Luke 3:7-18
John said to the crowds that came out to be
baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the
wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to
yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from
these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the
root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire."
And the crowds asked him, "What then should
we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share
with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax
collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should
we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed
for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?"
He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false
accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
As the people were filled with expectation, and
all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water;
but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the
thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His
winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the
wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable
fire."
So, with many other
exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed
the good news to the people.
· John the Baptist calls out the people who came forward for baptism in no
uncertain terms: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
· What a thing to say! I wonder what the people listen on the riverbank
thought. They had come out to be baptized and they get this sort of welcome.
John may have been trying to sort out those who came out because it was new or
trendy or stylish to be baptized there. Maybe there was no real intent to any
sort of change or conversion, hence the next line: Bear fruits worthy of
repentance.
· Luke says the John proclaimed the good news. How could this be good
news? Nobody I know of likes to be called names or likes being compared to a
poisonous reptile. One of the modern objections to the Christian faith is a perceived
insistence on the evil or bad nature of people and the necessity of change.
There are people who object to being called sinners or to have it said they
need something outside themselves. They like to hear that they are just fine
exactly as they are. Actually I think we all do. If only that were true.
· So, repentance is good news? Actually it is. I means that there is a way
out. Having a way to exit is always good news, as we might say of a clear exit
in a fire. None of us are stuck in our flaws and our failings, despite what we
might hear from the world around us that does not permit renewal or
forgiveness.
· Repentance is a way to prepare for what is to come. It allows a clearing
of space, a cleansing in response to the grace of God. It is part of the change
that we are waiting for.
· So, waiting is good news? Yes, if what is waited for is worth the wait.
Having something to look forward to is actually good news. For John to say that
one
who is more powerful than I is coming is great news.
· John’s charge to those who were taking their baptism “for the
forgiveness of sins” was to go on doing what you’re already doing, but do it
better. He didn’t require life in the desert or harsh penances or ambitious
projects. He told them to do what they do and do it better, more honestly, and
more sincerely.
· Among those who came forward for baptism were tax gatherers and soldiers
who served the government of the time and often abused their powers, profiting
off of others or extorting more from them. John didn’t tell them to find
another job, but to do their job in the best and most honest way possible. In
its own way, that too was good news.
· We may not see what we do every day as “spiritual” (whatever that means
any more), as if spiritual things were reserved for priests, pastors, monks,
and nuns. (The Reformation ended that, yet it remains.) However, so much of
what we do is truly “spiritual.”
· Acting in a new way because of repentance is a profoundly spiritual act,
even if the person continues doing what they’ve always done. When we live out
our baptism (which is different from John’s baptism, of course), it shows the
Good News of Jesus Christ in action. Those simple actions, done in the grace of
God and under the power of that grace, might not do what the world considers
great, but they are vitally important. This season of Advent can make the
ordinary special since we prepare to celebrate a birth, something blessing the
ordinary and yet making that which is blessed, ordinary.
· Once again, we make hidden preparation, not simply for the festival
coming soon, but for Christ, having come in the past, coming daily, and yet to
come.
· A quote, from a great spiritual writer who will never be recognized at
one – the British linguist and author, J.R.R.Tolkien: “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check,
but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary
folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
Paul writes: Rejoice
in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. … The Lord is near….And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
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