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"An Overture to the Greatest Story Ever Told"

#92-22
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on January 26, 2025
By Rev. Dr. Leopoldo Sanchez, Guest Speaker
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries


Download MP3  Reflections

Text: John 3:26-36

Ever been to a classic Broadway musical like West Side Story, Annie, My Fair Lady, or Oklahoma? You may have noticed that these classics of musical theatre often begin with an introduction or prologue that sets the stage for the rest of the work. A pit orchestra usually plays an instrumental or vocal opening number that introduces audiences to the main themes, characters, or songs of the musical. These prefaces have their origin in the overtures that introduced operas or one of their acts, going back to the 17th century. Big names in Western music, such as Mozart, Rossini, Wagner, and Verdi wrote overtures to set the stage for their operas. Sometimes overtures become so endearing to audiences that their popularity can rival that of the rest of the opera's songs or arias. In some cases, symphony orchestras play overtures as masterworks with no reference to the original story these were meant to introduce. Interestingly, some overtures over time became special stand-alone works written not to introduce operas but to commemorate certain events. You may recall Tchaikovsky's grand 1812 Overture—you know, the one where the cannons are fired near the end. Although today in the U.S. the Overture is played during July Fourth celebrations' fireworks displays, the piece was originally written to commemorate Russia's defeat of Napoleon's army.

Even as stand-alone works, overtures' main purpose remains the same. They are meant to draw our attention to some major theme or important work—to the main event. In the Gospels, we also have an overture of sorts that sets up what comes afterwards. It is not an overture played by a pit or symphony orchestra, but one proclaimed by a preacher named John the Baptist. His words are the preface, the opening number, the prologue to the main event, to the grand story of God's salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

In the prologue to the Gospel for today, John the evangelist tells us that John the Baptist's work will be to point people to One greater than him. The Gospel reads: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the Light." The Gospel makes clear that John is not Jesus, but a witness to Jesus, the Light of the world. John is the living overture to Christ and His work. On one occasion, the religious leaders of Israel ask John who he is, and he tells them that his work is preparatory to the work of the Christ who comes after him. John emphatically says to them, "I am not the Christ ... I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" John explicitly draws attention away from himself and very humbly directs all who ask about him to the Christ, "the strap of whose sandal [John says] I am not worthy to untie." John knows he plays a supporting role in God's story of salvation, and he wants everyone to know it. After proclaiming Jesus to be "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," John states, "After me comes a Man who ranks before me, because He was before me." Jesus is greater than John because Jesus precedes him. This is another way of saying that, unlike men who are from the earth, like John himself, Jesus exists before all men because He comes from above, from God—indeed, because He is Lord and God! It is also clear that Jesus is greater than John because only Jesus, the divine Word made flesh, has the power to become for us and for our salvation the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Like an overture that points hearers to the great musical character and work that is to come, John is the living voice sent by God to bear witness to Jesus' lordship and salvation, to His divine pre-existence, and His power to save the world through His sacrificial death.

In the text for today, we find yet another incident in which John the Baptist must draw a clear contrast between himself and Jesus. On this occasion, the disciples of John in their own way asked him if it was okay for Jesus to be baptizing people who were then following Him: "He is baptizing, and all are going to Him," they observed. John tells them that his ministry and, by extension, the Baptisms he performed were all given to him from heaven anyway. John cannot claim that his Baptism was his own, much less that those baptized by him should believe and follow him. Since the Baptisms came from heaven, and in John's Gospel Jesus comes from heaven, whatever John the Baptist has he has received from Jesus Himself—another way in which John shows Jesus is greater than him. Everything John did was not done to play the main role but rather the supporting role in God's story. Ultimately, his job was to prepare the way for people to be baptized by Jesus, believe in Him, and follow Him. John reminds his disciples of those words he had spoken to the religious leaders earlier: "I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him."

And then, John uses yet another delightful illustration from the world of weddings to show Jesus' superiority over him. Those who believe in Jesus and are faithful to Him are His bride, the church. Jesus is her Bridegroom. John the Baptist, on the other hand, teaches his disciples that he is not the bridegroom but rather the "friend of the Bridegroom, who stands and hears Him," and "rejoices greatly at the Bridegroom's voice." John is like the best man in a wedding, who is unselfishly and exceedingly happy for his Friend, the Bridegroom. In Jesus' day, a best man would have brought the bride to the bridegroom's chamber and, upon hearing the bridegroom's voice, let him in to spend time with his wife. In this way, the friend could also testify to the consummation of their marriage. Similarly, John's job is to prepare the way for disciples to be united to Jesus, the Bridegroom, through belief in Him. John knows his supporting role, and he embraces it with gladness. He teaches his disciples: "He must increase, but I must decrease."

