"Grace Doesn't Give Up"                        2010

Isaiah 35:1-7                    Matthew 11:2-5

 

Isaiah 35:1-7

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 3Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

 

Matthew 11:2-5

2When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.

 

I remember when I was a little boy,  and having one of those days

   of near constant mischief  and when trouble seemed to focus on me,

                            and that on such days     as when I drove my mother crazy …

 

            … she had a certain phrase that generally got my attention

                         a threat that seemed to help put things into perspective …

               … it was the ultimate nuclear threat of motherhood back then,

                                                  à   "just wait    until your father gets home!"

 

At our house, Dad was a pretty strict and swift disciplinarian,

            and when he arrived home on such days of my errant misbehavior,

                        his response was usually not   a very pleasant experience.

 

 

But suppose instead, we imagine a father arriving home

            and upon hearing the mother's description and complaints about

                       what a difficult day it had  been with an impossible kid,

                              & what an unmanageable little monster his  son had been…

 

      … that instead of the expected punishment and harsh discipline,

                        this dad looks at their little boy for a moment, then says,

                                "OK son, get your gear together, we're going camping."

 

The anticipated anger, the recrimination & punishment aren't there

      but rather, this father is patient & calm, explaining to his son,

                        "I love you more than anything, I want good things for you,

                              so we are going to spent some father-son time together-

                                       - talking about your behavior and your character,

                                                and the sort of person you want to grow up to be."

 

   And rather than his father's anger and punishment,

      this boy receives the grace of his father's love and compassion.

 

Also imagine the reaction of his stressed, weary & frazzled mother;

            and her shocked frustration with the father

                        and his unexpected plan … to seemingly reward this kid

                                   who has been driving her crazy all day.

 

A camping trip with Dad  is definitely not what she had in mind

            when she threatened, 'just wait until your father comes home.'

                        It is not at all what she intended or expected him to do,

                                                and definitely not

                                                            what this misbehaving little boy deserves.

 

John the Baptist was an angry,   fierce and fiery revival preacher

            whose mission was to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.

                        He lived in the wilderness, dressed in animal skins,

                            lived on bugs & honey, attacking religious hypocrites.

 

In Matthew 3 we can sample John's preaching, when he says:

            "You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? … every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. …  the  chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."   Tough words to hear.

 

    "You sons of snakes, just you wait until God gets his hands on you,

                and when the Messiah God gets here …   you will be sorry then."

But then when Jesus did come, it was not at all as John had expected.

 

            Jesus didn't execute harsh judgment against sinners & outcasts

                        but rather he welcomedà

                           and eat with tax collectors and other notorious sinners,

                                    healing the lame, giving sight to the blind,

                                                curing lepers and doing miracles on the Sabbath.

 

None of which came even close to what John had been talking about.

            This gracious and compassionate Jesus was hardly the Messiah

                       of John's sermons and threats about the coming judgment.

 

In our text, John is in King Herod's prison waiting to be beheaded;

            and he is troubled           and confused   by Jesus and his ministry…

…  so John questions this Messiah and the lack of fireworks,

           for Jesus is not doing any of the wrath and judgment stuff

                        that John thought Messiahs are supposed to do …

 

                                    … 'where is the divine wrath and frightful judgment?

                                                'when is the fire and brimstone going to begin?

If you really are the long-expected Messiah,

            then why don't I smell the odor of burning chaff and sinners?

 

And so John sends his disciples to Jesus, instructing them to ask,

            "are you really the Messiah,   or   should we wait for another? …

… because frankly,  so far, you and your ministry do not match

            the reign and ways of any Messiah that I've ever read about."

 

vs. 4-5

            Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.

 

            So, what kind of answer is that?

John was expecting the wrath of God – that fire and brimstone thing,

    but instead Jesus is doing & talking about   grace and compassion…

 

… as in the Isaiah 35 passage that we read earlier,

            in  which God reveals what the coming Messiah will look like:

                        The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, ... He will come and save you.  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; … For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

 

Isaiah's message is that very clearly ----

            God has not given up us   nor does He  plan to destroy Creation.

Yes, when the Messiah comes, indeed things are going to change,

     but not in the fearful-threatening way that John was expecting.

 

His coming does not bring fiery judgment and fierce punishment;

            but will turn the wilderness wasteland  into a lush garden.

His coming brings new life    like a stream flowing in the desert,

            in such abundance that it becomes a swamp of reeds and rushes.

 

He does not come to crush or destroy those who are lost to sin,

            but it is an invitation of mercy & grace;  a turning toward Godà

                        that brings about radical change   by working from within.

 

Returning to that misbehaving boy on a camping trip with his dad;

            we see instead of the just punishment that he surely deserved,

                        that this mischievous & troublesome son is met with grace.

 

And so this father lovingly  reshapes his son's life and attitude,

            and so the father's time and words, his patience and presence,

                        are like water flowing in the desert that brings new life

                                    and so this son returns home able to blossom & bloom.

 

As the prophet paints this picture in  Isaiah 35:1, 2,6 

            The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. … For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

 

This description of the coming of God is full of hope & restoration,

            instead of punishing destruction, retribution & tribulation;

                   for no one, none of us could withstand the wrath we deserve.

           

So in terms of Advent, 

            where does this leave us, and what does this mean for us?

 

If like John, we perceive the Lord as angry, harsh and punishing,

            then that leads to an unhealthy dread and separation from God,

                        which leaves too little room for grace and forbearance.

 

Our world can be a very dry, cold and unforgiving harsh place.

                           There is too much dryness and broken   defeated despair.

            Our neighbors suffer and struggle,    and all around us

                        lonely withered lives   are desperate for God's love,

                           to hear of God's grace, the truth and promises of Christ.

 

The word to proclaim is not about threat of tribulation and fire,

            but the message of Advent, which is truthfully about:

                        hope, peace, joy, love & God's grace through Jesus Christ.

 

The message of Advent

            is that even amid life's struggles and confusion    we can waità

                        because we look ahead in faith and in hopeful trust,

                               as we look forward to God's promises & grace fulfilled,

                                        because God is at work in our lives and in our world.

 

Advent is God saying, "I haven't give up, and I won't give up on you.

            I will restore the broken  and bring blooms to your desert.

                        I'll never give up on you --- and so neither should you."

 

Advent is like looking out the window, waiting for a loved one,

            waiting to see them come home strolling up the walkway.

Advent is like waiting for   something delicious from the oven

            as you sniff its enticingly warm aroma and  pleasant bouquet…

 

… and not necessarily   exactly what the world expects or deserves,

          but is graciously loving far beyond our human understanding,

                   our God whose grace and love   never gives up or lets us go.

 

As Isaiah reminds us, vs. 3~4

            See the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God… who strengthens the weak hands, and makes firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God. … He will come and save you.