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But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think 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. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
- Matthew 3:7-12
In yesterday's reading, we read first the genealogy of Jesus from Matthew chapter 1, and then began chapter 3, the ministry of John the Baptist. John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" The Gospel tells us that John is the one who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" John is preparing the people with a baptism of repentance.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" John is speaking in the style of many of the Old Testament prophets before him, warning of the judgment of God, the violation of covenant. His severe criticism of the religious leadership is also in the style of the prophets before him.
"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think 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." Again, the imagery and warnings are nothing new in Jewish Scripture. All is dependent upon God, or YHWH, and not the works of human beings, not on lineage, nor tradition -- but on the individual's response to God, to the covenant that is in the heart. With God nothing is impossible -- God is able even to raise children to Abraham from the stones. When John teaches that "every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire," he is again following in the tradition of the great prophets before him.
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The One who is to come, who will bring judgment, will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The warning is clear, the reason for repentance is here. The One who is coming, who will inaugurate the kingdom of God, will bring with Him the Spirit and lead into all judgment. Therefore the time is at hand.
In the tradition of the Scripture and prophets before him, John the Baptist comes preaching a message of repentance, but it is a message of preparation for the awaited One, the Anointed One. With the Messiah or Christ will also come a baptism of the Spirit, and the fire that tests -- the judgment. In Israel's history, she has already experienced the warnings of the prophets, the Babylonian exile and return. John comes in the style of the old prophets, even in the spirit of Elijah whom He resembles. In yesterday's text, the Evangelist teaches us that it is John the Baptist of whom Isaiah spoke. This is a warning, a time for change, a call to heed not just the One who is coming, but all the teachings of the past, of the Covenant which must be written on the heart. It is this type of repentance and awareness for which he comes baptizing, and this kind of warning he is delivering to the leadership. In all of Israel's history, the tradition is clear, the warning has been heard many times. The allusions to the wheat and the chaff are teachings from Scripture with which they all must be familiar, particularly the Pharisees. The allegory of bearing good spiritual fruit has been taught over and over again by the prophets, such as Jeremiah. Let us remember the long history of salvation, and God's grace working through. We have all been called to the circumcision of the heart, the repentance from empty works, from hypocrisy. We are given the grace to have hearts capable of receiving, and turning. Can we heed his message now? Let us remember that with the warnings also comes our grace, our consolation, and this is also part of the prophetic tradition. Isaiah begins his chapter from which the quote about John the Baptist is taken: "'Comfort, yes, comfort My people,' says God." The One who is coming will bring with Him the Holy Spirit, also called our Comforter. The Good News remains the good news, now and always.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" John is speaking in the style of many of the Old Testament prophets before him, warning of the judgment of God, the violation of covenant. His severe criticism of the religious leadership is also in the style of the prophets before him.
"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think 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." Again, the imagery and warnings are nothing new in Jewish Scripture. All is dependent upon God, or YHWH, and not the works of human beings, not on lineage, nor tradition -- but on the individual's response to God, to the covenant that is in the heart. With God nothing is impossible -- God is able even to raise children to Abraham from the stones. When John teaches that "every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire," he is again following in the tradition of the great prophets before him.
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The One who is to come, who will bring judgment, will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The warning is clear, the reason for repentance is here. The One who is coming, who will inaugurate the kingdom of God, will bring with Him the Spirit and lead into all judgment. Therefore the time is at hand.
In the tradition of the Scripture and prophets before him, John the Baptist comes preaching a message of repentance, but it is a message of preparation for the awaited One, the Anointed One. With the Messiah or Christ will also come a baptism of the Spirit, and the fire that tests -- the judgment. In Israel's history, she has already experienced the warnings of the prophets, the Babylonian exile and return. John comes in the style of the old prophets, even in the spirit of Elijah whom He resembles. In yesterday's text, the Evangelist teaches us that it is John the Baptist of whom Isaiah spoke. This is a warning, a time for change, a call to heed not just the One who is coming, but all the teachings of the past, of the Covenant which must be written on the heart. It is this type of repentance and awareness for which he comes baptizing, and this kind of warning he is delivering to the leadership. In all of Israel's history, the tradition is clear, the warning has been heard many times. The allusions to the wheat and the chaff are teachings from Scripture with which they all must be familiar, particularly the Pharisees. The allegory of bearing good spiritual fruit has been taught over and over again by the prophets, such as Jeremiah. Let us remember the long history of salvation, and God's grace working through. We have all been called to the circumcision of the heart, the repentance from empty works, from hypocrisy. We are given the grace to have hearts capable of receiving, and turning. Can we heed his message now? Let us remember that with the warnings also comes our grace, our consolation, and this is also part of the prophetic tradition. Isaiah begins his chapter from which the quote about John the Baptist is taken: "'Comfort, yes, comfort My people,' says God." The One who is coming will bring with Him the Holy Spirit, also called our Comforter. The Good News remains the good news, now and always.
