The Greatest Man

Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'

'The times They Are A-Changing' – Bob Dylan, 1964

So sang Bob Dylan back in 1964 the song became the anthem for the changes that were happening in the U.S. at that time. It could have equally described the atmosphere present here in Luke 7. For several hundred years God's people have been without a prophet but now seemingly out of nowhere John the Baptist has burst on to the scene.

John delivers a powerful rebuke and call to repentance from his desert preaching centre and then it seems prophets are just like buses you wait ages for one and two come at once; John's cousin; Jesus arrives claiming to be God's king and proving it by giving sight to the blame, making the lame walk, raising the dead back to life and preaching good news to the poor. That was the big idea last week: Jesus really is God's king.

But what about John, where does he fit in? What is this kingdom which Jesus God's king is beginning now, like? As we make our way through v24-35 we'll see God's plan of salvation is bursting forth in a new and radical way and that the crowds listening must respond for the times truly are a-changing.

We'll split the passage in half and look at it under two headings:

1. John – The Greatest Man v24-28

2. Repent – The Kingdom of God is near v29-35

1. John – The Greatest Man v24-28

The people struggle to accept John but Jesus says he is the greatest man who ever lived.

If you're not already there please turn to p729 and read with me from verse 24:

24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John

The arrival of John's messengers with their question to Jesus; 'Are you the one we have been expecting?' has got tongues wagging about John the Baptist again, verses 25-28 contain Jesus' assessment of John which ends with these remarkable words in v28:

28I tell you, among those born of women there is no-one greater than John

Quite an accolade, imagine having that written on your gravestone: here lies… among those born of women there is no one greater than he. So the obvious question is; what made John so great? Look at v24b-27:

What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces.

26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

27 This is the one about whom it is written:

'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

Jesus reminds the people of what John's ministry was all about, John wasn't weak – a reed swayed by the wind nor was he rich – a man dressed in fine clothes. No John was the very opposite of those things he was strong, fiery and passionate - outcast. Matthew tells us that his message had by now landed him in prison so he certainly wasn't a man dressed in fine clothes. No John lived most of his life in the desert. That's where John has started his preaching ministry – he is the voice crying out in the wilderness, literally.

Jesus affirms John as being that promised messenger, the one who would prepare the way for God by quoting from Malachi 3.1 in v27. John is going to be the one who plays a crucial role in preparing the way for Jesus. John's message wasn't a popular message with everyone; it especially wasn't popular with the religious establishment. But Jesus stands by John calling him a prophet in fact more than a prophet, he is the greatest man born of woman. It was John's prophetic message that made him great and what was that message? Luke 3.3 tells us that John went about preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. What does that mean? It means John was pointing to people's sin and telling them they needed to be washed clean, baptism  reminds us of our need to be washed clean. When Luke gets Baptised tonight that's part of what he'll be saying – I need to be made clean. John is telling people they need to be washed clean. How can that happen? John says that we must repent and ask for forgiveness.

So what does it mean to repent? We talk about it a lot and I've just argued that John is called great precisely because he leads people to repentance, what does it mean to repent?

a) Conviction

It doesn't mean being sorry that you were caught – it means being truly grieved by what we have done and who we have done it against which is firstly God before others we may or may not have heard.

b) Confession

Repentance is not internally turning over a new leaf or trying harder. Repentance is externally confessing our sin to God and to others.

c) Change

Repentance is not saying sorry and then doing the same thing next week. The word repentance means to turn around 180 degrees and go the other way. It doesn't mean that we'll never commit the same sin twice but it does mean that we will take determined and practical steps away from that sin whilst asking God to change us from the inside out. So when John calls people to repent in Luke 3 he also tells the rich to share what they have, the soldier not to extort money and the tax collector not to take only take what they are owed.

So John was great; not because of fine clothes or popularity, but because he led people to repentance. There's surely a lesson for us here, the person who God calls the greatest man who ever lived is a man who lived life as an outcast, who delivered a difficult message despite the consequences. We too should wear clothes made from camel-hair and eat honey and locusts in the desert – just checking you were listening.

We should though like John be prepared to stand up for a message which is difficult for people to hear. We should be people who call for repentance, who are prepared to be honest about our need for forgiveness and also people who will tell others, lovingly not judgementally, plainly not 'wishy-wash-ily' of their need to repent to.

