Dr. Steven P. Eason
"It’s Not About Me"
John 1:6-8, 19-28
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6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. 24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
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Well, I went shopping yesterday – with the rest of America. I couldn’t help but notice that nowhere in the mall was there any mention of John the Baptist! No line to see John the Baptist. No John the Baptist music. He wasn’t there.
So why are we reading this story about John the Baptist on the third Sunday of Advent? Its thirty years after the birth of Jesus. Why read it now?
John was extremely popular with some, and he threatened others. The Pharisees, the religious establishment, sent a delegation to go check him out. They want to know who he is but John goes through a litany of who he was not. He’s not the light. He’s not the Messiah, he’s not Elijah, and he’s not the prophet of which Moses spoke.
John is outside of the establishment. He’s not in Jerusalem. He’s not a part of the temple. He’s out there “beyond the Jordan.” He’s not doing it right, so God couldn’t be involved in that. They want to know who he is and why he is baptizing people.
The Jews baptized for two reasons. They baptized Jews who were unclean, who needed to be purified before entering the temple because they had touched a dead body or for some other reason. Or, they would baptize as a final step in the conversion process for Gentiles who were seeking to become Jews. There was an oral test, circumcision and then baptism.
So John is not baptizing people into Christ, as we do. Nor is he a Jewish priest but he’s out there baptizing and proclaiming something new that is about to happen. He’s a stray. So, they send some folks to check him out! But when they get there, he won’t talk about himself. He’s pointing to somebody else. In essence John is saying, “It’s Not About Me.” He’s pointing to Christ.
My father was a United Methodist pastor and so was I, when I first went into the ministry. When I became a Presbyterian I was concerned that this would be a great disappointment to both of my parents who were raised as Methodists. Both sets of grandparents were Methodists. I anguished over my decision and dreaded the day when I was going to tell him of my decision to transfer my ordination. I don’t know how he was really feeling, but he was gracious enough to say, “Steve, you’ve always been a Presbyterian. You just didn’t know it!” He was right about that.
The day he came to my installation service at First Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, Virginia he brought a gift. It was a small framed pattern of cross-stitch with the Methodist logo and the words, “If I have only led you to myself, I have not led you very far.” Pointing to somebody else.
Those are the words of John the Baptist. “It’s not about me.” John knew what he was not, which helped him to know who he was. He was a witness to something greater than himself. St. Francis once said, “We are the moon reflecting the rays of the sun from our surface.” John is a witness.
A witness in a courtroom is someone who has personal knowledge, who has heard or seen something of importance. A witness is one who comes forth, who cannot stay silent. A witness is one who points to the truth.
You know it is possible to be a poor witness? There are those witnesses who claim to know too little;
‘We don’t pretend to be like Christ. We’re not sure what we believe or even who he really was or is. We’re still trying to figure it out. We’re more confused than anything else.’
It’s one thing to be open-minded, it’s another thing to be paralyzed with the questions and become so skeptical that you witness to nothing.
Then there are those who lay claim to too much.
‘We are like Christ and you need to believe like us, act like us, and be like us. You ask the question – we have the answer.’
And yet, behind the curtain their lives are flawed and broken and sinful, just like all the rest of us. They have their version of Jesus but may not even know him at all.
And then there is the witness who disclaims everything;
‘I’m just a member of a church and have no intention of Jesus getting control of my life. I use Jesus when I need him but have no desire to actually be used by him. I’m not a witness – I’m a consumer.’
What kind of witnesses are we to this One for whom the world has set aside December 25th to honor?
You do know that John was eventually imprisoned and beheaded. His head was served on a platter to Herod at his birthday party! (Mark 6:14-29) Pointing to Christ can be a dangerous business. There are people in the world who don’t want to see it. There are systems in the world that don’t want this “light” shining in their “darkness.” And there are witnesses who don’t want to witness.
Would they ever send a delegation to talk to us because we are pointing to Christ? Would anybody ever serve our head up on a platter because we were faithful and unwilling to compromise? Those are not the kind of questions you get on your Christmas cards, are they?
The Church may be criticized or even ignored today because it is seen as irrelevant, judgmental, pious and hypocritical. And if that’s all they see in us, then we should be criticized or ignored. But what if we were to take the voice of John, “It’s not about me.”
- What if young parents pointed their children to Christ?
- What if education were seen as a means for preparing one for service to the larger community rather than to acquire money and power?
- What if all of us pointed to Christ in the way we used our finances, not lavishing ourselves but investing in others?
- What if we all pointed to Christ in refusing to yield his ethics and morals in the marketplace? Would any of us be willing to take that ridicule and heat? Or even worse, the sacrifice of income and security?
- What if, as a church, we pointed to Christ by standing up in our city for affordable housing, or ministries that enable people to get out of poverty rather than keeping them standing in longer soup lines?
- What if we pointed to Christ in becoming advocates for those who have no advocacy?
- What if we pointed to Christ by shocking this community with our generosity, compassion and love?
You could lose your head pointing to Christ, but you would never lose your heart. In fact, you might just find it there.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen
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