January 12, 2025 The Ministry of John the Baptist Luke 3:1-20

             Have you ever met one of your childhood heroes?  They’re usually a lot less impressive in person than you’d expect.  Somehow I always imagine them being taller than they really are; except, of course, basketball players who turn out to be even taller than you thought because they’re always surrounded by other tall people!

            I’m usually disappointed when I see a politician or a local news anchor out in public.  They too end up being shorter than I expect.  Sometimes their private persona is very different from what they’re like in public.  And since you’re used to seeing them on TV in news rooms or press conferences they’re usually surrounded by a studio or props that give them a certain look.

            There have been a few times in my life where I’ve had a chance to be behind the scenes when someone famous or charismatic goes out to do something in public.  Every time I’ve been pleased to see just how much behind the scenes work they do.  They make it look spontaneous and effortless when they’re in front of people but they’ve done a lot of preparation work beforehand in order to make that happen.

            I’ve often wondered what it will be like to meet Jesus.  We will all, at some point, get to meet him.  That’s part of the power of the Incarnation – of God coming to actually be a human being for a lifetime.  So how would a true God come across as looking?  In the Greek myths the gods often come to be in human form.  They’re usually specimens of masculine muscle or perfect female beauty.  But those are myths.  What about the real God in human form?

            Artists almost always depict Jesus as being tall, good looking, and having an amazing physique.  European artists make him look European.  African artists make him look African.  Asian artists make him look Asian.  Just about every culture makes him look like them.  There’s certainly nothing wrong with that.  However, he does have an actual look.  And if the Bible tells us anything about how God works, I suspect he wasn’t all that impressive looking.

            He almost certainly has an Arab/Middle Eastern appearance.   If the Shroud of Turin is any indication, he was average height and not particularly handsome.  19^th and early 20^th Century American artist Thomas Eakins did a piece that I believe is in charcoal called “The Crucifixion”.  He depicts Jesus on the cross as almost boy-like.  He’s small.  You can see that he is somewhat dirty and unkept.  His face is not visible.  And Eakins has done something very powerful in that piece.  He has not depicted Jesus as being raised above the viewer and looking down.  That’s the way almost all crucifixion art is done.  No, you see him at eye level.  I can imagine the scene where Pilate is questioning Jesus as this insignificant ordinary Jewish man and asks sarcastically, “You are the king of the Jews?”

            And also, what did John the Baptist look like?  It is easy to imagine John as wild looking as he lives in the wilderness eating locusts and wild honey.  The Bible describes him as wearing camel’s hair with a leather belt.

            But I want to point out something very interesting about the passage from Luke’s gospel that we read today.  Does Luke describe John’s look at all?  No.  Luke tells us about John’s parents and about John’s birth.  Luke tells us about John’s relationship to Jesus.  But Luke, who tells us these thing about John the other gospels do not, does not tell us anything about how he looked the way the other gospels do.

            I’m not sure, but I suspect that is intentional on Luke’s part.  Luke is pretty deliberate about the way he handles information.  So, with no details about John himself at all, notice what Luke does.  Our passage started off with a time frame: the 15^th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius.  So we’re given a date and an emperor.  He goes on, “…when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…”

            Luke does not need to go to this extreme to locate the ministry of John the Baptist in history.  He could have just said the 15^th year of the Emperor Tiberius.  But he is emphatic listing Roman government leaders, Jewish government leaders, and Jewish religious leaders.  He lists who they are, what they do, and where they do it.  They’re all the important people in all the important places.  And then, after all those details we get this: “…the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”  We’ve met his father before in the gospel, so we’re given his name, and that’s it.  No description of John.  No description of where John is doing it.  It’s just John in the wilderness.

            There wasn’t a place in Judea called, “The Wilderness.”  You wouldn’t be driving down the highway and see a sign saying, “Wilderness – 35 miles”.  It was nowhere and everywhere.  Luke never even locates John’s baptismal ministry along the Jordan River.  He’s just baptizing in the wilderness – presumably someplace where there’s water!

            Earlier I said that I suspect the physical presence of Jesus was unremarkable.  He didn’t stand out in a crowd.  And I also suspect the physical presence of John the Baptist wasn’t all that remarkable either.

            Never underestimate how much God does through the unremarkable and in places that don’t seem important.  The Buffalo Bills will be playing this afternoon.  Many people will be watching with rapt attention.  Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park is where the famous and skilled players of two celebrated football teams will be gathered in an epic athletic contest.  Tickets are expensive.  Concessions are expensive.  Advertisers have spent a fortune to get an ad in the game broadcast.  You can bet sports betting companies have millions upon millions in bets on who knows what all in the game.

            And the word of God…  Well, don’t expect there to be any splashy displays of divine revelation during the halftime show!

            God can do anything.  But big splashy things are not generally God’s style.  The word of God will be active in untold places among untold people throughout the world.  But, despite the fact that there is sure to be a lot of prayers raising to heaven over the outcome of the game (especially by those who have bet a lot of money) I doubt Highmark Stadium will be at the center of God’s activity.

            John the Baptist says some pretty offensive things in our gospel reading.  He’d certainly never make it as a presidential candidate in America with some of his words.  Luke tells us that crowds are coming out to meet him.  How does he greet them?  Does he say, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father”?  Nope.  Does he say, “Welcome all and receive a word of hope from God”?  Nope.  Does he say, “Come to me and be baptized to receive a new life”?  Nope.  He says, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

            Here’s a hint.  If you want people to like you, don’t greet them like that!  John’s initial message to the crowds is full of challenges and threats.  He tells them to bear fruits worthy of repentance.  He tells them not to point to their ancestry as descendants of Abraham as significant.  He tells them that every tree that does not bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire. 

Then notice something about his actual message.  The crowds ask him, “What then should we do?”  How are they to escape this fiery punishment from God?  John’s words are mundane.  If you have two coats share with someone who has none.  And share your food.  Tax collectors, often despised for their role as collecting money for the Romans who occupy the territory and who were often opportunists get similarly mundane instructions: “Collect no more that the amount prescribed for you.”  Soldiers also ask for advice.  If there’s any group we’d expect John to lay into it would be soldiers.  Shouldn’t they quit and become peaceful laborers?  Is that what prophets like Isaiah often talk about when they say about turning swords into plowshares?  But what does John actually tell them?  “Do not extort money form anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

This is all ordinary advice.  As Luke depicts it John is an ordinary guy in no place special giving basic advice about decency to the crowds.  It’s almost as if the whole ministry of John the Baptist is a letdown!

Let’s learn something very important from all of this unremarkable-ness.  Don’t expect a life of faithfully following Christ to somehow be special, or charismatic, or attention getting.  Ordinariness may well be what it is.

So don’t expect God to ask you to do extraordinary things.  And don’t demand that God meet you in extraordinary events or people.  Expect to see God in the ordinary.  And be ready to do ordinary things in the name of God. 

Perhaps the ordinariness of faith is one of its challenges.  But just because it appears ordinary does not mean we approach it with a spirit of dullness or apathy.  No, we approach the works of faith with energy and enthusiasm because these are God’s work.  They are worthwhile.  They are important.  And despite the fact that they may appear routine, their effects are everlasting.