December 13, 2009
Isaiah 12:2-6; Luke 3:7-18
Today is the third Sunday of Advent and our focus is once again on John the Baptist.
Last Sunday Kyle talked about John’s birth and how his father Zechariah went against tradition and his relatives advice to name him John instead of Zechariah.
We learned last week that John’s coming was to prepare the way for the Messiah and to show the people the way of peace.
This morning I want to look a little more at John the Baptist’s early life and then to the sermon he preached as he traveled around the Judean countryside.
Now, many scholars believe John the Baptist grew up in a monastic community out in the desert. Luke tells in Luke 1:80 that “John grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.”
So John grew up apart from the main centers of Jewish life.
When John was a child there were parents who dedicated their children wholly to God that they might be priests and prophets of God.
Most likely Zechariah and Elizabeth took their son John to live with some monks – who lived in Qumran along the banks of the Dead Sea.
The Qumran community was a place where the Monks learned the scriptures and they learned to be scribes – copying the scriptures over and over again as they devoted their lives wholly to God.
So most of John the Baptist’s growing up years and early adult years were spent in this area around the Dead Sea.
For those of you not familiar with the geography of Palestine – the Sea of Galilee is in the north where it is fairly green and lush. The Sea of Galilee is connected to the Dead Sea in the south by the Jordan River.
The area around the Dead Sea, where John lived, is very arid and dry.
In AD 70, about 40 years after John’s death, the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and then the Roman army marched towards Masada in the south – where the last of the rebels were hiding out.
On the way to Masada, the Roman army came to the Qumran community. The monks had heard they were coming – so they took their scrolls, put them in jars, and hid them in caves around the monastery.
The monks fled and planned to come back and retrieve the scrolls but the monks were all killed by the Roman Army.
So for almost 2000 years no one knew these scrolls were hidden in the caves. In 1946 a shepherd boy found these scrolls that scholars have now named the “Dead sea scrolls.”
These scrolls have helped us understand the Qumran community much better and also helped us understand the kind of spirituality that might have shaped John’s life.
In this Qumran community, the monks were so dedicated to God that they believed in purifying themselves in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.
They purified themselves in what we might call “baptismal fonts”. These were basins of water with two sets of stairs. One set of stairs went down one side and the other set came up the other side.
And so multiple times each day the monks would pray to God to purify them. Then they would step into the water, immerse themselves in it, and then come up out of the water on the other side believing that God had taken away their sins and cleansed them.
This form of baptismal cleansing was practiced regularly by the monks and most likely by John the Baptist too.
When John the Baptist was 30 years old, about AD 28, – he left the monastery and began to preach publicly to all the people.
John thought that salvation wasn’t just for the monks, but was for every person. He began to dress with clothing of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist.
As he started preaching his message of repentance – people recognized that this must have been what the prophet Elijah looked like.
People came out to see him by the hundreds and even thousands. In part, they might have come out of pure curiosity. Who is this wild guy? Why is he dressed so funny?
But I think they also came for the same reason many folks come to church – they felt like something was missing in their life.
Or they recognized they had strayed from the path of God and they wanted to come back to God.
Others came because they were truly expecting the Messiah and they wanted to be ready when he came.
But no matter why they came to hear him – thousands heard his message of repentance and ended up being baptized by John in the Jordan River.
Now, given John’s life in the Qumran community and their practice of purification – I think the imagery here of John baptizing people in the Jordan River is powerful.
By responding to John’s message of repentance and then stepping into the Jordan River for baptism people were declaring:
- We wish to be God’s people wholly and completely.
- We wish to be forgiven and made right with God.
- We desire to be cleansed by God.
And then symbolically, having the Jordan River wash their sins away and dump them into the Dead Sea – where nothing can live – was very powerful.
Those who were baptized understood that their sins were forever washed away and their sins would never live again!
So, John’s upbringing in the desert shaped his life and his preaching. I want to look now at what he actually preached in one of his sermons.
As John traveled to the region around the Jordan his main message everywhere he went was “repent, for the kingdom of God is near.”
John’s message was that the reign of God is coming – the king is coming – things are going to change – so people need to get ready now.
