Advent Week 3

Psalm: Isaiah 12:2-6
Old Testament: Zephaniah 3:14-20 
Gospel: Luke 3:7-18
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-7

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally the Sunday of joy: a time when we celebrate the joyous news of the incarnation. But our reading from Luke seems to be the exact opposite of a joyous message. Rather, it concerns the judgment of the world, and the wheat being separated into the barn while the chaff is thrown into the fire. The message is not really one of hope, joy, or salvation. But in verse 18 we have the interesting words, "So with many other exhortations he [John the Baptist] preached the gospel to the people. It is interesting that John the Baptist is the first one to preach the Gospel in the book of Luke. The angles have already announced good news (gospel) to both Zechariah, John's father, and to the shepherds at Jesus' birth, but it falls to John to bring this good news to the people.

However, it is the content and presentation of this news that strikes me this first time John presented it. What makes it good news and, in terms of this Sunday, what makes it joyous? In order to understand the answer to those questions we have to know where John (and the writer of Luke for that matter) is coming from; we have to go back to the Old Testament. Our readings from Isaiah and Zephaniah are indicative of the tradition. Isaiah ministered during the time that the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian empire and it not a strong time for the southern kingdom of Judah on top of that. Isaiah warned and prophesied that Judah would fall as well because they were following the same disobedience and evil ways of Israel. Yet Isaiah looked forward to a day when Israel would be restored. "In that day" he called this time in 12:4. Three times the word salvation is used in these 6 verses. So, in the midst of hardship, exile and death, when the day of the Lord comes, it will be a day of salvation and joy. Indeed, verse 3 says, "Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation."

Similar to Isaiah, Zephaniah also uses the phrase "in that day" (vs. 13 and 16). He looked forward to the day when the Lord would be in their "midst," exulting over them with joy. (14) I think verse 18 is key to understanding what the Old Testament vision of good news looked like when the Lord would come and restore Israel fortunes.

Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your oppressors,
I will save the lame
And gather the outcast,
And I will turn their shame into praise and renown
In all the earth.

As much as the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied judgement and exile, they also looked forward to restoration and the coming day of the Lord when all would be made right. In that day of salvation, their joy would be so much greater after coming through such a dark time.

With that in mind, as we look to John's gospel, we can understand why his message is one of judgement, but also of good news and joy. John's message is threefold: 1. Repent and prepare for the coming Messiah. 2. There will be judgement for those who choose not to heed the message. He particularly focused on the the leaders and those who were self-assured or proud in their Jewish heritage without the righteousness God desires. 3. He was not the expected one, but he was preparing the way. All of those together, but particularly the third prong, are good news. The Messiah is coming and "in that day" he will bring restoration, salvation and joy.

The reason why John's, and Jesus' for that matter, message is laced with the language of judgment is because not everyone will accept the Gospel. When Jesus announces his ministry in Luke ch. 4 and quotes Isaiah 61, he says:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, 
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus' message is for the poor (poor in spirit in Matthew). That means the rich may feel some tension with the message. Where there are prisoners there are jailers and those who put people in jail. They also might not be thrilled with Jesus' message of good news. Same goes for the oppressed who will be set free. Someone is getting rich and living lavishly at the expense of the oppressed and their lifestyle is threatened by Jesus' message. The Gospel is in fact good news of great joy for all people as the angel said to the shepherds, but not all people will accept it. For those who don't accept the gospel, they will be thrown into the fire as John the Baptist says. (3:9 and 17)

The question for us today is: What are we going to do with this good news? Will we accept it and let it change our lives? Or will we be assured of our own ability and self-righteousness and accept the coming judgment? Will we accept the Christmas message of the baby, fully God and fully man, who was born to a virgin, or not? The message of good news of great joy has been proclaimed in the birth, ministry and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us accept this message and have it permeate our lives.

Grace and Peace.