Above painting: St. John the Baptist and the Pharisees, by James Tissot (1836-1902)
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For those congregations that follow the Church Year calendar, the first Sunday or two in Advent each year have, as the assigned Gospel reading, something from the life of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the older cousin of Jesus (by a few months), and was sent by God to prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus. A man of great faith and courage was needed for such a task. John such a man. He was fearless, and no one or nothing would deter him from fulfilling his call.
In 1965 Bob Dylan wrote “Like a Rolling Stone,” one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time. That song contained this memorable line: “When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” Well, that was John, living off the land like he did, way out in the wilderness. He had no house, only one shabby outfit to wear, and his diet was grasshoppers and wild honey; so, just like the song says, he had “nothing to lose.” He had more important things to think about, like the fact that he might one day be killed for what he was preaching, so he wasn’t even afraid of death. He was telling everyone to repent of their sins and prepare the way for the One who was to come.
One powerful restraint on our behavior is wondering what the neighbors will think. John had no neighbors. He removed himself from society and lived in the desert. No one could threaten to cut his salary or fire him because he received no pay from anyone. The authorities could not confiscate his business and no mob could burn his house down, because John did not own any property. Not the power of the government, nor the heavy hand of the religious authorities could intimidate him. He spoke out against the rulers, priests, and common people. Everyone was a sinner and needed to repent, and John told them so.
In Matthew 3:7 John is speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees who had come out to hear him. When he sees them, he does not exchange pleasantries, but immediately begins calling them a bunch of snakes (“you brood of vipers”), and before long he is telling them that if they don’t change their ways they will be thrown into a fire. In those days, someone could say that kind of thing to the poor people who had no power, and get away with it. But John had the courage to also call on rulers to repent, and he named their sins, knowing full well it would mean trouble.
For example, the ruler over John’s area that time was King Herod. Herod had a love life that even Hollywood would find shocking (well, maybe not; it’s hard to say). Herod’s half-brother, Philip, who was living in Rome at the time, had a wife named Herodias, who was the half-niece of the brothers. Herod went to visit Herodias, who was his sister-in-law, and, his niece (I think—it is hard to keep this all straight). Herod seduced Herodias and took her from his half-brother and married her; so she was now his half-niece, former sister-in-law, and fourth wife. Well, the whole thing made John the Baptist sick, and he said so. Luke 3:19 says, “John rebuked Herod because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done.” Nowadays, you can publicly expose, criticize, and ridicule anyone you want, and make lots of money doing so. But not in those days. Matthew 14:3 says Herod had John imprisoned for saying he did not approve of his marriage. Seven verses later, it says Herod had John beheaded.
Herod may have thought he was now done with this religious fanaticism, but little did he know that the revival was just getting started. John was dead, but God’s Word would not be silenced and His kingdom was on its way.
There have been others like John. Scottish reformer Andrew Melville (1545-1622) was told by his governor to either stop preaching, or he would be thrown out of the country, and perhaps even be hanged. Melvin replied, “You might scare your servants in the palace with those kinds of threats, but I will tell you, it is all the same to me whether I live, or I rot in the ground. God will be glorified, and it is not in your power to exile nor hang His truth.”
Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) was a German Lutheran pastor who spoke out against Hitler in the 1930s. He spent a couple of years in a concentration camp for it, while his wife struggled to survive with their seven children. He was asked one time if he was afraid during those years. He said at first he
was. But in 1934 he was brought before Hitler himself, and Niemoller said he could see great anxiety in Hitler’s eyes and heard fear in his voice. Niemoller said to himself, “Good Lord, this man is scared.” This encounter with Hitler began to free him from fear, because he saw he was less afraid than the wicked man in power.
When someone has courage and faith like John the Baptist, Andrew Melville, and Martin Niemoller, no threats will have any effect on them. They each knew there were more important things to worry about than living a few more years. With such a desire to fulfill God’s call to preach, and such faith in the eternal promises of God, the church has grown and spread around the world.
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Psalm 73:26 — My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
II Timothy 4:2 — Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
Joshua 1:9 — Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Deuteronomy 31:6 — Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
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In the tumult and trouble of our lives, O God, grant us thy peace: that we may be greater of soul for all that befalls us, and better fitted by our very sorrows for the uses of thy love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–source lost
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At the bottom of this post is the official video of Bob Dylan’s 1965 hit Like a Rolling Stone.
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For links to a whole series of meditations based on songs (mostly from the 1960s), that I think you will enjoy (along with learning about our eternal hope), go to my ROCK (AND ROLL) OF AGES page at:
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