And all flesh shall see the salvation of God

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the LORD;

Make His paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight.

And the rough ways smooth;

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

- Luke 3:1-9

In yesterday's reading, from the Book of Matthew, we read of Jesus' words about the Baptist. In that reading, it is a time when John the Baptist is in prison for criticizing the wife of Herod Antipas. John's disciples come to Jesus with a question: "Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus replies with a quotation from Scripture about the Messiah, which is being fulfilled in His ministry. After John's disciples leave, He then turns to the multitude gathered to Him and defends John the Baptist, and his "rough" ways. Jesus has some fascinating words about John and the kingdom - John himself is the fulfillment of prophecy, the messenger or herald of the kingdom, Elijah who was to return. But also, he is the greatest of the prophets. Jesus also notes, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force," perplexing words that bear looking at more closely. The kingdom is breaking into their midst, with speed, to repent is to be prepared - but those who are a part of it are those who will seize it with passion, and those who bear it, like John the Baptist, and Jesus and His apostles, are not those in kings' houses, who wear soft robes. Neither Jesus nor John fulfill the popular expectations of the kingdom and its coming. Jesus says, "Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

In today's reading, we turn to the Gospel of Luke for the same scene we have now read through the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. We saw differences midst the similarities in Mark and Matthew, and the same is true of Luke's Gospel in comparison to the others.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, . . . A note in my study bible reads, "Tiberius ruled as sole Roman emperor in A.D. 14-37, but had authority over the provinces from A.D. 11 on. Thus the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus began sometime between A.D. 26 and 28. Pilate was governor of Judea from A.D. 26-36." Luke gives his audience a historical placement of these times. It is a hint of the careful examination and collection of the stories of Jesus undertaken for this Gospel. Luke was a Gentile by birth, from the city of Antioch - and a physician by profession. He is called the "historian" because, as in this passage, he would date events by reference to secular history. Luke wrote the Book of Acts of the Apostles and was a fellow worker with Paul. His emphasis is on the universality of the Gospel message - with a great emphasis on evangelization and mission to the Gentiles.

. . . while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. A note reads, "Caiaphas was the sole official high priest (A.D. 18-36), but people recognized behind him the power of his father-in-law, Annas, a previous high priest deposed by the Romans." So Luke creates a setting that is universal, for Jew and Gentile. We have the references to the Roman political power in secular rule at the time, and the priestly rulers in the temple. And then there is John the Baptist, son of Zacharias, who comes neither from kings' houses nor is he in the temple leadership, but the wilderness.

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, . . . A note here reads, "The call to repentance was typical of the Old Testament prophets, but John's baptism for the remission of sins sounds a deeper note: a symbolic washing away of sins, prefiguring that which will come. As Paul writes in Romans 6:1-6, those who come to Christ will be buried with Him in baptism, rising to new life." John is creating a preparation for the One who is to come, and the kingdom He is to inaugurate. It is a time of "about face" - repentance is the act of changing one's mind, preparing for something new and its receipt within ourselves. It is an act of preparation for the Good News.

. . . as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight. And the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" A note here reads, "Isaiah the prophet foresaw the momentous significance of the period of the Messiah and the preparation necessary for it." And again, although this is a book primarily written for a Gentile audience, we hear the true universality of the message. John the Baptist comes in the fulfillment of prophecy, citing prophecy. He understands his role as messenger and herald of the kingdom, and the One who is to come. This light is for all the nations, not just the Jewish people, but it is "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:32). This light brings all the light of the history of Israel, or the People of God, to all the world.

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." In the reading from Matthew's Gospel, which is aimed at a mixed Jewish and Gentile audience, but particularly written with Jewish custom and commonly used Aramaic phrases, John the Baptist's scathing words here are directed at the Pharisees and Saduccees who come for baptism - those in leadership in the temple or the ruling classes. But here, in Luke's Gospel, the words take on a different meaning: there is no one who can rest on heritage for membership in this kingdom. The emphasis shifts and changes, becoming more universal: God wants those who will love Him for themselves, not those who rest on lineage or heritage. Even the stones can be raised up as children to God. As we have reviewed in earlier commentary, "stones" will become an important image in evangelizing -- those who are of the Church are "living stones." In the words of Peter, "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). This kingdom is a new order, unlike any other previously understood.

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Therefore the nature of this "new order" is something utterly different from the kind of hierarchies already understood. It is not inherited, nor is it given as a privilege by other men. Rather it is a gift by adoption. God wants those who love Him, and it doesn't matter what their backgrounds. But there is judgment, discernment, and it comes from honoring those who will bear the fruits of this love. Repeatedly Jesus emphasizes this point Himself, and here John the Baptist does so. Those who have inherited a spiritual understanding are responsible for the fruits they bear, and they are responsible for the bad fruits as well. As in Matthew's Gospel, we understand that this baptism is also a baptism of fire, one that will test each one. Can we stand in that fire, and let it set us ablaze? Or are we unable to stand in that fire, and unable to bear fruits worthy of its flame of love?

Again, we return to fire as a symbol for the Spirit of this kingdom. It is a fire that links all who belong to it, a fire that enlivens and shares its blazing energy and light. It is a fire that sets aflame those who will receive it with love, energizing and building that kingdom via its living stones. It is a flame of love. But it bears no privileges, no secret deals, no entitlements. It is, instead, a flame offered as a gift to each one of us, equally, leveling the playing fields. The Way of this flame is to be prepared by making "His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight. And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." All flesh gives us the key here to the radical equality of this kingdom which is neither created by "specialness" nor "privilege" nor "heritage." It is a flame that approaches each, and each might be worthy of adoption to this kingdom. But it all depends: The light of Advent comes from a blazing, energetic, heavenly fire. Can you carry that flame and be Its bearer? Do you love it with the passion and energy worthy of that flame and allow its love to blaze in you? Or does it burn the fruits you choose to bear?