Year A. Second Sunday in Advent Matthew 3: 1-12 December 9th, 2001
Title: “True Repentance.”
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. “This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ “Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume 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. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew records the appearance of the Baptist as the forerunner-preacher of the Kingdom, issuing a call to repentance and promising the arrival of the “One more powerful than I.”
With a subtle change from “John the Baptizer,” as in Mark to “John the Baptist,” Matthew changes the perspective on John from baptizing to preaching by making “Baptist,” a title. It is John’s preaching much more than his baptizing that is highlighted and Matthew gives us a terse definition of just what a prophet is, namely, quoting Isaiah, a voice calling in the desert. John’s main function is to announce, to proclaim the imminent judgment of God and the coming of “One more powerful than I.”
John calls from the desert for repentance, a change of heart, outlook, life, in order to prepare for this judgment and to favorably pass it. Since this repentance is essentially an interior event, the external evidence of that decision is shown first by a baptism of water, and then followed by a change of life, by a change of behavior.
John was an important figure in his own right. His preaching created a widespread revival movement and his followers constituted a significant sect within Judaism. In fact, this group maintained a separate existence beyond the New Testament period. Even Josephus, the well-known Jewish historian of the period, devotes more space to John than to Jesus and his followers. Despite his independent renown, Matthew is interested in John only in so far as he throws light on the mission of Jesus and as a model for Christians as forerunners of the second and final coming of Christ at the End Time or end of time. In his view John’s preaching and life-example prepares the way for Jesus’ ministry and provides the setting for the launching of Jesus’ mission.
In verse one, a preacher in the desert of Judea: John is introduced abruptly, distinguished by his title, “the Baptist,” since he was the first to baptize others. It is not clear whether John originally belonged to an Essene community or to the Qumran sect, roughly equivalent to Christian monasteries of former times. These folks believed the End was imminent and withdrew from the world to prepare for it by study of Scripture and by living an ascetical life. Both were baptizing groups, but the baptisms were self-administered and repeated, ritual acts, an extension of mainstream Judaism’s many ritual washings. At Qumran baptism was practiced as an initiation rite, entrance into a life of repentance and of preparation for the impending Doomsday. That act seems to have been regularly repeated by the “monk.” John’s baptism was quite different. It was a single, unrepeatable act, as was Christian Baptism, signifying repentance rather than ritual purification, something one underwent rather than performed.
The “desert of Judea,” is the land that drops steeply from the Judean hills to the Dead Sea, not all of which is desert.
In verse two, repent, repentance, not baptism, is the object and goal of John’s preaching. Baptism is an expression of, evidence of, confirmation of, pledge of repentance, not a substitute for it. Matthew has John preach the very words that Jesus will later use Matthew 4:17, the cry of the prophets, repent. Repentance is more than being “sorry,” for past sins. It is not primarily emotional. It is a determined, purposeful turning away from a sinful past and a full-hearted turning to God.
The kingdom of heaven, a favorite term of Jesus, the “kingdom of heaven,” points to God’s rule, a time when God will eliminate evil’s power over humans and creation, when he will take back creation. On earth, it is an atmosphere freely entered into, freely chosen, wherein the person recognizes God’s sovereignty in both judgment and salvation. Since this time is coming soon, a person must prepare for it immediately by a radical conversion of ways.
Has come near, indicates nearness-right up to, but not including, the point of arrival. God’s sovereign, universal rule is verging on arrival. In the Old Testament the Kingdom is equated with the “Age-to-come,” the time of perfect righteousness and bliss, the golden age of a thousand years, the Messianic Age. For them it was long off. For Jesus and John, God is already and always King. His present rule, though hidden to those without vision, is accepted and its final manifestation, when no one can deny it, so obvious will it be, is expected soon. So soon is it, that repentance is, the only sane option. So urgent is it that both John and Jesus have the same message.
In verse three, a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Isaiah 40:3 said this would be a sign preceding the coming of God. John and his preaching, his voice, is just that sign. Originally referring to the release of Israel from exile, Matthew applies the text to a new context, a greater act of salvation, the coming of Christ.
In verse four, clothing made of camel’s hair; John resembles Elijah, preacher of repentance at the time of the exile. His clothing, his sudden appearance, his solitary life, his uncompromising message and his eventual clash with the king and his wife, all connect John and Elijah. It was widely believed that Elijah would appear on the scene again just prior to the Messiah’s appearance.