How does one prepare for the coming kingdom? How does one get ready for the second coming of Jesus?
John says we prepare for it by “repenting”.
What does it mean to repent?
The Greek word for repent is “metanoia”. To repent means that we have a change of heart. It means that we were headed in one direction, but with a change of heart we turn and head in a new direction.
To repent means you change how you think and that results in changed behaviors and activities.
So repentance is a change of mind and heart that leads to new behaviors.
Now, our scripture today from Luke’s Gospel is a record of one of John the Baptist’s sermons.
Beginning in verse 7 it says that as the crowds were coming to be baptized by him in the Jordan River he said to them – “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Don’t say to yourselves that you have Abraham as your ancestor. For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.”
Now, some of the folks coming to John thought they didn’t need to repent. They thought they could enter the reign of God on the coattails of Abraham and Sarah.
They were convinced that their ancestral ties to historical Judaism through Abraham qualified them for the kingdom of God.
Yet, John had a clear message for them and he has a clear message for us. John says the only way into the reign of God is through repentance – a change of heart.
- A good family lineage won’t get you to Jesus.
- Your parent’s faith won’t get you to Jesus.
- Being kind to your spouse and children won’t get you to Jesus.
- Being a good person won’t get you to Jesus.
- Attending church won’t get you to Jesus.
- Even growing up in a Mennonite Church, of all places, won’t get you to Jesus.
- Having ancestral ties to Menno Simons or some other key Mennonite family or some Mennonite leader – won’t get you to Jesus either.
The only way to Jesus, says John, is through repentance – a change of heart. Living in the Kingdom of God always requires a life of repentance. Repentance is not a one time thing – it is a way of life.
We continually need to have our lives re-aligned with God’s ways because we continue to sin. Sin is simply missing the mark of what God desires for our lives.
So the way we participate in the reign of God is through repentance.
Now, another question we may have here is – why does John call those coming for baptism a “brood of vipers?”
It seems pretty obvious to me here that John the Baptist could have used some seminary training. I think he needed a course in pastoral care and counseling. He needed to learn some good bedside manners.
When I prepare folks for baptism I don’t usually call them a “bunch of snakes and rats”. I try to be gentle and loving and I try to help them see what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
But John just “lets it fly” and it didn’t seem to scare people away.
I think John uses these strong, prophetic words because he is preaching against “cheap grace”. He is talking to those who were coming to him saying – “you know John, I sinned again this week – won’t you wash me clean, but then they leave with no intention of changing their behavior.”
These folks will go right out and do the same things all over again just like a dog returns to its own vomit.
John’s message is that if you want to repent and your heart is changed – then it will affect your behavior. He doesn’t mean that we will never sin again – we will.
We will sin again, but to repent does mean there is a fundamental change of direction in our life. We will begin to bear the fruit of a changed heart.
Now, the crowds that had gathered to hear John preach wanted to know exactly what this “fruit of repentance” would look like. Like us they wanted more specifics.
In verse 10 the crowds ask – “what then should we do?
John the Baptist said to them – whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise. Even tax collectors asked what they must do and John said – collect no more than the amount prescribed for you. Then the soldiers asked him what they should do. John told them – do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations, and be satisfied with your wages.”
What I find especially interesting about John’s response to each group of people is that the “fruit of repentance” for all of them has to do with money.
- If you have two coats – share one with a person who has none.
- If you have extra food – share it with a hungry person.
- If you’re a tax collector – take only the money that is required – nothing more.
- And if you are a soldier – don’t intimidate or threaten people and be satisfied with your pay.
In each case the fruit of repentance – or the proof of repentance – is generosity and compassion.
A true change of heart will always lead to compassion and overflowing generosity towards others.
And this makes sense because that is what God is like. God is merciful and generous and so when God’s Spirit lives in us that is how we become.
In the OT when the prophets asked “what does the Lord require of us” they said – to do justice, to love kindness (the word is compassion which means you do acts of kindness to those in need) and to walk humbly with God.
In the NT Jesus summed up all the commandments by saying – “love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as you love yourself”.
