Eulogy

Mark 6:14-29 [7-12-09]
Grace and peace to you from God the Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life. Amen.

We are gathered here to today to celebrate the life of our brother John. To some of us he was known as a prophet. To others he was known as somewhat eccentric. And to many of us he was known as the Baptizer. However he was known one thing stands out; he was a great man by anyone’s standards. Amazingly he had none of the credentials we often associate with great leaders. He had no formal education. He had no money. He didn’t have friends in powerful places. He didn’t impress anyone with his tact. And he definitely didn’t dress for success, as we would define it. Yet despite these apparent handicaps, he was, according to his own cousin Jesus, among the greatest men ever born. He said, “neither Moses, Abraham, David, Elijah, nor Daniel was greater than John” (Luke 7:28). And although his life was cut short at such an early age, we can take comfort that he certainly knew of God’s promises

How do we know that this is true? I think that it would be helpful to understand John’s background and how he lived out his calling. John was of priestly descent. His mother, Elisabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron, while his father, Zechariah, was a priest of the course of Abijah, and did service in the temple at Jerusalem. It was said of them that "they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6). In addition we know from the writer Luke that John was born about six months before the birth of Jesus. Of the place, we know only that it was in a city of the hill country of Judah. Our definite information concerning his youth is summed up in the angelic prophecy, "Many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:14-16), and (in Luke's brief statement), "And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel" (Luke 1:80). The character and spiritual insight of the parents shown in the incidents recorded are ample evidence that his training was a fitting preparation for his great mission.

What exactly was his mission? John assumed from the beginning his role as a messenger was to prepare the way for the approaching Messianic age. He clearly regarded his work as divinely appointed (John 1:33), but was well aware of his subordinate relation to the Messiah (Mark 1:7) and of the temporary character of his mission (John 3:30). John’s work was twofold. First he was called to announce the approaching Kingdom of God and for all to seek repentance. In his preaching he warned the nation of Israel that the true character of the new kingdom was a reign of righteousness. But while he announced himself as the messenger voice preparing the way of the Lord, his view of the nature of the kingdom was probably quite different from that of his hearers. Instead of the expected day of deliverance from the foreign oppressor, it was to be a day of judgment for Israel. It meant good for the penitent, but destruction for the ungodly. We read in Matthew 3 that he tells the Pharisees and the Sadducees that: “the one coming after me will clean house – he will make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” (Math 3:12 MSG) He also told the crowds “what counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if its deadwood, it goes on the fire.” (Luke 3:9 MSG) The call to repentance was then a natural message of preparation for such a time of judgment. But to John, repentance was a very real and radical thing. It meant a complete change of heart and life. "Bring forth.... fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8). What these fruits were he made clear in his answers to the inquiring multitudes and the tax collectors and soldiers (Luke 3:10-14). It is noticeable that there is no reference to the usual ceremonies of the law or to a change of occupation. The only warnings are to “Do good; be honest; refrain from extortion; be content with wages”. These are words that ring true with us today as well.

Secondly it was through his calling of repentance that he began to baptize those who heard his preaching. While it seems clear that in the use of the rite of baptism John was influenced by the Jewish customs of ceremonial washings and proselyte baptism, his baptism differed very essentially from these and that his baptism was a preparation for a new condition. He said” I’m baptizing you here in the river turning your old life in for a kingdom life…the main character will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out” (Matt 3:11 MSG). We may say, then, that as a "baptism of repentance" it meant a renunciation of the past life; as a cleansing it symbolized the forgiveness of sins (Mk 1:4), and as preparation it implied a promise of loyalty to the kingdom of the Messiah. Therefore it was through John’s call to repentance and baptism he prepared at least a few hearts for a sympathetic response to the call and teaching of Jesus. I wonder how many of us have also turned to Jesus after hearing John ask us to renounce our former ways?

John was also called to formally announce and bear personal testimony to Jesus as the Messiah. He himself denied many times that he was the Messiah. Whenever he was asked, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them many times, "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 untie the thong of his sandal." John’s sole purpose was to elevate somebody else. He knew that one day another would come along and overshadow his achievements. He knew his place and what God desired of him. He knew that he must decrease, so that Jesus, the promised Messiah, would increase.

Although John would not think of himself as a prophet, in fact he was very much the prophet, if telling the truth is to be considered a form of prophecy. He knew of Israel’s condition, and called the religious leaders to task for not showing the people the proper way to righteousness. He rightly called them a brood of vipers, knowing full well how they preyed upon the people and made them adhere to laws that could not be met. John used such violence in addressing the Pharisees and Sadducees to startle them from their self-complacency. That they were blinded by their sense of security as the children of Abraham, and by their confidence in the merits of the law is attested by the fact that these parties resisted the teachings of both John and Jesus to the very end. And, as we heard today, it was his truth telling that eventually landed him in Herod’s prison. But even in the face of such persecution he would not back down. He continued to speak out against the moral evil that had overtaken the nation. And in the end it cost him his life.

And although John was never baptized, we know that John appropriated God’s promise that Jesus was the Messiah. John said, “This is the one! The One I told you was coming after me but was in fact ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, and has always had the first word. We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. (John 1:15-17 MSG). And then when he saw Jesus coming toward him he declared, "Here he is, God’s Passover lamb! He forgives the sins of the world. This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the one who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was –only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer” (John 3:29-31 MSG). It was in this that John truly confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior, thus assuring John a place in the Kingdom of God (Romans 10:8-10).

Not only was John a great man, but he was also an example to us and for us today. We may not have had the priestly parentage that John had, but in our baptism we are called children of God. In our baptism then, we too have been called to tell others that God’s Kingdom is now here. We too are sent out into our neighborhoods, our schools, our work places, and to the stores we shop at telling others that there is forgiveness and life everlasting through God’s son, Jesus. We too have been divinely appointed to be truth tellers about God’s righteousness, even in the face of harassment. And like John we have been given the Holy Spirit to be able to do all these things. Yes, John was a remarkable man, but Jesus had the final say about us as well, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matt 11:11) So we celebrate the life of our brother John. We give thanks that he knew of God’s promises. We give thanks that he was the first of us to point the way to Jesus. And we give thanks that in his showing the way; we too have new life in Christ Jesus. Amen.

And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus. Amen.