Malachi 3,1-4; Philippians 1.3-11; Luke 3.1-6
I, John, only son of the priest Zechariah of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, true descendant of Aaron. Born to them in their old age when both of them had given up hope of ever conceiving. I, John, am a servant of the most high God and here is my story.
It all began when my father was called by lot to offer the daily incense at the temple in Jerusalem. He explained to me that this was a huge honour, for although the original temple built by Solomon had been destroyed this new one was on the same site, where God had promised He would never leave it. So there was always a hope and expectancy that God would reveal himself again in power and authority and live among his chosen people, us Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. So it was with a mixture of pride and excitement that my father entered the temple that day to offer the incense to God. Many times he told me the story of how he lit the incense and watched its vapours rise into the morning air. Then suddenly there was this angelic being standing at the right side of the incense, wings neatly furled, with a face shining like bronze and a presence and a light coming from it that made your skin tingle. My father stood rooted to the spot, absolutely terrified, not knowing whether this was a vision or something real. Then the Angel spoke to him and told him not to be afraid and that his prayers for a child had been heard, and that his wife would conceive and give birth to a boy. He remembers thinking how absurd this was, he had prayed this prayer for many years, watching and waiting to no avail, and now his wife was dry so how could she conceive? Despite his fear he almost laughed at the Angel - something he always felt great remorse about afterwards, and spoke about with embarrassment. How could he have been so unbelieving? Here was an Angel from God, who stands in God’s presence telling him that even in their old age he and his precious Elizabeth were to have a son - a hope they had given up on long ago and not just any son. This child was to be great in the sight of the Lord and from his birth he would be filled with the presence of God, the Holy Spirit. And he would turn the hearts of many Israelite people to the Lord their God and the hearts of parents would be turned to their children, and the wicked to righteous living because of him. All with one purpose, to prepare the people of God for the coming of the Lord himself.
Time and again my father spoke these words to me. When I was young, he led me through the holy scriptures and emphasised the verses that spoke of the coming of the Lord’s servant and of the Lord’s messenger, saying they believed that I was to be this messenger and that my relative Jesus was that servant of the Lord. And he taught me to learn to listen to the Word of God, God himself speaking to me. This was helped by the strict bringing up I had as a Nazirite, never drinking alcohol and never cutting my hair - something that the Angel had insisted upon and so throughout my childhood I knew I was different to other children, that I had a special calling from God, that God had given me to my parents for this purpose.
So when I read passages like the one from Isaiah about a voice crying out in the wilderness - prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight - I know that is my task, my reason for living. My whole life has been moving towards this point. There have been times I wanted it to come sooner, yet deep down I knew it had to be in God’s timing, not just for me but also for Jesus. Both of us had to be ready, watching and waiting for the kairos moment - God’s moment.
After my parents died. Zechariah first then my mother, Elizabeth, I spent more and more time alone, often weeks in the wilderness just by myself and the wild animals. Meditating before God, watching and waiting, seeking the same spirit that energised and empowered the prophet Elijah. Allowing myself to be filled with God. On the rare occasions I was in Jerusalem I watched and listened to others - the gossips, the lies, the deceits and treachery and I saw first hand the way people put themselves above God, and God’s righteousness and indignation burned within me. These people were God’s chosen nation and they cheapened and sullied his very name. They were not worthy of such a honour. And so I yearned for it all to begin - when Jesus would start his ministry and come like a refiner’s fire, and the cleansing power of bleaching fuller’s soap and sort them out. I foresaw the fulfilment of Amos’ prophecy: justice would flow like water and righteousness like an ever flowing stream (Amos 5.24). Oh these prophets of old knew how to tell it. Bring it on Lord. Bring it on I prayed.
So fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, I started my ministry out in the wilderness, by calling people to repentance. I pointed out their lies and deceit, challenged their hypocrisy, their waywardness and made it very clear they needed to turn back to God and seek his forgiveness. Hundreds and hundreds came out to hear me and many received the baptism of repentance that I offered and I like to think that they did start afresh, did change their ways.
Then that fox Herod put me in prison, because I had spoken out that he should not have married his brother’s wife, Herodias, while his brother was still alive. Moses made that quite clear, a wrong is a wrong and must be exposed and corrected for we are God’s chosen people, a nation set aside for God and the sin of one affects us all. Holy and separate that is what we are meant to be, serving God who is holy. So now I speak to the very stones inside this cell declaring to them the evil there is and willing them to spit it out, to become righteous before God.
But I fear that my whole life has come to nothing for this Jesus, this relative of mine has not exploded on to the scene in the way I had envisaged. I thought when he started his ministry that it would be apparent to everyone that here was God’s elect, God’s chosen one, the promised messiah that the prophets foretold of, the one we have been watching and waiting for, the one who would redeem everything. Who would fill all the valleys, make the crooked straight, the rough ways smooth and through him everyone would see the salvation of God. Everyone would be refined like silver, the dross removed, inwardly cleansed as if by Fuller’s soap and all would turn back to worship God and God would be pleased with our worship. A mass change of heart and mind. But my disciples do not report this to me. Instead he has gathered a select group of his own disciples and wanders from village to village. Yes I have heard of some miraculous healings but is that it? Surely if this is God’s anointed messiah, we would all know it and be transformed by that knowledge?
What do you think? Did I start too early or too late? Did I get it wrong? Did I back the wrong horse? Should we be watching and waiting for another Messiah? Or is there something I am missing? God knows. I need to trust him. O Lord God I pray, please help me to discern your will, and may I keep faithful to your word and your command to us, passed down to us by past generations in the words of that ancient prayer, the Shema:
Hear, O Israel the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
Postscript
Two days after John dictated these words to his disciples he was executed by Herod.