With these words, John is teaching his disciples what it means to be a true disciple. John's disciples don't get that John's message and Baptism is the overture to Jesus, that Jesus is the main act in God's story of salvation. John is telling them that it is really Jesus they should believe in and follow. In the music world, we mentioned that overtures' popularity can at times rival that of the main story or even become more important than the main drama as stand-alone pieces with no connection to what comes after. That might work in the music world, but not in the biblical world, not in the world of the Gospels where every preface, prologue, or introduction is there to proclaim Jesus, the main character, and His work of salvation—where everything that is said and written must lead people to believe in the Son and have life in His Name.

But a question remains: How does God make disciples who believe in His Son and have life in His Name? John the Baptist answers this question by drawing yet another contrast between him and Jesus. In his overture, John has already testified that Jesus comes before Him, that He is from above. The Son's being from above points to His preexistence and divine status. John has also testified that Jesus came from above to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Son's power to forgive our sins through His sacrifice points to what the Gospel calls His glorification, to His being lifted up on the cross to save us for our sins. As the evangelist John puts it, referring to Jesus' death, "the Son of Man [must] be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."

In his magnificent overture, John the Baptist introduces another theme that also shows a major distinction between him and Jesus. To his disciples, John explained that his Baptism was given to him from above, and its sole purpose was to lead sinners to faith in Jesus and life in Him. If Jesus is baptizing with His new disciples, there is nothing to worry about. That's the point of John's ministry of preparation, to set the stage for Jesus' baptizing others. Similarly, to the religious leaders, John must explain that he baptizes with water, but the One who comes after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The scene where John testifies to this truth is the Baptism of Jesus at the Jordan river. John sees him there and testifies: "For this purpose I came baptizing with water, that He might be revealed to Israel." And then John continues, "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him."

Yes, John the Baptist had the Holy Spirit too, but he had the Spirit like the prophets of old did, to bear witness to the Christ who was to come. But now, Jesus has the Spirit in a more excellent way, for the Spirit "remained on Him," came to rest on Him as the fulfillment of all the prophets. The Son of God bears the Spirit in His humanity, in the flesh, in a permanent and definitive way. We learn the same truth about Jesus in the Gospel for today, which states that Jesus, the One "who comes from above" and "is above all ... bears witness to what he has seen and heard" from God the Father. He speaks for God to the world in a definitive way because He has the fullness of the Spirit who remains on Him: "For He whom God has sent [that is, Jesus] utters the words of God, for He [God] gives [Jesus] the Spirit without measure." The incarnate Son of God bears the Spirit in a permanent, immeasurable way. And therein lies a key difference between the John and Jesus. John's baptizing with water prepared the way for Jesus' baptizing with the Holy Spirit. The Baptist did not learn this on his own, but rather from God the Father: "I myself did not know Him," says John, "but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I [John continues] have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

For what purpose then does the Holy Spirit remain on the Son in a measureless way? So that the Son, in His divine generosity, may speak Spirit-breathed words of life to a world in darkness—words that point people to faith in Him and eternal resurrection life with Him. He bears the Holy Spirit to give us the Holy Spirit, so that the Spirit may guide us and keep us steadfast in the truth, who is Jesus Christ Himself and His life-giving words. The same Spirit who remained on Jesus will remain with us as well. John uses the same verb, "remain," to highlight the permanent role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus' disciples as their Teacher and Guide. And Jesus' same promise is true for us today: He said, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you [or remains on you] and will be in you."

And now we, the church, who have graciously received the Holy Spirit from Jesus through the Word and Baptism in His Name, and been made His bride, His disciples in this world through faith in Him, have the Holy Spirit to be a John the Baptist to a hurting world—"to bear witness to Jesus who has come, died for our sins, rose from the dead, and will come again to give us resurrection until life everlasting. On that glorious day, the Bridegroom will return to gather His bride, the church, for the marriage feast that has no end. In the meantime, we have received the Spirit from Jesus to play the overture to His story of salvation, to be living voices that make way for Him, to decrease so that He may increase in our lives, to proclaim forgiveness of sins and eternal life in His Name—indeed, to be witnesses to the main character in the greatest story ever told!

Let us pray: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for breathing the Holy Spirit upon Your servant John the Baptist and upon us, Your church, so that we may trust in You always and may ever be ready to speak Your life-giving words to others, so that they too may believe in You and follow You. Amen.






Reflections for January 26, 2025
Title: Music and Ministry

Mark Eischer: You're listening to The Lutheran Hour. For FREE online resources, archived audio, and more, go to lutheranhour.org. Joining us now, here's Lutheran Hour Speaker Dr. Michael Zeigler.

Mike Zeigler: Thank you, Mark. Today I am visiting with our guest preacher, Dr. Leo Sanchez. Thank you for sticking around to visit with us, Leo.

Leo Sanchez: It's my pleasure to be with you, brother.

