Mark 6:14-29; 1 Kings 19:1-8; Psalm 71:1-8
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Though John was the forerunner of Jesus, they were similar in many ways. Following his baptism, Jesus preached the very same message as John, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It’s not that John preached the Law and Jesus preached the Gospel, both men preached both Law and Gospel, both men preached the whole counsel of the word of God. Jesus even used John’s biting designation for the scribes and the Pharisees, calling them a “brood of vipers.” Both John and Jesus proclaimed the truth before powerful rulers and kings without regard for the consequence, and both John and Jesus were arrested and executed for proclaiming the truth. They were not the first, nor the last, and the same is true for you today.
But John had a forerunner as well, the Prophet Elijah. Elijah was undoubtedly the greatest prophet of repentance in the Old Testament. It was Elijah and Moses who appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration bearing witness to him. King Ahab, the seventh king of Israel, reigned during the time of Elijah. Ahab was a wicked king in his own right, but in a military alliance by marriage he had taken the daughter of the Sidonian king, Jezebel, as his wife. Jezebel was a priestess of the fertility goddess Astarte, and she was a worshipper of the Canaanite god Baal. With Ahab’s blessing and lack of concern, Jezebel raised up prophets and priests of Baal in Israel, established altars and temples on the high places, and encouraged, even demanded, that the Israelites worship Baal along with, or in place of, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was in response this this gross idolatry and apostasy that the LORD sent the Prophet Elijah to warn Ahab and Israel that he was about to bring judgment upon the nation, calling them to repent and return to the LORD that he might show them mercy and forgive them. Needless to say, Ahab and Jezebel were not pleased with Elijah or the word of the LORD he proclaimed.
I will share with you a brief review of Elijah’s ministry: The LORD sent Elijah to prophesy to Ahab that he was about to send a terrible drought upon Israel and its surrounding nations until the people had repented, purged the worship of Baal from the land, and began to call upon the LORD once again. During this time the LORD sent Elijah to Zarephath in Sidon (birthplace of Queen Jezebel), hostile territory for a Prophet of the LORD, all the more so during a terrible drought and famine. There Elijah stayed with a widow and her son, and the three were provided for throughout the drought as the “jar of flour was not spent” and the “jug of oil was not empty.” Sometime after this that same widow’s son became ill and died. Elijah prayed to the LORD and the child was resurrected and restored to his mother. Then Elijah challenged Jezebel’s prophets of Baal to a contest, to see whose god could truly hear and answer his people’s prayers. Each, the prophets of Baal, and Elijah, would make a sacrifice of a bull to their god. The god that answered by consuming the sacrifice would clearly be the true god. So, the prophets of Baal prepared their sacrifice and they prayed to Baal, but nothing happened, Baal did not answer. They went to great lengths, dancing around the sacrifice, throwing their arms in the air, yelling and shouting, and even cutting their flesh and pouring out their blood, all to get Baal’s attention, but nothing happened, Baal did not answer. Then Elijah prepared his sacrifice. However, he upped the ante by dousing his sacrifice with water three times so that the bull, the wood, and the earthen altar were all sopping wet, and a channel dug around the altar was full of water. Then Elijah prayed, and the fire of the LORD came down and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice along with the stones and the water, and even consumed the sacrifice of the prophets of Baal. There was no question who the true and only God in Israel was, the God of Elijah, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Elijah ordered the execution of the prophets of Baal. Which leads us into tonight’s First Lesson from 1 Kings 19.
Jezebel was furious with Elijah, and she threatened him saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” At this Elijah became afraid. He ran away, leaving behind the LORD’s divine orders to call Israel to repentance. Elijah fled to Judah and into the wilderness and, in great despair, prayed to the LORD that he should take his life. As an aside, this is one of the great strengths of the Holy Scriptures: All of its heroes of the faith are flawed and sinful, just like us. The Bible is likely the only religious text that isn’t hagiographical, recording only the good things concerning its heroes. No, the Bible puts on full display the sinful failings of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Saul, David, and Solomon, Peter, James, John, and Paul, etc. To be a Christian is not to be perfect and without sin; to be a Christian is to have faith and trust in Jesus and receive forgiveness, and then to try to live in a better way, but to return in repentance for forgiveness once again when we fail. And so, Elijah is not so unlike us. Though he was Prophet of God and believed very strongly, he was still human. He was in a terrible predicament and, though he trusted in God (he prayed to God), he simply couldn’t see any escape from Jezebel’s wrath. He was going to die, so he believed, therefore he would prefer the LORD take him now rather than Jezebel later, most certainly by cruel and terrible means.
The Living God both heard and answered Elijah’s prayer: “And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” The LORD heard and answered Elijah’s prayer. The LORD’s answer, however, was “No.” No, the LORD would not take Elijah’s life at this time; he still had work to do. However, the LORD gave Elijah what he needed to carry out the task and persevere, a cake of bread and a jar of water. It wasn’t much, but it was sufficient. So the LORD continues to provide us what we need, which, admittedly, is often quite different than what we think we need or want. The LORD provides us what we need to carry out the tasks for which he has made us, the tasks he has given us to do. He doesn’t promise that it will be easy; most likely it will be very difficult at times. All that is required of us is that we are faithful, that we trust in Him. It is not required of us that we be successful, or popular, or prosperous, or anything else that men and the world value. The LORD will provide, always. In his despair, Elijah believed that he was the only faithful servant of the LORD left in Israel, but the LORD revealed to him the truth, that there were more than 7,000 who had not knelt before Baal or kissed his mouth. That is true today as it was in Elijah’s and John’s and Jesus’ time.
John was in Herod’s prison for preaching the truth of God’s word against Herod’s sin of adultery. He knew he wouldn’t get out alive, and he didn’t. Nevertheless, John accomplished the work the LORD sent him to do; John prepared the way for the coming of Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, apart from whom no one can come to the Father. Jesus was rejected by the Jewish religious leadership for preaching the truth of God’s word against hypocritical legalism and their failure to produce the fruit of love, mercy, and forgiveness. They betrayed him and handed him over to Gentile unbelievers to do their dirty work for them and put him to death. Faithful Christians, whether pastors, teachers, deaconesses, or laity of all vocations will likewise face mocking and ridicule, persecution of various stripes, fines, imprisonment, and potentially even death for proclaiming the truth of God’s word in a world of sin and darkness and to a people who have become comfortable dwelling in the darkness of sin and death. Do not be afraid. As the LORD provided for and strengthened Elijah with both material and spiritual food, as the LORD provided for and comforted John in prison with His word, and as the LORD strengthened Jesus for his task, assuring him of his presence with him, so the LORD will provide for, strengthen, comfort, and encourage you for the work he has given you to do. You have his word and sacraments, which the flesh and the world consider foolishness, but are sufficient for you to see you through. The jar of flour will not be spent, the jug of oil will not be empty, until the LORD rains righteousness upon the earth.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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