Luke 3:7-18
We have lit the third Advent candle! Today we are joined on our journey to the manger by John the Baptist! Luke first introduces us to John in the angel Gabriel’s annunciation of miraculous conception to the priest Zechariah and his equally high born wife Elizabeth, also a daughter of Aaron. John the Baptist, a blue-blooded Judaite, has a very specific mission: he is the fore-runner prophesied of old, come to prepare the way of the Lord! Come to point to Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah! An image frequently portrayed in depictions of the cross with John standing at his feet, lamb duly present, and pointing to Jesus.
Luke suggests in his annunciation stories that Elizabeth and Mary are cousins, thus also John and Jesus. This is unlikely to be historical fact. We know from the wider gospel text, that despite the birth in Bethlehem, Jesus is definitely a Galilean. It was seven hundred centuries since the territory of Galilee had been part of the Kingdom of Israel. Many centuries that Galilee had been a pagan territory north of Samaria. Only a century or so that under the Hasmonean dynasty its pagan population was forcibly converted to Judaism. Hence Jews from Judea looked down on Jews from Nazareth! What good thing could ever come from that place! We too have heard something similar in recent days! Prejudice is as old as human existence. Jesus the Nazarene has need of this blood tie to John with his long and deep high born Judaic roots.
As with all miraculous birth stories in the Bible, the story is there to indicate the significance of the baby to be born. It is the meaning that matters not the detail. Those first hearers of Luke’s gospel would have immediately grasped the point! Particularly in the light of the history of first century Palestine, and the very real and continuing popularity of John the Baptist!
The austere sect, the Essenes, preparing for apocalypse, had a monastery in the desert close to the Jordan river where John was baptising, and it is probable that John had spent time with them. Almost certainly, Jesus was himself at one time, a disciple of John. Where John was baptising is a journey of several days from Galilee. Jesus’ baptism was no afternoon visit! And later Jesus will declare that no man, no prophet, was ever greater than John. It is surely from John that Jesus has gained much of his understanding of God’s call and his mission – different as it is from John’s.
This fiery terrifying man eating locusts and honey in the desert, challenged the people to repentance! And the people, all kinds and all sorts of people, went flocking out to hear him. This morning we hear some of the content of that fiery preaching, his warning of wrath to come if they will not repent! And more than this! “Bear fruits worthy of repentance!” John proclaims, “You can’t simply rely on the virtues of others, of your forefathers! You brood of vipers!” Harsh as these words fall on our ears, those who hear of his preaching are mightily aware that he speaks out of deep compassion and concern for them. Despite his ferocity John is not sitting in judgement, he has come to warn of judgement ahead. The people, we read, were filled with expectation. Could John be the longed for Messiah? For a people hard pressed, could the arrival of John presage the beginning of the fulfilment of those promises of the prophet Zechariah. A life of dignity and honour, freed from the bondage of Roman occupation!
In our gospel, we hear how every group in society is represented in the throng listening to John’s words. The people of the area, tax collectors, soldiers. John makes it clear that they are the trees in danger of being cut down. To avoid disaster they must work to bear that good fruit! So they ask, “What then should we do?” In turn John gives them instructions for how to live justly together – “Whoever has two coats must share one . . . whoever has food must do likewise.” To those dealing with money matters: Do not be greedy, do not abuse your potential to take more from others than is required or fair. To the soldier: Don’t treat those over whose lives you have power, with threats and intimidation. Sort out how you think and do and live! Be satisfied – grateful, for what you have.
What are we doing, what are the structures of our society, that John might point his finger at? Climate change. Fair trading. Arms trading. Environmental degradation. Equality. Prejudice against whole groups of people on the basis of their land of origin – or their religion. Don’t we know how easy it is to whip and fear and hatred for a group that is ‘other’ – whoever ‘other’ they might be. Of course we then become ‘other’ too, and the potential for escalating violence and conflagration grows. How much harder, more demanding, to seek honour for the other, following in the pattern of John, and as Paul came to see is required of those who claim Christ as Saviour.
So how are we doing on our journey to the manger? Sadly our twelve days of Christmas are now twelve days before Christmas! And too often the days after Christmas become a lethargic slump on the settee. The purpose of Advent is that we are made ready to enter the new era, the new reality of the coming Kingdom of God, that we engage in new life with new hope and renewed vigour! We could be hoping for something that bit more special, longer-lasting this Christmas. If we just let the 25th December come and go until next year rolls around again, then Jesus will be born the baby but will never become the man in our hearts, able in the power of the Spirit, to make us mature and powerful women and men.
John replies to those who seek his wisdom with suggestions that in various ways are all examples of turning attention away from ourselves and rather turning the attention towards our neighbours.
The fruits of our Christian living need to be visible. For ourselves and to others. At this time of year we are supported by the church calendar to take that time to be praying ‘on our own together’ so to speak, and we have been offered a selection of readings from both testaments 0to be reading together through Advent. It can be helpful to know that other people are also doing the same thing as we are. If we can give even five minutes a day to sitting still – easiest to do when you watch your breath, and simply come back to doing that when your mind wanders, doing this, together with our reading, we can be listening for what it is God might be wanting to say to us, each in our own particular situations. What things, what attitudes, might God be calling us to change? We could be surprised by what happens!
I hope that we are all different people from the person we were five years ago. It would be very sad if we weren’t! Now is the time to be open to moving in new directions. Now is the time to be growing in our lives that good fruit. Amen