This Is Not Too Good to Be True
Our Lord Jesus stands before us the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He invites us to lay all of our sins on him. But sometimes we hesitate. We've learned the lesson too well. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Don't believe it. Believe Jesus instead. "This Is Not Too Good to Be True." January 16, 2011.
When John sat up late with his mom and dad, I wonder what they talked about. The John I’m thinking of is John the Baptizer, and the mom and dad are Elizabeth and Zechariah. At some point in one of those conversations his parents must have told him what his life was going to be like. Zechariah knew exactly; Gabriel the angel had spelled it out clearly that day in the temple. This son, born in Zechariah’s old age, was going to prepare the people of Israel for the arrival of Messiah. I have to believe Zechariah told John that. And his mom knew more. Elizabeth knew that her cousin Mary also had a visit from Gabriel, and the angel told Mary that her son was actually going to be Messiah—the Son of the Highest. I wonder what John thought like when he was 8 or 15 or 25 and his parents told him this wild stuff. I’m going to be the messenger and Jesus is going to be the Messiah? You mean my second cousin Jesus? That kid I play with when the relatives get together? That goody-two-shoes who never does anything wrong and got straight A’s in synagogue school? A carpenter is going to be the Messiah? Like I said, I wonder what John thought. How was he going to balance this with something else his mom and dad taught him, something every mom and dad teaches their children? If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Of course, I don’t have a clue what John was thinking about. I don’t know who told John the Baptist about his future or when he learned about it. It’s probable that God spoke to John directly. But if I ever find out that John was a little skeptical at first, or at least a little cautious or wary, I wouldn’t be surprised. People tend to be like that. Most of us are like that. When something seems too good to be true, we back off. We know the axiom: Caveat emptor; let the buyer beware. We’ve heard the line P. T. Barnum said one time, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” The last thing we want to be is gullible.
I think you know where I’m going with this. To some people Jesus seems just too good to be true. They know the story. They hear what the Bible says. Jesus gave his life and death as the payment for the sins of the world. God takes away every wrong thought, every bad word, and every evil action because of Jesus. Because of Jesus God lives with us while we live on earth and he will live with us when we live in heaven. Right. OK. But that’s not the way the world works, is it? You never get something for nothing; there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
In the Gospel for today, John the Baptizer pointed to Jesus and spoke some words we know almost as well as our own name. He said, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That one sentence summarizes everything God wants us to know about ourselves and our sins and our Savior. Well, there’s one more thing God wants us to know. If we’re ever wary of this, if we ever worry if this can be real, if we ever wonder about relying on Jesus, we can put those thoughts away. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world—and he takes away our sins, too. And, This Is Not Too Good to Be True!
I doubt John the Baptizer ever struggled with career indecision. He knew what he was growing up to be. When his friends started drinking wine at meals—which everybody did in those days—John didn’t. He was what some people call a holy man, a man on a mission and he knew exactly what his mission was. His job was to prepare people for the Savior who are ready to arrive on the scene. He had to do two things. First, he had to convince people they needed to a Savior and then he had to show them who the Savior was. John was good at the first part. He knew how to make people feel guilty. People weren’t going to care very much about a Savior until they understand they were damned without him. So John damned them. He pounded on his pulpit and thundered, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. And he took care of the second part of his mission, too. He pointed them to what was coming. I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
There was one problem. John had no idea who that man was. He remembered what his parents almost certainly taught him. He knew what they said about his second cousin Jesus. And he knew more. He knew the promises in the Old Testament. He had seen the animal sacrifices in the temple that pictured the work the coming Savior would do. He knew God had sent him to identify that Savior. God even told him how he would know who the man was. He said in the Gospel, “The one who sent me to baptize with water told me. The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” John must have baptized thousands of people, but he never saw that Spirit land on anybody. And cousin Jesus, well, he never even showed up. Maybe it was a dream or mistake or a scam. You know what they say, and so did John. If it’s sounds too good to be true, it is.
And then one day Jesus did show up and he asked John to baptize him. You know the story. You heard it last Sunday. You know how John hesitated and you know how Jesus insisted. And then John saw it. The dove, the Spirit descending and landing on Jesus head. And he heard the voice of God, This is my Son whom I love; in him I am well-pleased. That’s when John knew. What his parents passed on, what the prophets foresaw, what the sacrifices pre-figured—it all came together in Jesus. He said it clearly, I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God. It wasn’t too good to be true, not at all. And so when John saw Jesus the next time he pointed to him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
It’s time for sleep and you’re sitting on the edge of your bed with your shoes off. It’s been a particularly rotten day. You start to think and pretty soon you’re kind of staring out into space. You think back and remember things from your past. Some of it makes you cringe. It seemed so much fun then and now it makes you ashamed just to think about it. Today was bad, too; more of the same. You knew it was wrong right away, but you thought it or you said it or you did it anyway. You realize it’s actually become a habit by this time, and you feel so awful. You think about the future. God doesn’t just put up with stuff like this. You’ve heard enough sermons to know that. Your hands shake a little or your stomach aches or you feel tears in the corners of your eyes. God forgives. Jesus saves. You’ve heard that in sermons, too. Really? Right at that moment you’re not so sure. You know what they say. If it sounds too good to true, it is.
What do we think about Jesus? Is he fraud who can’t produce what he promises? Is he a con artist who takes our money and runs? Listen, brothers and sisters, Jesus is not too good to be true. John the Baptizer may have wondered for awhile. In fact, this wasn’t the last time he wondered about Jesus. But John saw the evidence. He saw the Spirit coming down, he heard about the miracles Jesus performed, he knew about the sermons Jesus preached to people looking for hope. And so, when John said Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, he wasrock-solid certain! There were some things that John didn’t see. King Herod took care of that by chopping off his head. John didn’t see Jesus in Pilate’s courtroom with blood dripping down his back and neck from the whip and the crown of thorns. He didn’t see the blood pouring from Jesus’ hands and feet and side as he was hanging on the cross. He never saw what St. John wrote, The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sins. But way back on the banks of the Jordan, John knew who this man was. He was the Lamb God had promised, the perfect lamb without blemish or defect, the Lamb whose blood saves us from the messenger of death, the Lamb on whom God laid the iniquity of us all.
Jesus Christ is not too good to be true. He is certainly good, but he is also certainly true. John the Baptizer had no doubts. Neither did Andrew and John the fisherman. Do you remember them from the Gospel? They were the two men who saw the Baptizer point to Jesus and heard what he said. Remember? When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Jesus wasn’t too good to be true for them. They were convinced. And there’s more. Andrew was so convinced—well listen yourself:Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah.”
Today and on every day of our lives our Lord Jesus stands before us the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He invites us to lay all of our sins on him because he’s taken them all away. He urges us to follow him, to come and stay with him in his Word so we can gain everything good he has to offer. He calls us to share his message with others. And sometimes we hesitate and sometimes we dither, and sometimes we’re cautious. We’ve learned the lesson too well. You never get something for nothing. There’s so such thing as free lunch. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Don’t believe it. Believe Jesus instead. What Jesus gives us, we’ve get for nothing. The table he spreads for us is free. And he is definitely not too good to be true. You can count on it. Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on January 16, 2011
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