Mike Zeigler: I love the metaphor that you used in the sermon, how the work of John the Baptist is an overture, the preamble or something to the main course, the work of Jesus. And this is something that you draw from the world of music, which is very near and dear to your heart. You're a member of the St. Louis Municipal Symphony, is that correct?

Leo Sanchez: Yeah, it's called the St. Louis Civic Orchestra.

Mike Zeigler: Civic Orchestra.

Leo Sanchez: And this year we're celebrating 75 years.

Mike Zeigler: Okay, and you play the violin or the viola?

Leo Sanchez: Well, I play the double bass.

Mike Zeigler: The double bass, that's right.

Leo Sanchez: That's right. The double bass. And I've been doing that for 16 seasons, I believe, and maybe about eight of them as principal double bass player.

Mike Zeigler: So that means first chair?

Leo Sanchez: That means first chair; that means more practice and also providing some guidance to the other musicians in the bass section.

Mike Zeigler: I think it's also very good, because as a professional church worker, you know, it's really easy to get inside the Christian bubble or the church bubble. And a lot of times professional church workers don't have avenues to rub shoulders with people who don't believe or don't go to church. And so, this does that for you.

Leo Sanchez: And music is an interesting thing. It's one of those things that are not exactly like politics. People who think very differently about things actually get together and they have to make music and they have to listen to each other, and they have to work together to create or express something beautiful. And hanging out with those neighbors over time helps you to appreciate the giftedness in God's creation. It also helps you to appreciate the struggles that people go through. And so, over time, that has led to some interesting conversations.

Mike Zeigler: I bet.

Leo Sanchez: And if you are a Lutheran, you always think of Luther and how much he appreciated music as God's greatest gift, second only to theology.

Mike Zeigler: Yeah, to the Word.

Leo Sanchez: So, I figure it can't be so bad to be a theologian and a musician.

Mike Zeigler: It's a good pairing.

Leo Sanchez: But yes, music I think invites you to think theologically or from a biblical perspective about things like relationships with neighbors with whom you work to do things together that in some ways make the world, even if a little bit, a better place. And I think a lot of people are attracted to music because it's one of those places where they can have some relief or have a sense of what is beautiful in a world that is very divisive or a world that is tragic, often. We need not take for granted that that is a gift from God given to us. It's always an interesting place to be there because you have a deep sense of respect for your colleagues, and at the same time you get to empathize with their needs and their hopes. It's kind of a church outside the church. It's a place where the broken-hearted come with their problems often, and music provides some way of perhaps healing.

Mike Zeigler: You mentioned some conversations. Do you have one, of course, respecting privacy of individuals? Do you have something you could share as an illustration of the kinds of conversations you have, spiritual conversations?

Leo Sanchez: Well, there's been many over the years. One of them I think has been more ongoing. Conversations are not simply a one-shot deal. Sometimes, once you enter into a relationship with someone, you begin to work with them over time and you get to know them over time. And so, you could have a long open-ended conversation.

I had a colleague whose mother was treated badly by the church, and that all of a sudden raised a profile for me of trying to show them that not everybody in the church is bad. And I think when you come from a church background or a profession and people know that, they have higher expectations of you. Because they hear about the scandals and things like that, so now you have to sort of be a good witness.

I think that was a very painful experience for him, and he would say, "what they did to my mother." Then I found out that it was a Lutheran church, so that came closer to home. So as someone who is a professor at a Lutheran seminary, of course I felt that it was necessary that we would be reconciled in some way.

And so, I put some effort into that relationship, and we did a lot of gigs together, even outside of the orchestra. Long story short, one time we needed an organist. This person is a keyboard player. And we needed an organist at church, and we couldn't find organists. I was hesitant to ask him because he actually said to me once, "I will never set my foot in a Lutheran church." I actually remember being hesitant about asking, but I did. And I said, "Well, in case we really can't find someone, I might ask you to see if you would do it." And he said, "Leo, I said to you that I would never set my foot in a Lutheran church again." And then he paused and then he said, "But for you, I might just do it." You don't get there right away.

Mike Zeigler: As you said, it's an ongoing, more about faithful presence over time.

Leo Sanchez: Over time.

Mike Zeigler: Rather than the silver bullet one-liner that you defeat all the arguments with.

Leo Sanchez: Right, that will solve everything.

Mike Zeigler: Yeah, no, it's presence.

Leo Sanchez: Yeah, and I think it was a process of kind of reconciliation, and so that's one of many stories.

Mike Zeigler: Okay. Well, thank you so much for sticking around. Thank you for being our guest preacher today, and we look forward to hearing you some more.

Leo Sanchez: My pleasure, Michael. Thank you.





Music Selections for this program:

"A Mighty Fortress" arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.

"Crucifer" by Sydney H. Nicholson, arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.

"O Christ, Our True and Only Light" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) Used by permission.

Change Their World. Change Yours. This changes everything.

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