Luke tells us John “preached good news to the people.” Really? “Good” news?
It sure did not sound like good news. If I were to describe his preaching, I would choose other words to summarize what he said. Dire warnings, serious threats, harsh judgments; these seem more accurate. As a revered homiletics professor once said about a sermon in which the Law was preached particularly sternly, John the Baptist “drilled without Novocain.” The drilling began at verse 7: “You brood of vipers... Bear fruit... The axe is at the foot of the tree... Share your tunic and your food... Do no extort... Be content...” By the time he got to the end, the image of a winnowing fork, a threshing floor, and an unquenchable fire ensured no one could have heard him without squirming.
Which is why Luke’s description of his preaching in verse 18 is a little surprising. Luke tells us John “preached good news (εὐηγγελίζετο) to the people.” Really? “Good” news? The first part of verse 18 and its reference to “many other exhortations” (παρακαλῶν) seems a little closer, but Luke knew what he was doing, and so did John. As you prepare to preach good news this Sunday, you will do the same.
Back to the professor’s comment about Novocain. Anyone who has ever endured serious dental work knows the discomfort. I recall getting my wisdom teeth removed back in college. I am sure they used some sort of anesthesia and certain they were kind and caring human beings, but I am also quite convinced they borrowed heavy machinery from the highway construction crew to do the job. My entire face was left throbbing for days. I am glad the work was done, of course, extracting those teeth was good for me in the long run. But even with Novocain, I would never describe that experience as pleasant, comfortable, or good.
Preaching the Law is like that. It is never a comfortable experience because sin is that egregious. The Law always accuses, and its accusation reaches to the core of our being. Much worse than a thin layer of plaque which can be gently scraped away once every six months, sin is a cancer that poisons our hearts, our relationships, and our ability to live as the crown of God’s creation. There is only one thing to do with sin, which is nothing short of complete and uncompromising extraction.
Preaching the Law is like that. It is never a comfortable experience because sin is that egregious.
Such extraction is uncomfortable when you have grown comfortable with sin. And let us be honest, we have ALL grown comfortable with sin. How could we not? It is the only existence we have ever known. Each of us has been turned in on ourselves in our own unique way since birth. For some of us, it is our inability to acknowledge the possibility that we might be wrong (we call that pride). For others, it is the refusal to let go of the grudge or forgive the person who has wronged us (we call that unforgiveness.) For still others, it is the continual thirst for more and more and more until we are satisfied with less and less and less (we call that discontent.) At their root, these are all the same problem: Idolatry. We fear, love, and trust something, anything, more than our Creator.
This tragic condition is the beginning of the good news John preached. As Frederick Buechner puts it:
“The Gospel is bad news before it is good news. It is the news that man is a sinner, to use the old word, that he is evil in the imagination of his heart, that when he looks in the mirror all in a lather what he sees is at least eight parts chicken, phony, slob.”[1]
It is not until we see how bad things are that we will appreciate how gracious God is.
Which brings us to the words of the Father at Jesus’ baptism in verse 22. God was not pleased with every other human. Beginning with His own chosen people who had wandered so regularly and so repeatedly, God was displeased with His human creatures. But instead of washing them away as in the days of Noah, God used water in this text to begin His mission to save. “You are My beloved Son,” He said to Jesus. “With you I am well pleased” (verse 22). He would continue to be pleased as Jesus brought healing to the sick, sight to the blind, forgiveness to the guilty, and life to the dead. The Father would remain pleased even as Jesus was rejected by His own people and even as they hung Him on a tree. He was pleased with Jesus as He made His own Son to become the very sin which infects us all (2 Corinthians 5: 21). It sure did not seem like the Father was pleased with Him at that point. But in hindsight, when the pain was in the past and Jesus was raised from the dead, the pleasure of the Father with His Son was clear.
God is pleased with us, too. Not because we have made ourselves pleasing to Him, but His grace and His mercy, freely given to us in our own baptisms, has changed us. He has healed us. This is exceptionally good news, indeed. It is the good news (along with healthy, Christian exhortations) that you get to proclaim to the people of God in your congregation. Do not hold back on preaching our great need for forgiveness. Even more, preach the good news that, because of the baptized One, the crucified and risen One, the returning One, the Father is pleased with us, too.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Luke 3:15-22.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Luke 3:15-22.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Luke 3:15-22.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
Lectionary Podcast-Dr. David Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through Luke 3:15-22.
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[1] Buechner, Frederick. Telling the Truth: the Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale. New York: HarperCollins, 1977. 98.