In verses five and six, John’s baptism was an innovation, stressing baptism as an urgent sign of repentance in preparation for judgment rather than as a repeated, self-administered ritual of purification for petty sins. It involved admission of sins, all sins, by confessing them. However, it did not involve forgiveness of those sins, at least, not in Matthew. That would have to wait until the Lord’s Supper and the institution of the Eucharist “for the forgiveness of sins.”
In verses seven to ten, the Baptist minces no words with those who are hypocritical about true repentance. The Pharisees and Sadducees will be painted in the Synoptics as enemies of Jesus. John says there must be a correspondence between one’s words and one’s deeds, a favorite theme in Matthew. The Pharisees and Sadducees represent those who feign repentance, who undergo rituals in order to “cover their bases.” In this case, they are trying to “flee the wrath of final judgment,” without really repenting, but merely conforming to the correct, indeed newly “correct,” ritual of baptism. Everybody else is doing it so why not play it safe, with the accent on “play,” as in “play act.” John, Jesus and Matthew consistently attack reliance on ceremony or status and insist on a personal repentance that is more than expedient or superficial.
In verse eleven, the one who is coming after me. “One who comes after,” can mean that Jesus was originally a disciple of John who went beyond him. The phrase is, in fact, a technical term for “disciple.” While it usually is interpreted as one following John in terms of timeframe, it may have a deeper significance.
He will baptize with the holy Spirit and fire. “Holy Spirit,” and “fire,” are used synonymously. As fire both purifies, in this case, from sin, and destroys, in this case, because of refusal to repent of sin, so the Holy Spirit of God will purify those who repent and destroy those who do not (See Matthew 13:30 for similar wording.)
In verse twelve, winnowing fork. Using the metaphor of a shovel winnowing fork lifting up a pile of wheat to allow the wind, spirit, to separate the heavy, good wheat, from the light, evil chaff, using the chaff for fuel, Matthew has John explain what he said in verse eleven.
Sermon
John the Baptist is to the first coming of Christ as every Christian is to the second coming of Christ. Both are forerunners, harbingers. Both are preachers, pointing out the imminent arrival of the End, showing by the way they live their lives that a time is coming soon when all will be judged and, on the basis of the outcome, given their place in eternity. The Baptist is a model for the baptized because he shows us how to do just that, namely, how to live life in time and on earth in the light of and by the standards of eternity and heaven. When judgment comes at the time of our physical death we will slide into eternity if we have already been living by its values while still on earth. The keyword for John and the key word for Christians is the same, “repent.” It is the keynote of Jesus’ preaching and the essence of his life, though he had no sin to repent of. For repentance is larger than mere regret for sin or even turning away from sin. It is much more positive and pervasive than that. It is a way of life. John lived it, that is, a life of repentance, long after he turned his life around and repented of whatever sins he may have committed. And Christians continue to live repentance long after their conversion and Baptism. Indeed, the Baptist is the human model for that.
Of course, Jesus is the model for Christians. However, Jesus was and is both divine and human. John is just human and so are we. Like Mary who followed Jesus, even though she was “before,” that is, came before, Jesus, so also John, who was before Jesus, came after, followed, Jesus. Mary was also just human. We have this picture of Jesus being flanked by the Baptist on one side and Mary on the other. Both preceded his appearance in time and on earth, yet both follow him into eternity. Earthly time lines mean little when it comes to the presence and indwelling of Christ. John’s attitude was: “He must increase and I must decrease. Mary’s attitude was: “Do whatever he tells you.” Both of these are attitudes that are rooted in repentance, that is, living each moment in the light of and by the standards of eternity, eternity as revealed by Christ.