When the disciples asked Jesus who is my neighbor he told them the parable of the Good Samaritan. Loving your neighbor is sharing with them what you have and being compassionate with them.
What God is always looking for is whether or not we are helping those in need – are we being generous and compassionate towards our neighbors? Are we sharing our food and clothes with those in need?
John the Baptist makes it clear here that our failure to care for our neighbor’s need is as damaging to our spirits as any private sin.
John the Baptist reminds us that the Holy Spirit doesn’t just refine our personal lives but the Spirit also makes us examine how we treat our neighbors. Are we becoming more generous and compassionate or are we becoming more tight-fisted and controlling of our possessions?
John the Baptist’s call to repent is really an invitation to accept this new thing that God is doing in the world through Jesus.
To repent is to turn our backs on an old, violent, and corrupt way of life – A life marked by oppression, exploitation, and greed – and to accept this radical new way of life that God offers us in Jesus Christ.
To repent is to turn away from a life of strife, jealousy, anger, greed, and immorality and to allow God to change our minds, our hearts, and our behaviors so that we can bear the fruit of repentance – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
As scary as John the Baptist looked, and as harsh as his words sounded, he was offering people good news.
People came from all over Jerusalem and Judea and walked for days to hear him because his message was life giving.
People flocked to hear him because they were looking for something authentic and real. They were tired of the way they were living.
They wanted to experience God’s shalom. They wanted to be cleansed. They wanted to become more generous and compassionate.
So often today when we hear the words to repent we hear “threat” but these folks heard “promise”. We often hear “guilt and shame” but they heard “pardon and forgiveness.”
John the Baptist’s message was life giving for people because their past lost its power over them. What they had said, what they had done, and what had happened to them would no longer run their lives. It was washed away in the Jordan River and dumped into the Dead Sea.
They are now forgiven and the fruit of their life is becoming “compassionate and generous”.
I read again this week the familiar story of Saint Nicholas. As you know, he is the one who started the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas time.
Nicholas was born in the 3rd century to fairly wealthy parents. His parents died when he was young and left him with a big inheritance.
When he became bishop he heard Jesus’ words to “sell what you have and give to the poor” and so he wanted to use his inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and those suffering.
And so every year at Christmas time he would make a list of children who didn’t have shoes or clothes or coats or gloves.
And then he would prepare bundles in advance for each child and leave these bundles on their doorsteps.
In the morning, the people would wake up and find these bundles with gifts on their doorsteps with no name. They didn’t know where these gifts came from.
But eventually people discovered that it was Bishop Nicholas who was providing these gifts.
His generosity changed his entire community and soon people started looking for ways to do what Bishop Nicholas was doing.
Years later he was named a saint – Saint Nicholas. And to this day Saint Nicholas and the spirit of Saint Nicholas is part of Christmas and the giving of gifts to others.
But the truth is he never envisioned the giving of gifts to those who had to rent a storage unit to put all their stuff in.
His vision was to give to those who were in need – those who didn’t have too much stuff.
The spirit of Christmas and the fruit of repentance that John the Baptist was talking about is sharing with those in need. It is showing compassion towards those who don’t have enough.
Now, there are many ways we can give and I hope we don’t do it only at Christmas – but that we make it a way of life. However, one way to give at Christmas is to give an alternative gift to someone by making a charitable gift in their honor to an organization that helps the needy.
Some of you give to Shoulder to Shoulder – which helps provide medical care to people in Honduras.
Some of you give to East End Cooperative ministries, or to Mennonite Central Committee, or to other non-profit organizations that help those who don’t have enough.
These are all fruits worthy of repentance. This is the way we cultivate a spirit of generosity and compassion in our lives and in our community. This is the work of God.
And you know what always happens as we give hope and shalom to others – we find God’s hope and shalom for ourselves. God changes us from within.
This morning God is still inviting us to join in the reign of God that is changing the world.
The message of the gospel is that God sent his son Jesus to save us and make us whole. We can be a part of God’s reign by repenting and asking God to change us.
It is because God loves the world and loves us that we are invited to repent and to begin bearing the fruit of generosity and compassion.
We can truly rejoice this morning because God’s mercy has turned us around and is making all things new. Amen.