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Peace
Peace
When you think about peace, what do you think about?
What about the Peace of Christmas? What images come to mind when you think about Christmas Peace?
What about Bible stories? (the Christmas or Advent stories)
Most of us think about Luke 2… The birth of Jesus… shepherds in the fields… Angels proclaiming Peace on earth…
But… not Luke 3… Luke 3 is rarely thought of…
It’s the story of John the Baptist… the one “calling out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord.”
Can I tell you this — It’s the perfect text for Advent… because John’s cry is a cry for preparation… and Advent is a time for anticipation and preparation.
However, it may seem like an odd text for a week when we talk about Peace.... I mean, let’s face it… John the Baptist does not give us the image of peace we usually picture!
He’s a bit of a “wild man”… living in the wilderness… wearing strange clothes… eating really strange things… (his diet was not exactly what we would look for in a Christmas dinner!)… and crying out for people to “Repent!”
Seriously! Look at how Mark describes him:
6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
I can’t help it… when I read that description… when I think about John the Baptist, this is the image that comes to mind: (slide)
Ok, maybe this one.... (slide2) But still…
Does that look like a man that people would want to follow?!
When we think of Advent and Christmas peace, we usually picture babies who don’t cry and pastoral images of sheep with shepherds… not wild, loud calls for repentance!
It all seems like quite the opposite of peace, doesn’t it?!
Look at Luke 3.
Luke uses John the Baptist to paint a picture straight out of the Prophet Isaiah…
He describes a time when crooked paths are made straight… When rough places are made smooth…
4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
It is a prophecy about John, but an image of the “day of the Lord” — a day longed for by the people — a day when all will be made right…
It is a day of Peace! Peace come to the earth! All the wrongs… all the troubles… all the strife… ended!
When we paint a picture of the birth of Christ… of Christmas… we tend to paint one of stillness… of quietness… of sleeping babies… quiet stables… and silent nights…
But… that’s not the picture John paints is it?
The picture of Peace that John paints is not one of silent babies and softly bleating sheep… it’s a picture of a hard, difficult journey of work and repentance… that ultimately leads to the peace of Christ…
It is the Kingdom of God impacting the Earth in unexpected ways!
— The Kingdom of God NEVER touches earth in EXPECTED and ACCEPTABLE ways!
Luke’s text here proves it…
I. The narrative begins by contrasting two kingdoms — the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of God.
a. Luke sets the stage by describing the current kingdom and political powers at play.
Luke 3:1–2 (NRSV)
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
— The list includes the emperor, the governor, the appointed local rulers, and even the high priests of the day! (you do realize that the high priests at that time were appointed by Rome, not according to Jewish tradition, right? It was a political position!)
These are the people Luke starts with…
Why? Why does Luke mention them?
1 - for dating
2 - because political/kingdom power was the avenue through which people believed the Messiah come.
They thought peace on earth would come through the powers of the elite: through warfare… controlling the law and governing bodies… by taking over and regulating people into the Kingdom!
You see… They were God’s chosen people… therefore, if they were in control, the infidels could be dealt with… everything would be right!
Sound familiar?!?
They believed Christ would be a “warrior king” — like David!
b. But Luke turns that idea completely upside down with one simple line...
Luke 3:2 (NRSV)
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
— This seemingly small and insignificant line is an introduction to a very different kingdom God is creating.
(In it, Luke tells us)
i. The Kingdom of God is not entering through a political center, but… from a wilderness place.
— You won’t find the Kingdom of God in politics… social justice… political correctness… or worldly peace… You only find the Kingdom of God in the wilderness!
ii. The Kingdom of God is not entering through those in power, but… through a simple prophet with very little clout, and zero power.
— Both John the Baptist, and Jesus, were meaningless to the political world!
— And neither of them tried to work through it!
c. The Kingdom of God is completely different than the Kingdoms of the world…
— The fact that Luke moves from the narrative of the birth of Christ and His childhood to this list of political leaders and powers highlights this contrast even more!
God’s Kingdom does not operate in the ways of the world… it operates very very differently!
2. It is into this New Kingdom, that John is baptizing people into.
3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
a. Baptism would have been familiar to the Jews of John’s time. They were already baptizing converts into Judaism…
— So, What was the problem with John’s baptism?
— John’s baptism was different.
b. The radical part of John’s message wasn’t in the act of baptism… it was in what he was asking of them.
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
— He calles them “vipers” and tells them to “quit relying on your heritage”… Then he commands them to “Repent”…
— We cannot find Christ… we cannot experience the Peace of the Kingdom of God just because our family goes to church!
— We must repent!
Repent means - to completely change your heart and mind. It means to take your life in a completely new direction.
i. John calls them to change their lives… to repent and take up citizenship in the Kingdom of God!
— look at what He tells them:
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
14 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.”
— Citizenship in the Kingdom of God was not dependent on family legacy or heritage… but on something completely different!
— The Kingdom of God demands a new way of life… a new family citizenship… one born of God, and not of man…
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
— They were to live differently than the world!