We honor the Baptist because his role in preparing for the first coming of Christ exactly matches our role in preparing for the second coming of Christ. We do not need to imitate his life style, that is, his asceticism, that is life of self-denial. In fact, he never counseled anyone to follow him, to join his religious order, to join a monastery, or to live in the desert. No, he counseled repentance, a change of heart. That change was signified and symbolized by a baptism, an external rite signifying and symbolizing an internal change. Though it was not Christian Baptism, it had much in common with it. It was, for instance, a once in a lifetime rite because its effect lasted for a lifetime and beyond, in the case of Christian Baptism. It marked the beginning and gave it an historical memory, of living virtually every moment in the light of that “moment of insight,” into the eternal meaning and value of life itself. The Baptist did not just preach it; he lived it. So do we Christians. Especially when we are pressed by the burdens of life, we can mentally and spiritually go into the desert without changing our physical location or even indicating to others that we are withdrawing and ask the question, the “repentance question,” namely, “What does this situation, this event, this condition, this feeling, mean in the light of eternity? What will it mean forty years, forty days, forty minutes, forty seconds from now?” When John or Jesus use the term repentance that is what they mean. They do not mean ashes and sackcloth, ascetical practices, hair shirts or fasting. These behaviors may or may not follow in the wake of the question, but it is the question and, more importantly, the answer, that matters. The answer is more often than not “not much,” or “not as much as I first felt or thought.” For, indeed, the very word for repentance in Greek is metanoia, which means “afterthought.” Our first impressions may be lasting ones, but when we submit them to the scrutiny of our attitudes we find that we can change our minds, even if we cannot change our feelings. And it is our minds, our higher brains, that should rule our actions, not our feelings, not our lower brains. That is the basic message of Jesus, put here on the lips of John. We really can, while still on earth, live every moment in the light of eternity and we can change our behavior accordingly. Such a life produces joy amidst disappointment and empowers a free-floating love for all people and things that is its own immediate reward. At the same time, such an enlightened life produces a yen, a burning yen, to leave the planet and enjoy eternity, effortless life and endless love.
Repentance is signified by a change of heart and life, not by a change of garb or diet.
When it comes to salvation the time to change is always now.
Postponing repentance is not only reckless; it is hypocritical.
Hypocrisy is pretence; repentance is its remedy.
As the Baptist paved the way for Christ’s first coming, Christians pave the way for his final coming.
Sincerity: Living our lives with the attitude of repentance, namely, that there is more to life that the present moment or present feeling or even being present and alive on earth, is not the same thing as living our lives with the attitude of perfection. The Pharisees and Sadducees would probably not claim that they were perfect, but they clearly acted as if they were, or, at least, almost perfect. We do not know the individuals involved in this gospel scene and it is not Matthew’s intention to judge them as individuals. They really function in this scene as representatives of an attitude, one we are all susceptible to, if not downright guilty of. It is the attitude of hypocrisy, that is, interpreting life and its experiences in the light of myself and my self-interest to the exclusion of anything else. In this scene both the Pharisees and the Sadducees felt it was in their interest to show up at the ceremony of baptism just in case. Just in case of what? In case this revival movement catches on, they can say they belong to it. In case there is something to this preacher’s message, they can say they have accepted it. In case the end time comes as soon as they fear, they can say, to God, that they are prepared for it. Yet, they were missing the key ingredient and the Baptist knew it and exposed it. They were missing sincerity of heart. Now, “heart,” means one thing to us and another to the Baptist, Jesus, and the people of their time. When we say “heart,” we mean “feeling” or “sentiment.” They use it to express “will,” “willpower,” “decision.” Their meaning does not exclude feelings but feelings do not predominate. Our meaning does not exclude decision or free will, but neither of those predominates. What the Pharisees and Sadducees were missing was the sincere desire to decide to change. They and we can have all the feelings of sincerity we wish and we can be duping ourselves. As the Baptist says, in effect: the proof is in the pudding, not in the putting on of a show. It is relatively easy to be “sincere,” about our feelings, although a lot of times we fake even that, but it requires strong resolve and resolve over a period of time to be sincere about our decisions to change our outlook on life and then change our living of life. Christ does not require perfection to start on this course, although perfection is its ultimate, if distant, goal. He requires sincerity, that is, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, a right relationship with him, that we are willing to be persecuted and die for it. In his Sermon on the Mount, he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” not “Blessed are the righteous.”
Now: When someone asks us to do something we really do not feel like doing, we will say, “Sure, but later.” It is often a sign of insincerity or mild hypocrisy. We believe by doing so we have a greater chance of getting out of the commitment if we can buy time. That is precisely the message of today’s gospel. When we put off conversion of our ways, we are really being insincere. We are saying to God, “Sure, but later.” Surely, everyone wants salvation, but not everyone wants to do what is necessary to receive it. And what is necessary is not really difficult; it is simply final. Only those who have made a final, irrevocable decision to accept Christ on his terms look forward to his “return,” his second and final coming into their lives. If the decision is not seen as final, then the final coming of Christ, really, at the time of our physical death, is feared rather than sought and welcomed. It is not so much the final coming of Christ, when and how it will occur, that matters, but our final decision to accept him on whatever conditions. Postponing that commitment, that change of heart, that repentance, is really a hypocritical attempt to continue to be our own boss and at the same time appear to accept Christ. It is that fake appearance, not the appearance of Christ at the end of time, the end of the world, or the end of our time in the world, which will be our undoing. Amen.
