12 January 2010
Psalm 5, 6; Gen. 3:1-24; Heb. 2:1-10; John 1:19-28

So wisdom is now found in fruit? Wisdom would have been obedience to the Lord’s command and the first sin should have taught us that nugget of wisdom and caused reformation of understanding and life. What did the first couple get that would have enticed them to further transgress? Did anything in their lives get better because of this sin? We should ask ourselves the same set of questions. The entire advertising world is built on selling us beauty in a bottle or health and long-life from some unheard of berry extract. Even if you don’t believe in the literal truth of this chapter, you would have to agree that the writer possessed profound wisdom in explaining the problem with human nature and all the problems in the world today. From pristine creation to fallen world is a long distance but it began with one sin which multiplied in spite of the consequences. It certainly explains how our lives get out of control. (For those in more liturgical traditions – check out the language of verse six and compare with liturgical language. The thing left out here that Jesus did at the Last Supper was they failed to offer it for the Lord’s blessing. That would have stopped this whole thing in its tracks. Consider the implications for everyday life if we offered every action to Him first.)

Given the opportunity to tell the religious leaders who he is, John simply says, “I am a voice.” He is able to tell the story of his birth and surely the leaders know his story since his father was a priest, but instead he has long thought about who he is and what his role is and has come to this simple conclusion. We are also those who should be a voice offered to God to sing His praises, tell of His wonderful deeds, but primarily to proclaim His Son and the salvation we have received and that is freely offered to others. The baptism John proclaims is preparation for the one who is to come, all of John’s work is preparation for the coming of the Lord, as is ours, cleaning up the mess of sin that began in our first lesson. They knew to hide because of sin, John tells his hearers to prepare by repenting of sin and the symbol is washing it away in baptism, the cross says, come out, come out, wherever you are and I will wash away your sins with my sacrifice.

What does it mean to “neglect so great a salvation”? In the beginning we neglected the command of God, in the end the sin is far worse to neglect the salvation He offers in the death of the only begotten Son. After His suffering and death at the hands of His creation, how great is the sin that disregards or refuses to accept His sacrifice? Is it not a greater affront to God than those things we commonly speak of as sin? To refuse Jesus’ offer is to reject God Himself, it is to reject His will for our lives, to fail to confess sin, to fail to see true righteousness, and to either believe we have no need of His offer or that we can do it ourselves. What does it then mean to accept that offer? Does it have “going-forward” implications?

Let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.