The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, December 14th: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8,19-28)

IDENTITY OF JESUS IS THE KEY – PART 2

In this week’s gospel reading John the Baptist was questioned by the religious authorities about his identity. They wanted to know if he was claiming to be the Messiah or one of the prophets. John told them no, and said, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

John, of course, was referring to Jesus as the one who was far more important.

At that point in time, John had been preaching and baptizing for quite awhile; Jesus had yet to begin His ministry. John already had many devoted followers; Jesus had none. If John had wanted, he could have proclaimed that he was the most important spiritual leader in Israel. He could have capitalized on his momentum and become the big cheese among religious reformers.

But those thoughts never even occurred to John. He was not motivated by pride and power, he was motivated by truth. And the truth of the matter was, Jesus was the real Messiah, the Son of God.

As we discussed last week, the identity of Jesus is the key. If He was just another in a long line of itinerant street preachers, however attractive His teachings and philosophies might be, then there is really not much to get excited about. But if He is who He claimed to be—the Son of God and the Savior of the world—and if He really did what the Bible claims He did—die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and rise from the tomb on the third day—then He is by far the most important figure in all of history.

Back when the year 2000 was about to arrive, Reader’s Digest magazine had a cover story about Christianity titled, “The Real Message of the Millennium.” The article, written by historian Paul Johnson, discussed Christian faith in glowing terms. He described how Christianity is thriving in an age when many secular intellectuals were convinced it was about to fade away.

Johnson did a good job explaining how two major scourges of the 20th century, social engineering and moral relativism, are destined to fail because they each deny that God, rather than mankind, is the final authority.

Unfortunately, after painting such a wonderful picture of the historical influence of Christianity, Johnson failed to address the true essence of the faith and the real reason it has had such an impact on people’s lives for 20 centuries. He described Christianity as “a doctrine of gentleness, love and meekness of spirit,” which took hold and flourished. He said the faith is “alive and well in the minds and hearts of countless believers.”

Christianity is not a doctrine. It is a person: the God-man, Jesus Christ. The faith is not something that exists only in the minds and hearts of believers. It is a bold statement about all of reality: God our Creator took on human flesh to save us from sin and offer us eternal life in Heaven, and we can have a personal relationship with Him. Christianity is a declaration of fact, not an appeal to personal feelings. The Christian faith is either pathetically incorrect or it is the most momentous truth of all.

Johnson talked about “Jesus’ posthumous success,” and the cultural traditions done “in memory of this crucified failure.” Nowhere in the article did he mention the two most crucial facts about Jesus: His divinity and the Resurrection. Jesus’ success was not posthumous because He is still alive. He was not a crucified failure because He rose up out of that grave.

Now, don’t get me wrong. A positive cover story about Christianity in the most widely read magazine in the world was a welcomed breath of fresh air. It’s a far cry from the usual hatchet job done by the secular media. But it’s a shame that Johnson came so close to the heart of Christianity and then skipped right past it.

In the last paragraph of the article, Johnson explained that despite incredible advances in science and medicine, modern man has not conquered death. He then wrote, “Perhaps the greatest merit of Christianity is that it provides us with a key to this final mystery. It offers an antidote to the fear death arouses in us, a firm promise of another world beyond and the means to enter it.”

Johnson is exactly right. Christianity does provide a key to the final mystery of death and the means to enter into eternal life. But the answer is not a “doctrine.” The answer is not the teachings of a long-dead philosopher whose body turned to dust centuries ago. The key to conquering death and the means to enter into Heaven is Jesus Christ, the living, resurrected Lord.

The divinity and Resurrection of Jesus, and the promise of eternal life, are the reasons Christianity took hold and flourished. The doctrine of gentleness, love and meekness of spirit is true—it is how God wants us to live. But it won’t save our souls. (There are millions of “nice” people in Hell.)

The identity of Jesus is the key. John the Baptist knew it. Unfortunately, historian Paul Johnson came close but failed to realize it. Please make sure you do not make the same mistake.

©2008