1. Advent 2: John Greets Jesus

2. John the Baptist
Both John and Mark Gospels begin w/ JTB
Privileged only son of a top ranking member of the Serious Religious Party.
Left behind his home, his inherited position, his fine clothing, and his mom’s cooking to take up residence in the wilderness.

3. Message was repentance rather than animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin which was a theological and financial threat to the Serious Religious.
Curious crowds sought him out. (Luke 3:7)
Eventually, the Serious Religious hired detectives (John 1:19)

4. John 1:22-28 Then they said to him, “Who are you
John 1:22-28 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Serious Religious.

5. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to unzip the Velcro of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

6. Jesus spends some time with the crowds, and even the Serious Religious, before he goes public. “Among you stands … the one who comes after me.” I wonder what they talked about????

7. John apparently knows he is there, and knows enough about Jesus express great humility towards him. “Unworthy to even remove his shoes.” I wonder what they talked about???? By the time the Serious Religious showed up, was John impatient with Jesus?

8. There has already been A LOT of wilderness work, wearing wilderness clothes and eating wilderness food. How long, O Lord?? Then Jesus walks into the crowd, sets up camp, and schmoozes???

9. Even before the wilderness, there was A LIFETIME of coaching by John’s elderly parents. John’s extraordinary clarity, humility, and hard work in difficult circumstances speak well of their parenting! Perhaps it was simply good manners that kept John from simply handing Jesus the microphone and jumping off stage?? How long, O Lord??

10. Until FINALLY, God says, “Today
Until FINALLY, God says, “Today!” John 1:29-34 The next day (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

11. And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

12. Oh. My. God.

13. The weird. The wilderness. The waiting. The Curious and the Serious
The weird. The wilderness. The waiting. The Curious and the Serious. It was all worth it. The Lamb of God is here to take away the sins of the world.