they respond. It is not a message to be contemplated as one might contemplate one's navel. It does not lie there like a dog until we decide what to do. It barks at us. It chases us. It demands a response.

Followers of Jesus Give Wholeheartedly

If we choose to walk in the gospel light, we have to take stock of ourselves. We might want to start at home, with little things. Sometimes that is where our faith is most sorely tested. When Mary and I went for counseling, before we were married, Dr. Richmond said,

You know, some people will tell you marriage is a fifty/fifty thing. I would suggest a different approach. If each of you will think of your marriage as a seventy-five/twenty-five thing (with you, yourself, obligated to do the greater part), it will come out about fifty-fifty, but it will sure be a happier marriage day by day.

That more-than-my-share attitude, it seems to me, is exactly how God relates to us. And it is how he expects us to relate, not only to spouses but, to all people. Isn't the opposite attitude a source of much whining and bitterness: it's not fair; he's not doing his share? When my girls were little, they used to fight over the bigger piece of pie, or cake, or whatever. A friend offered some great advice: let one cut the pieces, and the other choose. After that it was fascinating to watch how carefully the cutter would strive to make sure both pieces were equal. What a terrible way to live! Fifty/fifty. We expect it, perhaps, of children. But not of adults. And certainly not of Christians. Christ's coming (by its very nature) is a warning to people who choose to live like that. The warning doesn't always need to be spoken. In the light of His love, his giving of himself, such a grasping existence is seen as totally unacceptable.

We Do Whatever We Can to Make Life Better

As Christians we do whatever we can to make life better -- one of the things that separates us! We're not part of the problem; we're part of the solution to the problem. John Wesley walked through the streets of London and cried out that "every other house was a gin house." He knew the human destruction alcohol was causing in the homes of his beloved working class, and he campaigned to control its sale and use. He had that double courage, which is rare today: courage both to work for laws to eliminate evil, and (at the same time) the courage to tell individuals that they themselves had to stop drinking.

Wesley was influential in outlawing the slave trade, and in curbing child labor. We still have these things: a huge problem of substance abuse, slavery of all kinds, and too much use of child labor, especially in the third world. We have to change laws and trade agreements. That is right. But we need the courage to look an addict in the eyes and say that no one but he can stop his destructive behavior. We need to tell exploited people that they need not be in bondage to anyone but God, and call for the courage in them to throw off their chains. We have to say that stylish athletic shoes are not cheap, at any price, if children are used to manufacture them, and that we should stop shopping for bargains at the expense of little ones. We need laws and programs to provide for the poor. We also need the courage to say to some poor people that their poverty is their own fault. It's not one or the other. Wesley knew that. We must change society and we must change individuals. These are complex questions, I know; but Christ's coming forbids us to sit idly by. Where there is suffering, we will be there. If we are not, then his coming is, indeed, a warning -- his first coming and his second.

The Train is Leaving the Station

Good news for the grain, bad news for the chaff. Christ's coming is a line in the sand. I always hate to hear Jesus say he came not to bring peace but a sword, and that his coming divides families, parents from children, and so forth. But he said it. And his coming does just that. Not by his purpose, but by the reality of it. John the Baptist's message is , "The train is leaving the station. Some will be on board, some will stay behind. But no one can do both or neither. So the coming of Christ in John's day separated people and forced them to choose. His imminent return -- an everyday expectation for Christians -- also divides men and women, causing them to choose.