We often call him John the Baptist. That can be a bit of a misunderstood name. It makes him sound like he’s a Baptist, when really Baptists take their denominational name from John the Baptist. The most literal translation of the Greek to English would be the name and title “John the Baptizer.” He received the title “Baptizer” added to his name “John,” because he was in the wilderness baptizing so many.

John is known for his baptizing, but there’s a sense in which he could be called “John the Pointer.” After all, we so often hear of him pointing people to Jesus. He preached a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, proclaiming the coming of the One who is mightier than him. He’s a preacher of repentance and forgiveness, promising forgiveness in the coming Savior, but warning of Jesus’ looming judgment. And that’s the reason John the Baptizer plays such a prominent role in the readings for the Advent season. He points us to the coming Savior.

After baptizing Jesus, John continued to point his followers to the Messiah. One day, when John was standing with some of his followers, he saw Jesus, pointed to Him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John compared Jesus to the Passover lambs through which all Israel was saved from the Angel of Death, who ravaged Egypt and ultimately brought about the salvation of God’s people from their slavery. John points his finger at Jesus and says, “That’s the Lamb of God who doesn’t just save from Egypt, but saves from sin and death.” A couple of John’s disciples, motivated by John’s pointing, then became disciples of Jesus.

John said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John was fully aware that his task wasn’t to bring glory, fame, and honor to himself. His task in life was to “prepare the way of the Lord.” He was the forerunner who boldly, steadfastly proclaimed the Lord’s Word. It was that courage to preach for which John faced affliction. Herod and his illegitimate wife hated his message. So, John was arrested. He may have been in prison for about a year, already, when today’s Gospel reading unfolds.

It’s clear that John’s disciples still visit and provide whatever measure of care for him that they can. As he suffers, they may very well have been wondering, “What’s going on?” For John had declared the Messiah to be mightier than him with a winnowing fork in His hand, ready for a fiery judgment. But so far with Jesus, there’s no fire, no winnowing fork, no judgement. I mean, John sits in prison and Jesus does nothing about it!

I know some of you have felt this way. I know some of you still feel this way. We watch as society collapses all around us. Godly living is in a nose dive—impacting even Christians—and ungodliness increases by leaps and bounds. Many of you parents and grandparents are worried for you children. You know Jesus is supposed to put an end to the insanity of the world. You’re waiting for Him to come, just as the faithful believers in John’s day were waiting for Him to come. And you may be wondering, “What’s going on?” Is Jesus the one? Has everyone been duped? Should we wait for another?

John points absolutely everyone—his followers, you, me—to Jesus. John sends his disciples to Jesus with this very question on their lips. John shows us that when we experience challenges and confusion in our life, we look to Jesus. We seek Him for answers, which means we seek His Word. His Word is light that illumines the darkness of our hearts with His forgiveness. It illumines the darkness of the world for what it is, so that we may get a heart of wisdom. His Word shines the light on Satan’s temptations so that we may recognize and combat them with the Word of the Lord. John points all of the people of God to Jesus for reassurance in dark times—and not just in dark times, but in all times.

Our Lord, who is “gentle and lowly in heart,” responds to John’s followers with compassion. He doesn’t rebuke them for asking such questions. He doesn’t question their faith. He doesn’t denigrate them in any way. Jesus compassionately points them to what He’s been doing all around them. He tells them to report “what [they] see and hear.”

While Jesus is very much indeed the mighty Judge with a winnowing fork in His hand, He also has not come to condemn the world, but in order that it might be saved through Him.” The fiery, winnowing fork judgment will take place in His final coming, but the whole reason and purpose for His first coming was the salvation of the cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus points John’s followers to His activity. Jesus causes the blind to receive sight—physical and spiritual sight. He makes the lame walk—physically and in faith and godliness. He cleanses lepers so that they are physically healed and spiritually clean. Jesus restores hearing to the deaf so that they may experience the sounds of the world and most especially gladly hear the Word of God—something we all take for granted. Jesus—the resurrection and the life—raises the dead. And if that’s not enough, the Lord does something greater than any of these. He preaches Good News—the Gospel—to the poor. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” If you want to enter the kingdom of God, you must swallow your pride and confess to being spiritually poor, having nothing to give God in exchange for your salvation. Yet, in the Good News of Jesus, you are blessed with the inheritance of God’s kingdom. As awesome as everything else is in the list like giving sight to the blind, cleansing lepers, and raising the dead, nothing compares to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through which God brings people to faith in Jesus and a place in His kingdom.

No, Jesus didn’t come in fiery judgment… not yet. But He has come to save, with proof of that salvation by reversing, undoing, and cleansing afflictions and sufferings in this world. These are all signs that Jesus truly is the Messiah, fulling Old Testament prophecy such as the one this morning from Isaiah. In the Gospel Reading, we hear of Jesus, “[tending] His flock like a shepherd” and “[gathering] the lambs in His arms” and “[carrying] them in His bosom” and “gently [leading] those that are with young.” In Christ, God cares for His people in body, mind, and spirit.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the world all around us is chaotic and evil often appears to be triumphing. You can stand fast. For you are “earwitnesses,” to borrow a phrase from Martin Franzmann. Though none of us have seen what He did, we have heard His activity. He, the sinless Son of God, was crucified for our trespasses. He was raised from the dead on the third day for our justification. He ascended to the right hand of God where He exercises all authority in heaven and on earth. He rules His Church by the power of the Holy Spirit in His Word and Sacraments. You are all earwitnesses. You have heard the power of Christ’s salvation activity. You received Christ’s forgiveness, life, and salvation. Even 2,000 years later, John the Baptizer still points you to Jesus, and Jesus still directs you to everything He has done for you, as you hear it proclaimed in His Word.

Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. He’s not hesitating in that promise. As great as heaven is going to be, we need to be patient, as the Lord is patient, and wait for His good timing. The Lord is drawing people to salvation. Once the last person who will come to faith in Him—only God knows—receives salvation in Christ, then the end will happen. It could be today. It could be many years from now. In the meantime, we pray that unbelievers repent and receive salvation in Christ with us. We invite others to join us in worship as we all receive Christ’s Word and Sacrament by which we’re richly blessed.

John understood that he wasn’t called by God to point to himself and proclaim his own greatness. He was sent to point to Jesus, and to proclaim Christ’s greatness. As the last of the prophets, John fulfilled the mission for which God sent him. He pointed to Jesus throughout his life. He pointed to Jesus by way of his death which foreshadowed Jesus’ own death for our sins. John points all of God’s people to Jesus—who is our comfort, our joy, and our peace. Amen.