Sin and the need for repentance isn't a particularly popular message but it is one that we all need to hear because as we are about to see we can't enter God's kingdom without it.

2. Repent – The Kingdom of God is near v29-35

Repentance is the requirement for entering and enjoying God's coming kingdom.

Look at how the people react to Jesus' words in v29 and 30:

29 All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptised by John.

30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptised by John.

Everyone when they heard Jesus' words acknowledged that God's way was right, literally; they declared God to be just, why? - Because they had been baptised by John. The thing that allows people to hear and accept Jesus teaching now is that they have previously made a public declaration of their need for forgiveness, for washing by being baptized by John. If we are going to follow Jesus and enter into his kingdom then we need to be able to admit our guilt before God; we need to repent – that's step one.

Repentance is the pre-requisite for entering God's kingdom, not riches, or intelligence, ethnicity or morality; repentance. So anyone can come into God's kingdom, anyone who is willing to repent. Verse 29 says even the tax collectors – the swindlers, the cheats, the lowest of the low who'd betrayed their country, the news of the world journalist of their day if you will were able to accept Jesus' word and enter his kingdom if they would repent of their sin.

Anyone, no matter what they have done can follow in God's way if they are prepared to admit their sin and ask God for forgiveness in Jesus. So if you're ever sat here thinking – you don't know what I've done, God could never accept you then this verse is for you, the very worst people in society are listed here as responding in faith to Jesus, next chapter we'll see a prostitute start to follow Jesus. Repentance is the only pre-requisite. The question is not what sin have you committed but what will you do with your sin?

Those who are willing to repent may enter God's kingdom but proud will reject God in no matter what form he makes his appeal, look at those who are not able to receive Jesus words in v30:

30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptised by John.

The religious people rejected God's plan for them – why? – Because they were unwilling to publicly admit their sin. These Pharisees and 'experts' in the law didn't want to be associated with the tax-collectors and other undesirables. They couldn't get over their own self-righteousness and so Jesus rather unflatteringly compares them to children in v31-35 what is sometimes known as 'The Parable of the Brats', read it with me starting at v31:

31 To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?

32 They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling out to each other:

'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'

33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'

34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'

35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.

These religious types, Jesus says are like children who won't join in a game, nothing you do is right, you just can't please them. So John comes shouting in the desert; 'Your in danger – judgment is coming, repent and be saved!'  - and they say we don't like John he shouts a lot and he doesn't eat bread or drink wine – we think he has a demon. Then Jesus comes along healing the sick and offering forgiveness to the outcast and the unloved – and they say we don't like Jesus he hangs around with the wrong crowd, we don't like those people so we don't like Jesus either.

John doesn't eat bread or drink wine – he has a demon, Jesus does eat bread and drink wine – he's a glutton and a drunkard. You just can't please some people; some people will just not listen. There's always something wrong. You see the real issue here isn't style – they don't like Jesus or John two men with completely different styles of ministry, the real issue is they don't like God. They are too proud to admit their faults and to ask for help – is that you?

Jesus says time will tell; wisdom is proved right by her children and so we see the tax-collectors, the swindlers, the drunkards, the prostitutes and the thieves repent, follow Jesus and live radically different lives. What about the Pharisees and teachers of the law? – They end up murdering Jesus.

So the times are changing John is here the greatest man who ever lived, the last of the prophets. He's here to prepare the way for Jesus by leading people to repentance but only some will listen. Those who are able to admit their sin and repent can follow God's king; Jesus and enter into God's kingdom.

I'll finish with the bit we missed; v28b:

28I tell you, among those born of women there is no-one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

It's a difficult verse to understand, certainly its not a slight on John's greatness, rather it's an invitation to the new age which is dawning now God's king is here. John was great but compared to what is to come he isn't even close. Jesus is coming bringing God's kingdom – what are the signs? – Jesus is making the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and the dead rise. He's preaching good news to the poor opening the door to God's kingdom which when fully realised will be a place of unbridled joy and satisfaction, a place of unimaginable wonder, a place where there will be no more crying or death.

All we have to do is repent and trust in Jesus' incredible rescue plan. Sin is real and justice will be done. The axe really is at the foot of the tree as John said, the only question is will we let the axe fall on you or will you let it fall on Jesus. Don't be like the religious of Jesus' day, don't let your pride stop you from entering the new age, the new life that Jesus brings.

Let's pray.