John, the cousin of Jesus, baptized Jews in the Jordan River for the forgiveness of sins. He pointed to sin to prepare people for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist might also be called, John the Pointer.
In the gospel of Mark, we read that the ministry of John points to the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. John prepared the way for the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-2) by pointing. John pointed away from himself to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not an exaggeration to say that John the Baptist might best be called "John the Pointer." He pointed out the sins of the people and forgiveness of those sins through Jesus Christ. John's preaching included pointing out the specific sins of King Herod.
In Mark 6:14-29 we hear about John the Baptist being sent to prison for his preaching about Herod's sins with Herodias.1 John was arrested because he was pointing to the coming messianic king (a threat to Herod) and was pointing out Herod's sins of adultery with his brother's wife, Herodias. Herodias' daughter danced before a drunk Herod who lusted after her and promised to give her anything she wanted. Prompted by her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. John's life ended when he was beheaded at the request of Salome, the lustful dancing daughter of Herodias. Pointing to the coming of Jesus and the sins of Herod and his family, John the Baptist died as the first Christian martyr. Pointing can be costly. It cost John his life.
This was not the first time that John the Baptist pointed out the sins of the people nor was it the first time John pointed to Jesus, the Savior who forgives sins. In the gospel of John, we find three dramatic descriptions of John the Baptist pointing at Jesus as the way of forgiveness and eternal life.
First, John the Pointer, when asked who he claimed to be, said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord' " (John 1:23). Here, John pointed to Jesus as the messianic Lord.
Predicted in Isaiah 40:3, the Baptist went before the Messiah, preparing for his coming by helping the people see their sins and renouncing them. "Put off your selfishness and look to God as the focus of your life," John was saying. "The Messiah has arrived! The Lord himself has come!"
Second, John the Pointer, when asked about baptism said, "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." Later John explained further, "... 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' " (John 1:27, 33). John pointed to Jesus whose Baptism2 was superior to any human baptism.
The baptism of John was for the Jews; the Baptism of Jesus was for everyone, Jews and Gentiles. The baptism of John was for preparation for the coming Messiah. The Baptism of Jesus was established to be a vehicle or means of grace. The baptism of John was a sign of an act of repentance by men and women. The Baptism of Jesus is a sacrament, an act of God toward us. The baptism of John was for adults only. The Baptism of Jesus was the New Testament counterpart of the Old Testament circumcision, which was for children and adults.
Third, John the Pointer, when he saw Jesus walking toward him, exclaimed in a burst of excitement, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" The next day, upon seeing Jesus coming toward him again, John exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" (John 1:29, 35). John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
That Jesus is the Lamb of God assures us that forgiveness of sins is possible. All who come to God through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on the cross are forgiven. Lambs were used by Jews in Old Testament times for sacrifice. It was believed that someone, or something, had to be sacrificed to appease God who was offended by the sins of his people. Lambs, goats, and other animals were regularly sacrificed on the altar in the temple to cleanse the sins of the worshipers. When Jesus died on the cross, Christians came to understand that animal sacrifices were no longer necessary, since Jesus died on the cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God. According to the gospel of John, John the Baptist understood the work of Jesus, sacrificing himself for God's people, even before the crucifixion.
John the Pointer helps us understand that Jesus is the messianic Lord, the one who gives us grace through Baptism and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
John the Pointer, made the connection that many people fail to make. He connected the coming of the messianic Lamb of God with the need of the people of God to confess their sins. "It is high time to straighten up your lives by repentance," he was saying. " 'Let's pretend time' is over." People often pretend that they aren't so bad, others are worse, or they really are good by nature. "It's time to rid ourselves of the illusions of our self-righteousness," the Pointer was saying: "It's time to get real. It's time to turn from your pretense and hypocrisy and turn back to God." You can imagine that the people didn't like this confrontation with reality. That was especially true of the religious leaders.
Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes "white-washed graves," which look beautiful on the outside, but inside they are full of bones and decay (Matthew 23:27). A white-washed grave with a thin coat of paint over the outside does not hide the reality of a decaying body. John the Pointer and Jesus the Messiah were both forthright when they spoke about sin from which we need to be saved. So were Peter and Paul.
Mincing no words, Peter pointed out the sinful cultural tendencies from which the people needed to be freed by the Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached boldly:
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
(Acts 2:38-41)
In pointing out sins, Peter was clear as crystal. So was a little old lady who came home from church on Sunday morning with these words burning in her mind, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven." The pastor had preached on Acts 2:38. She had memorized the passage.
When she got past the front door, she discovered a robber in her house. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Acts 2:38," urging him to repent and receive new life through Jesus Christ. He froze. She called the police. As the police were taking the robber away, they asked why he stopped what he was doing when she quoted the Bible passage, Acts 2:38. "Bible passage?" he responded. "I thought she said she had an ax and two .38s."
In Acts 2:38 Peter points out two things. He points to Jesus as the way to new life and he points to repentance of our sins as the way to appropriate what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is accomplished." Jesus accomplished salvation for all people, but not all people receive what Jesus has accomplished for them. What is missing for many people is repentance. When it comes to salvation, we don't accomplish anything. By repentance we can appropriate what Jesus has accomplished.
Like Peter, Paul lifts high the same double emphasis of human sin and salvation through Jesus Christ alone. That double emphasis is called the law and the gospel. In Philippians 2:14-16, Paul writes:
Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Holding fast to the word, like John, Peter, and Paul, we point to Jesus, not ourselves.
We are called to point to Jesus, but we are also called to point to the sins of our culture, our own sins, and those that surround us. On his retirement Sunday, one pastor put it this way: "I have tried to point out our sins, but before pointing to the sins of anyone else or the sins in our culture, I have been preaching these many years about my own sins and my need for forgiveness. That is our condition, yours and mine. We need forgiveness. First and foremost, for these many years together, I have tried to point to Jesus Christ, the way to forgiveness, salvation, and new life."
John the Baptist pointed out the sins of the culture in which he lived. Then he pointed to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. That sets the standard, not only for sermons by Christian preachers, but for the witness of all of God's people today and the future. It is law and gospel!
There have been times in history when the emphasis of Christians has been distorted in favor of law. In these times, hell, fire, and damnation sermons by pastors have distorted the Christian message. Rules and regulations, when considered alone, cause the grace of God in Christ to be marginalized. Today, however, the emphasis has shifted so that what is offered in many churches is a watered-down gospel without law, such as what Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book The Cost of Discipleship calls cheap grace. Cheap grace is grace without commitment. An "anything goes, do as you please gospel" is no gospel at all. Without acknowledgment of our sins and repentance for those sins, there cannot be new life through Jesus Christ. That's why we point to law and gospel.
It is both sin and salvation through Christ, not one or the other, that form the paradoxical truth for new life. One emphasis without the other is a lopsided half-truth. We are called today to point to sins, starting with our own sins. Beyond sin, we are called to point to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Stephen, one of the deacons in the early church, sets a great example before us today. He was a pointer to both sin and salvation. As Stephen was being stoned to death by those who rejected Christ, he told the story of the patriarchs and heroes of the Bible who had followed God's will in spite of the hard-heartedness of the people (Acts 6 and 7). He pointed to Christ who followed God's will and offered salvation to all who believed. He pointed out the sins of those who rejected the Lord, including many who were condemning him to death for preaching that Jesus was Lord and Messiah.
With a sudden turn in his speech from historical description of Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, Stephen shifted to the current reality of sin: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do" (Acts 7:51). When they heard these words, Stephen's persecutors were enraged. They picked up stones and started to throw them at him. While Stephen was being stoned to death, he looked up to heaven and saw an amazing sight. He saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). We say in the Apostles' Creed that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God. Why was he standing? Hold that story in your mind for a moment as we look at another story from our time. This new story may help us understand this vision of Jesus standing.
