Are You Near What John's Near?

Scripture

Matthew 3:1–12 NRSV

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.”

Introduction

To understand John the Baptist and his message you have to understand where the Jewish people were at this point in their history. To do that we have to briefly go back to the return from Babylonian exile. The prophets had seen a new day when the Lord would set things right with the enemies of Israel. A servant of the Lord from David’s lineage would rise up to usher in a new day when Israel would be the center of the world and this Messiah would be King. The land would be restored, the Kingdom of David would be restored, Israel’s foes would be dealt with and Israel would rule the world. This never happened. In fact after the exile Israel continued to be dominated by foreign powers except for a period under the Hasmonean Kings, which were not of the Davidic line. The Hasmonean Kings were the Maccabee family who overthrew the Seleucid (SALUCID) ruler Antiochus Epiphanes a descendent of one of Alexander the Great Generals who divided up the Empire and ruled over it after the death of Alexander the Great.

Due to political unrest and opposition to Hasmonean Rule the Hasmoneans invited General Pompey of Rome to come help them. Help them indeed Rome took over and made Herod the Great King!

Since the time of the Hasmoneans the Jewish religious leaders and thinkers developed a theology around the messiah. The anointed one that would restore Israel to glory. They were the ones who said one like Elijah would come, announcing the great day of the Lord which was the establishment of God’s reign, the Kingdom of God or of heaven, prior to the arrival of the messiah. This messenger would call Israel to repentance and all who repented would enter the kingdom. Those that did not would be cut off.

Exegesis

So now everyone is flocking out to see John. Is he Elijah? Is he the messiah? Sounds like he may be either, the way he is calling people to repentance and the way he is not afraid of the religious and political leaders, just like the prophets of old. In fact he even dresses like Elijah dressed. This is why Matthew includes this detail.

For Matthew and Matthew’s mostly Jewish audience, it is obvious that John the Baptist was Elijah.

The thousands that came to him in the wilderness thought they were participating in the national revival that had been dreamed about since the return from the Babylonian exile. This revival would bring about the restoration of Israel and the advent of God. Their repenting and baptism wasn’t just individual thing, it was for the whole nation. This was the redemption of Israel and their repentance and baptism made them true children of Abraham thus gaining entry to the Kingdom of heaven at its arrival.

John’s message of the nearness of the Kingdom was a threat to the power structures of the day. John was saying a new order is on the way and all existing power structures would be over thrown and God would rule. This is the real reason John was eventually arrested by Herod Antipas, Herod The Great’s son. This is the reason the Pharisees and Sadducees show up. They are not there to repent. They are there to check John out.

Thus John’s response to them, calling them a brood of vipers. He tells them that their religious pedigrees and position do not make them children of Abraham. He then says the axe is at the root of the tree. In other words judgment is coming and those not repenting and (this is important) bearing the fruit of repentance will be cut off from entering God’s Kingdom!

He tells them God’s messiah is coming and will bring judgment. Those that enter the Kingdom will be baptized with the very Spirit of God the wheat. The others will be judged with fire, the chaff.

Application

There is a lot of symbolism in what Matthew writes here. John being in the wilderness is important. The wilderness is always associated with chaos and new life. He is baptizing in the Jordan, which was unusual, but it was the Jordan that Joshua brought Israel through to their new life in the land. In other words the Exodus is re-enacted. John’s message is that the time has come for a new Exodus and a new people of God. These new people of God will be brought through the waters of chaos to emerge as a new creation. As one person wrote:

This new people of God—repentant, righteous, and purified—are now prepared for God to act and bring to completion his promised salvation. His message rings out boldly: “the kingdom of heaven has come near”

This message is being cried out to us today. Many of us have had lives lived in chaos, in the wilderness and Jesus brought us through those waters to a new life. We are new creations, prepared for a new heaven and new earth, the Kingdom of God.

This message tells us to forget the Christmas lights, cheery holiday music, gift buying and receiving, all which makes us want to return to those warm fuzzy feeling of our childhood Christmases. John’s message is calling us to shift our focus, to change our minds and to repent from making our own ideals and longing and instead turn back to God, the one who is to come.

The one who is to come and the Kingdom which is so near should compel us to confession and repentance. Forget the holiday wonder and enter into an examination of ourselves, for the kingdom of heaven is near. This is what John is calling us to:

An invitation to life change. The axe is at the root of the tree, but it is not chopping yet! There is time to repent. John’s message is that everyone is able to enter the Kingdom and it is all God’s doing. We need only to turn to God and the axe will not chop down a tree that is bearing fruit. Lives that are renewed by God will show evidence of that life change. Luke has John specifically answer this question of fruit bearing.

Luke 3:10–14 NRSV

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.”

Luke 3:10-

Fruit bearing is found in the actions of loving God and loving neighbor.

Realize that we are all children of God and there is no such thing as grandchildren of God. That is, we do not enter the Kingdom of Heaven by some kind of pedigree. Do not get so caught up with religious duties, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, that we miss the new things that God is doing. That is how the religious leaders put Jesus to death rather than recognize he was God incarnate, the Messiah. Jesus was not the kind of Messiah that was expected. Be open to new things God may be doing. Don’t get up in dogma that could be the antithesis of God’s kingdom.

Humility John had an important message to deliver, but he knew that one coming after him was what the message was all about. John had a large following and spoke with authority but he did not get carried away with the attention and his importance.

Tell story about being in the church over where John the Baptist was born.

We encountered the Holy there. The Spirit was heavy in the air. My life was changed in that encounter with the Holy. Yours can be too. John said repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near. Turn to God and let God change your life, make you a new creation for a new heaven and earth.

The question for us to ponder as we leave today is

Are we near what John’s near?