Advent II—December 9, 2001
Suddenly,
without warning, the Baptist appears from the wilderness.
BAM!
HERE COMES JOHN!
Out
of the desert, out of the smoldering embers of the Hope of the people of
Israel, out of the fading memory of prophets long dead…suddenly, without
warning—there is John….
There
was nothing new or unusual about baptism in Jewish practice. In fact,
“ritual washing” was a part of every Jew’s daily life. Each time a devout Jew
came in contact with any unclean thing, ritual washing was necessary.
And since first century Israel was occupied by the foreign, Gentile Roman army
the Jews could not avoid “unclean things”.
“Baptism” was necessary to wash away that uncleanness—that external and ritual stain of the Gentile
world.
BAM!
John turned the washing inside out. His washing—his baptism—was for the forgiveness of sin. His water wasn’t to wash
away the outer contamination—John came to wash away the inner darkness and death from the mind
and heart and soul.
And
he came just as people were losing hope. It had been 400 years since a prophet
had been heard in Israel. For four centuries there had been no VOICE heard in
the land and none to answer the Prophet’s call.
BAM! After generations of emptiness, a Prophet
came to Israel. After centuries of silence, a Prophet’s Voice was heard in the
Land. He was Isaiah. He was Ezekiel. He was Elijah.
Suddenly,
without warning, John Baptist appears.
*
The
common people streamed out to meet him. All those in Jerusalem and Judea who
had longed for the Voice of a Prophet rushed to him to be baptized in the River
Jordan. He was irresistible to them. He spoke powerfully into their listening.
He called them to bare their souls and unburden their hearts. He called them to
Forgiveness, to Grace, to the Love and Healing of God. The holy river’s waters
flowed over them—restoring them, renewing them, giving them vitality and Life.
So
far, so good. But then some Pharisees and Sadducees showed up and things got
ugly.
“You
brood of Vipers!” John raged at the Pharisees and Sadducees. “Who warned you
to flee from the wrath to come?”
This
is what we must remember about the Pharisees and Sadducees—they weren’t bad people. In fact, the conventional wisdom of
the Jewish world in the first century considered the Pharisees and Sadducees to
be “good people.” The Pharisees and Sadducees devoutly studied the Torah,
scrupulously obeyed the Laws of Moses and faithfully performed the rituals of
their faith. The Pharisees and Sadducees talked
the talk and walked the walk
of Judaism. In ways too uncomfortable to reflect on deeply, the Pharisees and
Sadducees were “the good Episcopalians”
of their day and time.
They
said their prayers, kept their pledge up to date, helped with parish functions
and came regularly to services. Good “church folks”, as my Grandmother would
have said—that’s what the Pharisees and Sadducees were. So what was it about
them that so profoundly angered John the Baptist?
This
is what he said to them: 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 for Abraham.
Here’s
what I think John’s anger is all about….The Pharisees and Sadducees had decided
that the “outward” and “visible” aspects of being faithful and following God
were enough. So, they said their prayers, kept their
pledge up to date, helped with parish functions and came regularly to
services—and they believed that was ENOUGH.
John
Baptist had other ideas.
John
came out of the wilderness to talk about the hearts and souls and minds of
God’s people. John appeared, suddenly and without warning, to call us to more
than “outward show”. John came to
suggest something audacious and astonishing.
John came to tell us WE NEED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD.
*
Advent,
it seems to me, is the season of romance between our souls and the Heart of
God. In the Christian year, it is Advent
and not Spring that is the season of “falling in love”.
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