January 13, 2013 JTB and Authority

Bad hair, bad clothes, good message

Matt 3  John the Baptist came proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is near, and people ought to repent and be baptized.  This man and this message receive the highest commendation when Jesus says, “There is none greater among the sons of men than John.”  John was a man on the fringe, a dangerous man to a civilized society.  And his message was one of a personal decision to submit to an authority higher than any institution of man.   

His message was that a new kingdom was near, and as all are subjects of that kingdom, all ought to repent, be baptized, and prepare for it.

Baptism is a spiritual exercise of identification with this new kingdom.  An outward sign of submission to God's truth, and an affirmation of the necessity for personal obedience.  John proclaimed this truth into a society ruled by law and religion, which are the right and left hands of the institutional government.  And the truth John proclaimed was different from what the authorities claimed was "true".

Is there any chance that John could avoid being in conflict with the government, since he was proclaiming a new kingdom?  Is there any possibility that he could go un-challenged by the ruling class?  Do you think that the authorities should have been concerned at all about John baptizing people in order to prepare for a new kingdom?

Imagine being in a class room full of students.  The class in being taught by a policeman.  The policeman is dressed up in his uniform.  His shirt is pressed and tucked in, he has a beautiful and threatening gun strapped to his side.  He has a tie and a hat which he takes off to set on the desk as he begins to tell the class something of great importance.  He says, “This is the way the world is”. He says, “It is important that we are all on the same page here, so trust me, it is true.”   

Then, in walks John the Baptist, covered in smelly clothing, and looking pretty dirty and rough. He says, "I tell you the truth, the world is actually this way, not the way the policeman here has said”.  Some of the class appear to like what John said, so they start nodding and bobbing their heads, until the police officer loses his temper and must make a decision about what to do with John.  

What should he do to this person who just interrupted his class with a version of the truth which is different than his own?  Who would you be more inclined to believe?  What if the policeman said, “Ok, fine, if you want to believe what he said, I’ll handcuff you and throw you into jail.  On the other hand, if you want to believe what I said, I’ll give each one a candy bar.”  Who would you believe then?   

God's truth has often been brought by men like John, and the Devil's truth, which is no truth at all, is often brought by people with pressed shirts and guns.