2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
— Matthew 11:2-11, ESV

On the third Sunday of Advent we deal with one of the great themes and one of the great characters in the Bible, joy and John the Baptist.  God brought John into the world, like certain angels, to give us “good tidings of great joy.”  John’s job was to pave the way for the first arrival of Jesus Christ.  He disappears soon thereafter and we won’t see him again until the second coming of Jesus Christ.  That’s the Advent that he, and we, should be looking forward to.  Christ has come.  Christ is coming again!

Concerning John the Baptist, we looked last week at the beginning of his ministry.  There he was, wearing that onesie.  We heard what seemed harsh words to some, about repentance and snakes and fire.  Then we realized John used fighting words to bring people to peace with God.  That’s how John the Baptist got his start, and it went joyfully well.

We cannot say the same about his ending.  It is not a pretty picture, humanly speaking.  And the details seem to lack joy.  But do not lose sight of the theme, nor the man, because both will teach us an important lesson about joy, lost and found.

Joy

Everyone in the world wants joy.  This sentiment was put into words by country artist Hoyt Axton and made famous by the rock band Three Dog Night:

Joy to the world,
All the boys and girls,
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea,
Joy to you and me!

Boys want joy.  Girls want joy.  Even fish want joy.  And why not?  Joy is wonderful!  Joy is one of the most exuberant feelings a person can have.  Joy reflects a great sense of satisfaction.  And generally speaking, joy is a joyous gift, the gift of good news, the gift of a good thing, or the gift of a relationship with a good person.

Biblically speaking, in the sixty or so times the word “joy” appears in the New Testament, joy comes from hearing, visualizing, accepting, and savoring the gospel, the person and work of Jesus Christ.  In the inimitable words of Issac Watts, perhaps God’s most superior song writer:

Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing!

True and lasting joy comes from a true and lasting relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the good news.  He is the good gift.  He is the good Messiah, the good God, and the good Savior, who was introduced to the world, at the first Advent, by none other than John the Baptist.

John the Baptist had joy because he was a special relative of Jesus.  The two met even before their semi-miraculous and miraculous births, respectively, when Mary came to stay with Elizabeth to help her with her pregnancy.  As soon as Mary walked in Elizabeth’s door, Elizabeth said to Mary, “The baby in my womb leaped for joy” (ref. Luke 1:44).  Joy marked the first ever meeting between the pre-borns, the Baptist and the Messiah.  

After John the Baptist and Jesus were born, the two parted ways.  Elizabeth and Zechariah raised John near Jerusalem of Judea, in a royal, priestly family.  Mary and Joseph raised Jesus in Nazareth of Galilee, in the lower class home of a small town carpenter.  During their mysterious childhood and adolescence, they likely saw one another maybe three times a year, during the major pilgrimages and feasts on the Jewish calendar.  But, they still had that very special bond of joy, which was rekindled at Jesus’ baptism when John dunked Jesus in the Jordan.

John the Baptist had a special relationship with Jesus.  Their mothers knew it from their births.  John was born first to introduce the second, Jesus, to all of Israel.  And so it was, at the perfect time, John came preaching and baptizing, up until the day he baptized Jesus, then gave way.  As John himself said, with great joy, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (ref. John 3:30).  True joy is found in one’s Savior, not one’s self.

John the Baptist had a special joy in knowing, loving, and serving Jesus.  You can have this joy, too, if you repent, believe the gospel, and sincerely follow the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is a joy you cannot lose; or, can you?  

In our text today, John the Baptist does not seem to be filled with joy.  He was in prison.  He was awaiting his execution.  He was depressed, discouraged, and doubting.  In other words, John the Baptist had lost his joy.

Joy Lost

I am of the theological bent that believes a person cannot lose a real, saving, covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.  Once genuinely saved by grace through faith in Christ, you will always be saved.  Your eternity is secured.  Saints persevere.  