** We cannot reveal the Kingdom of God to the world if we look and act like the world!
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
14 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.”
ii. Look at the list of those who were coming to John to be baptized: tax collectors and soldiers.
— tax collectors - controlled the economy… they were known to cheat people for personal gain. John commands them to stop… to only take the salary that they were owed.
— Roman soldiers - the powerful arm of the Roman government… John commanded them to stop harassing and stealing from others… and instead to act in ways that humanized others… that lifted them up!
c. Understanding the contrast between the kingdoms of earth and the Kingdom of God is important to understanding how God intends to bring Peace on earth.
— John’s baptism didn’t “save” the person… it “qualified” the person to meet the One who would.
— The work God called John to was one of preparation.
Luke 3:2 (NRSV)
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
Look at his message:
d. It’s a New Kingdom!
— They didn’t have to cross a desert… or jump through any religious hoops… they simply had to repent!
— They had to “cross that hard line from self-centered religious pride and piety to humble acceptance of a baptism based on confession of sins.” (Holman)
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
— John the Baptist came to build a bridge - to pave the way - for people to be able to receive Christ.
**He was a voice calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the path of the Lord”
(understand)
3. A Voice of one calling in the wilderness… paths being made straight… mountains being leveled… is a call to the task of active peacemaking.
— To preparing the way for Christ, and that is not an easy task!
When you think of Peace, what comes to mind?
a. When we think of peace we don’t usually imagine earthquakes, but in verse 5… Things are being shaken up.
b. When we think of peace we don’t usually imagine sandpaper, but that is the imagery of verse 5… The rough places will be made smooth.
c. These images of the Kingdom of God - a Kingdom of Peace being brought about in the world - are ones of Action and Movement.
— The Kingdom of God is not going to come in ways people expect… it is not going to come by money, power, and control… but by repentance and baptism.
— The Kingdom of God is not breaking through with gentleness either… there is power and movement in the Kingdom of God.
d. Peace is not Passivity… the Peace of God is coming through in sometimes painful ways… because the powers of the world have to be dismantled in order for peace to reign.
Luke 3:4 (NRSV)
4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
— We are that voice!
John is telling the crowds to share what they have…
— We have something to share… We are called to “prepare the way for the Lord”… to “make straight” His paths… by engaging in the Kingdom!
— Engaging in the Kingdom means living in a way that is completely different than the world… It means living in such a way that we bring clarity and the ability to see the way ahead to people who desperately need it… It means removing the possibility of getting robbed by what might be hiding around the bends…
A world where we don’t have to fear the bends in the road is very different from one in which soldiers and tax collectors could be hiding to harass us!
— That is what John is trying to tell us…
**We are meant to reveal a new kingdom to the world — a Kingdom of Peace!
— A kingdom of peace is one that moves in action toward others… looking out for their interests, instead of only our own.
— But let me tell you — Peacemaking is a painful process.
It takes sacrifice, repentance, and a complete reorientation of life.
(but here’s the awesome part)
4. The Kingdom of God — The Kingdom of Peace — breaks into the world through ordinary people.
a. John the Baptist was not a ruler…he was a wild man in the wilderness… preaching repentance… and preparing the way for the Lord.
b. The crowds seeking baptism were ordinary people… seeking more.
c. the tax collectors were viewed as the worst sinners… yet they were called to a new way of life.
d. The soldiers were caught up in the Roman Empire… yet they sought something new.
e. Even the Messiah Himself entered in an ordinary and unspectacular way!
Yet… they all impacted the world!
And that is not to even mention the Disciples…
f. We too are called to this work… to repent and be transformed… to participate in the Kingdom of God… in the Kingdom of Peace… and in the world around us.
We are meant to build bridges of Peace and Hope… to make the way smooth for Christ… through the example of our lives.
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
Can that be said about us?
Peacemaking is not an easy task...
— It is not an image of babies who don’t cry… or of sheep resting in quiet fields… It is the image of a parent who breaks the cycle of abuse by doing the difficult task… so that their child can grow up in a better home…
— It is the grandparent on their knees night after night… praying for their neighborhood.
— It is people who wash graffiti off walls… who give to others in need… who serve the homeless… the orphan… the outcast… all without expecting… or requesting recognition...
— It’s church members opening their homes in hospitality toward others…
— It’s the hard… everyday moments of working for justice in a world that is so far from it....
Rev. Olivia Metcalf — in the devotional book, Come, Peasant King — says: “The path toward peace isn’t easy. The path toward peace isn’t smooth. The path toward peace is risky, takes courage, and challenges the broken realities of the world. For peace to come, we must get to the hard work of aligning a world made crooked by sin with the straight paths of the kingdom of God. ” (pp36-37)
And so we work...
We work to see the Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven…
We work to see peace in our lives and in the lives of those around us…
We work so that the world might know the ultimate peace that comes — not from kingdoms and powers of the world — but from the very heart of God.