A boy genius was playing the violin in Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was such a wonderful performance that the applause was deafening as he left the stage. The stage manager said, "Great work, young man. Now, go back out on the stage. The audience wants you back."
"I can't go back out," the young violinist replied.
"Why not?" asked the stage manager. "The people want you back."
"I just can't."
"You must. They are beginning to stand and applaud. They want to give you a standing ovation."
"No. I won't do it."
"Why won't you go back out? The people are all standing and applauding. They are demanding that you return."
"There is a man in the back row in the balcony who is still sitting."
"One man? What difference does he make?"
The boy sighed and said, "He is the only one who counts. He is my teacher."
Just then, the man in the back row stood and applauded vigorously and the violinist returned to the stage and humbly bowed.
What if Stephen, the martyr, saw Jesus not only standing, but applauding? What if Stephen understood what we often forget -- that the only one who really counts is Jesus? What if, as we confess our sins and point to Jesus as the one who really counts in life, we see beyond what seems to be to ultimate reality in heavenly places, the way things really are? What if in our mind's eye we see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world affirming us, applauding us? If Jesus, our teacher and our Lord, is standing and applauding you for your pointing to biblical truth, wouldn't that be the most important thing that you could ever see? Wouldn't that change you and the way you live?
A French bishop told the story of a group of young ruffians who stood outside a beautiful French cathedral where people were standing in line to make their confession of sins. The young ruffians were saying to the Christians who stood in line, "So, you think you are sinners, do you? Well there is no such thing as sin. That's just a gimmick that churches use to get you to feel guilty." One young man, who was the leader of the gang, added, "So, you believe in Jesus, do you? Well, Jesus never died on the cross for your sins. That's just something the priests and pastors made up to get you to come to church." One of the boys turned to the leader and said, "I dare you to go into the church and tell the priest what we've been saying."
"I'm not going to do that," the leader said.
"Your not afraid, are you?" said his friend.
"Of course not," the boy replied.
When the boy got to the priest, he blurted out, "My friends and I have been outside the church telling the people in line that this stuff about Jesus and forgiveness of sins is a lot of bunk. My buddy dared me to come in and tell you what we were saying. There, I've done it. Good-bye, old man."
"Wait a minute," said the old priest. "I have a dare for you as well. I want you to walk down the aisle of the church, go to the front, look up at Jesus on the cross, and say, 'Jesus died for me and I don't give a damn.' "
"I don't want to do that," the ruffian said.
"You're not afraid, are you?" asked the priest.
"Of course not," the boy shouted.
The boy ran down the aisle and shouted, looking up at the large crucifix, "Jesus died for me and I don't give a damn." He ran back to the priest and said, "I did it. Now I'm out of here."
"Not yet," said the wise priest. "Do it again."
"I don't want to do it again."
"Not afraid are you?"
"No, I'm not afraid."
Walking down the aisle, the boy finally got to the altar area, looked up into the face of Jesus, and said, "Jesus died for me and I don't give a damn."
He walked down the aisle and said to the priest, waving good-bye, "That's it. I did it."
"One more time," said the wise, old man of God pointing to the crucifix. "Then you can leave."
The ruffian slowly walked down the center aisle of the cathedral. When he got up front, he looked up, dropped his head, and said, "Jesus died for me on the cross..." He choked on each word.
The bishop who told the story, pointed to a high crucifix, and said, "I am that boy."
1. Herodias was the object of Herod the tetrach's guilty passion and lust while both were married to other people. Herod broke up both marriages to have the object of his lust. John the Baptist condemned the guilty pair. Herodias took revenge by plotting the death of John the Baptist.
2. The Baptism of Jesus is capitalized in this section to distinguish it from other kinds of baptism mentioned in the Bible, including John's baptism. The sacrament of Baptism, established by Jesus is different than the baptism of John called "a baptism of repentance" (see Acts 19:1-3).