I have preached, I think accurately, that while you cannot lose a real relationship with Christ, you can lose close fellowship with Christ, through your own sin, a fellowship that can be regained through proper contrition and confession (ref. 1 John 1:9).  Saints do sin.  God does forgive.  

But as we see here, sometimes a truly good and godly person, like John the Baptist, through no fault or sin of their own (he was imprisoned for preaching the truth and taking a right moral stand), can feel estranged from God, experience a season of doubt, and suffer a palpable loss of joy.

Have you ever been “in prison,” without joy, for doing right, not wrong?  I’ve been in worse than prison.  I’ve been in church!  You’ve heard my story before, the slander, the lies, the hate, the abandonment I’ve suffered, essentially for believing the Bible and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Stuff happens, even when it’s not your fault.  It can destroy your confidence and rob you of the precious gift of joy.

Some of you know what I’m talking about, and what John the Baptist was feeling.  Some of you have lost your spouse, and it’s not your fault.  Some of you have lost your job, and it wasn’t your fault.  Some of you lost your health, and it’s not your fault.  Where is God when it hurts?  How can you follow Jesus, when someone or something seems to have blocked the path?  Will you ever get out of this prison?  Will you ever recover the joy of the Lord?

John the Baptist, the greatest man who had ever lived, asked such questions.  John the Baptist lost his joy.  Did John the Baptist ever get it back?

Joy Found

John the Baptist had doubts.  Then suddenly, John the Baptist was dead.  An evil, vindictive king ordered his execution.  The henchmen came, they dragged him out of his prison cell, then they cut off his head.  

At the end of his life, John the Baptist had nothing in this life.  He had no money.  He had no fancy home, no fast car, no fun boat.  His wardrobe lacked style.  His food was disgusting.  He did not have the latest iPhone.  Worst of all, he seemed to have no joy.  

The record shows that Jesus, the person and relationship John valued most, remained far away.  Christ did not come running to get John out of prison.  He did not call down angels from Heaven to force his release.  He did not even send a note that said, “Hang in there, John,” but rather left John hanging, then dying, and without joy.

So, are we to believe John the Baptist lost his joy and never found it again?  Not in this life, no, he did not.  But the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to believe that the moment any child of God closes his eyes on earth in death, he opens them in Heaven in eternal life.  Once in Heaven, there is unspeakable, undiminished, unending,  joy!

When John awoke in Heaven, he realized how much Jesus meant to him.  Everything he had ever read or witnessed about Jesus was absolutely true.  The virgin birth, the miracles on earth, His own execution followed by His resurrection on the third day, all of it is true.  John had trusted his life with Lord Jesus Christ, and now had all eternity to enjoy the blessings.  Joy!

When John awoke in Heaven, he realized how much he meant to Jesus.  As Paul explained, “Then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known (ref. 1 Corinthians 13:12).”  John knew what Jesus said about him, the respect, the honor, the love.  Jesus feels this way about all of His followers.  Like the late, great author Brennen Manning was fond of saying, “My God is very fond of me.”  He is fond of you, too, Christian.   Joy!

When John awoke in Heaven, he realized his life was not short, not sad, not wasted in any way.  In fact, he would have wasted his life if he had not given his life to his Messiah, Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.  The cost, the pain, the problems, the lack of earthly joy was worth it all.  Eternal joy!

John the Baptist’s life and death teach us to live our lives in such a way that that we will have joy when we die.  Don’t worry about what you have or don’t have in this life.  Concentrate on what you do and don’t do.  Do follow Jesus with all of your mind, heart, and will.  Don’t ever quit.  It will be worth it when the journey reaches its end.

For some of us, life on earth will be easy and joyful, like for those of us who get to follow Christ in the American Bible Belt.  For many believers life will be hard, as it was for John the Baptist and the millions of martyrs who have followed in his footsteps.  

Joy in the things of this earth will not last.  Joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ will last forever. “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.  Let earth receive her King!  Let every heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and nature sing.”