Lesson 10 – John Prepares the Way

As John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, so our pastors point us to this same Jesus, who grants us forgiveness, life and salvation.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

What kind of comments have you heard people say about heaven or hell? Do you think people today believe in the existence of heaven and hell? Why or why not? Which comments shocked you most?

If there is no heaven or hell, would our faith be in vain?  If there is no heaven or hell, would we need Jesus?

Prayer: Jesus, help us appreciate what You did for us as our Savior. Send Your Holy Spirit to empower and motivate us to live as Your forgiven people who serve You by serving others. Amen.

God Speaks

This lesson is about John the Baptist.

Print out the Student Page at the end of the lesson. Follow the directions at the top of the page. Read the scriptures and answer the questions.

 SECTION 1: Read Matthew 3:1-4

Where did John the Baptist preach? What do you picture in your mind? John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea, but some translations call it the desert of Judea. The location is along the Jordan River near the Dead Sea.

What did the prophet Isaiah foretell about John's work (Isaiah 40:3)? A voice in the wilderness would prepare the people and show the way to the Messiah.

What does it mean to repent? Repentance is much more than simply saying "I’m sorry”. Repentance marks every single day in the life of a Christian. Luther wrote, The Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires.

What is the "kingdom of heaven"? What image do you see in your mind? Matthew is the only writer who uses this phrase, and he does so more than thirty times. The phrase does not mean a literal kingdom on earth with a ruler and subjects. This kingdom is God's place in our hearts!

When Matthew preaches that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he explains that the promised Savior's work is being fulfilled. Jesus is living the perfect life and dying to redeem the world. Mark and Luke refer to God's rule in our hearts and the faith God has given us in Word and Sacrament as the “kingdom of God".

What does the image of a straight path say? Getting somewhere is rarely a straight path. In ancient times, the roads a king traveled would be prepared for his journey by removing rocks and filling holes. Isaiah's prophecy speaks about preparing the way for the Lord and making straight paths for Him. John prepared the way for Christ the King.

What image do you see of John the Baptist's appearance? John wore camel's hair clothing and a leather belt. It sounds rather strange to us, but this style was characteristic of God's prophets who preached judgment and repentance. Eating locusts and wild honey would not have been unusual; John was poor, and this food was readily available. Leviticus 11:21-22 explains that locusts were clean and permissible food for God's people.

SECTION 2: Read Matthew 3:5-12

 

Whom did John baptize? How do you picture this scene? John baptized the people from Jerusalem and all Judea who heard his preaching and came to the Jordan River to confess their sins, repent, and be baptized.

Whom did John refuse to baptize. Why? He refused to baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees because they didn't show genuine repentance.

What image did John offer of the religious teachers? Why? John called them a "brood of vipers!" He saw through their deception. John baptized those who confessed and repented. His association of the unrepentant with snakes reminds us of the serpent who spoke to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:15 is the first promise of the Savior and foreshadow the battle between Christ and Satan.

Whom did the religious leaders rely on for their salvation? Many Jews believed their lineage from Abraham or their good works were enough to get them into heaven. John made it clear that this wasn't true.

What images did John use to describe God's wrath? John used harvesting images, such as trees that bear fruit, cutting down trees, the winnowing fork, and burning the chaff in the unquenchable fire. These are vivid and powerful images, especially for those listening to John.

We Live

Read the following  statements and decide if they are true or false:

• Real repentance is only when you confess your sins verbally to your pastor. False, repentance is "real” in any form (Acts 3:19). We may always confess our sins directly to God, and He forgives us for Jesus' sake.
• My sin is a sickness that I can't help, and I need to accept this. True, however, this is not true in the sense that society excuses sin and even softens the reality of sin. Some churches don’t teach the reality of sin, death, hell, and the devil. Frighteningly, this ignores the Gospel and the reality of the victory Christ won over these enemies.
• The only meaningful absolution-the pronouncement of forgiveness-is received from the pastor, as a called and ordained servant of God, during Sunday worship. False, any pronouncement of forgiveness is meaningful for us, such as when a friend forgives us. The Confession and Absolution at the beginning of the worship service are an essential part of the service, especially as self-examination before Holy Communion. In His Word, God promises to forgive our sins for the sake of Christ. 
• Private Confession and Absolution with your pastor is wrong because it's what Roman Catholics do. False, in the Small Catechism, Luther teaches about the benefits of confessing privately before our pastor or before a confessor. Luther disagreed with the Roman Catholic practices of requiring confession at specific intervals and of using confession to strike fear in the hearts of believers.
• If you don't confess your sins at least once a day, you are impenitent. False, beware of anyone or anything requiring you to perform a specific action to determine your faithfulness.
• Repentance is feeling sorry for your sins. False, real repentance is much more. Contrition (feeling sorry) is only part of repentance. Once we recognize our sins and feel sorry for them, we need to turn away from that sin and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior (Psalm 32:5; John 8:11).
• Therapy with a reputable counselor is just as good as repenting. False, again, this is a lie that many today believe because it seems to make us feel better if we are working on our sins. This doesn't mean that therapy isn't a beneficial course of action; however, it doesn't replace true confession and absolution.
• True repentance requires listing all the big and little sins of your day. False, listing every sin is not required, and we can't possibly remember every single sin we commit. We commit sins we don't even know about! This doesn't mean you should never enumerate your sins as a healthy part of confession. By remembering them, we might be able to turn away from them tomorrow.
• Real Christians don't need to repent because God knows our hearts and we rarely sin. False, we are all sinners in need of God's forgiveness.
• True repentance is always followed by a sincere desire to change. True, "Then good works are bound to follow, which are the fruit of repentance". See Luke 19:1-10.

 Repentance prepares us to hear the Good News about Jesus, our Savior.  Jesus lived without sin, but He willingly died to pay for our sins. In Him, God gives us forgiveness of sin and eternal life, now and forever.

Read the scriptures under Repentance or deception? on the student page. Zechariah's prophecies about his son (John) when he was born, found in Luke 1:76-77. And part of the liturgy form Psalm 51:10-12.

Closing

The closing pray is the words from Psalm 51:10-12 (on Student Page).

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Amen.