Scripture Matthew 3:1-17 *
In those days John the Baptist appeared preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the realm of the heavens is 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 Most High;
make God’s paths straight.’
Now John had for his clothing camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the women and men of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and the whole region of the Jordan and they were baptized in the River Jordan by him, confessing their sins.
Now when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. And 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. The axe is already lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“Indeed, I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me is coming one more powerful than I; 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.”
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John forbade him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it go now; for this way is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John let it go. Now when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God, she descended like a dove, and came upon him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Sermon
Recently a friend sent me two photos of our children playing together, at what was my daughter Joan’s third birthday party. I remember the day, I remember the children, I remember the dress Joan chose for her party, and I recognize the determined look on her face as she struggles to get the wrapping paper off her gift. And it just so happens that I received these while Joan was with me—both my grown children home in Binghamton this past week, our late Christmas celebration. What a sweet gift those photos were—the joy they brought, the memories they awakened.
We encounter a similar contrast in the gospel this week. The last time we saw John the Baptist, he was a newborn baby to Elizabeth and Zechariah, being celebrated and named. The last time we saw Jesus he was a toddler receiving gifts from the Wise Ones and threats on his life from King Herod. And now both John and Jesus are men, and they have gone into the same line of work.
John’s cry is, “Repent, for the realm of the heavens is at hand!” He has a thriving ministry of welcoming people to the Jordan River so that they can confess their sins—publicly, in front of the crowds who are gathered—and be washed clean in the waters God created. John is inviting the people of Judea to wake up to the fact that their faith needs refreshment, their commitment to God needs to be deepened, and that their lives need to be turned around (which is what “repentance” means). He likewise invites them to allow immersion in the river as a sign of the new lives they are embracing. Many, many take him up on this.
John’s preaching is impassioned. He roars from the riverbed that is his pulpit. He saves up the bulk of his wrath for the religious establishment. He greets them with “You brood of vipers!” and dismisses them with “He will separate the wheat from the chaff and burn the chaff in unquenchable fire.” The strong insinuation here is that the brood of vipers is the chaff.
Let’s look at John’s words here more deeply. They are unsettling. John speaks of “the coming wrath,” which is likely a reference to the destruction of the Temple and all of Jerusalem in the year 70 CE, Rome’s brutal response to the Jewish uprising. Remember, the gospels are written at least forty years after the crucifixion of Jesus. The siege of Jerusalem is many years in the future for the inhabitants of Judea in the year 30; it is a fresh memory in the minds, hearts, and bodies of Judeans who are hearing Matthew’s gospel in or around the year 80.
Perhaps the most jarring metaphors in John’s sermon are the story of the tree that bears no fruit, and the story of the harvest.
John tells the people that they must bear fruit, that is, show with their lives that they have changed. He also shatters the notion that their identity as offspring of Abraham will save them. It will not. John says,
The axe is already lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ~Matthew 3:10
Remember, this stark, violent language is aimed at the religious elites, those John sees as hypocrites. And its message is terrifying: It they don’t live up to God’s standards, they will be cut down and thrown into the (presumably eternal) fire. At the same time I want to remind us that the baptism of fire John attributes to Jesus, when it comes, comes in two stages. First, it is Jesus who “goes through the fire” by way of crucifixion, not the people of Judea. And secondly, it is also Jesus who, after his resurrection, sends a baptism of fire upon his followers—and that “fire” is the Holy Spirit, sent at Pentecost to remind us that God is with us, intimately, in, among, and alongside us. The fire of the Holy Spirit gathers us into one body, the church. The fire is the source, and the church is born.
So, what does that mean as far as the axe is concerned? Is it possible the axe is, in fact, grace, mercy? God’s dream is for us to live in peace and harmony with one another. God’s dream is that we will forgive one another, as God has forgiven us. The axe is the dividing line between what could be and what will be. It is the dividing line between what is, and God’s dream for us. God’s plan all along is mercy, not brutality. Brutality is the way of Empire. Brutality is extra-judicial murder on our streets. Kindness, mercy, and grace for one another is the way of Christ. Love, Peace, and Justice are God’s dream for us.
All four gospels attest that Jesus comes to John in the Jordan and presents himself for baptism. John balks. He sees Jesus, and he knows Jesus, just as he did as a babe in his mother’s womb, while Jesus was still a babe in his mother’s womb. He knows Jesus and his reaction is, NO. I cannot baptize you. You should be baptizing me.
There are all kinds of reasons why this moment might appear in this gospel. I believe this is about the incarnation. God comes among us as a vulnerable baby, and at the age of 30 is ready to respond to the purpose of his life. Let me be clear. We don’t know what this was like for Jesus. It is easy to say, well, he is the Son of God, he doesn’t need to be baptized. But I think that diminishes the incarnation and moves us in the direction of, “Well, he only looked like he was human.” The incarnation is a truly madcap phenomenon, God completely divesting Godself of divine power, so that God could truly be in it with us—all of it. Growing up. Learning things. Learning a craft or skill. Navigating relationships. Listening for what God was calling him to do. If we let the idea of Jesus being one with God lead us to think this was all no big deal for him, we have lost the thread. This whole thing only works if Jesus is truly human, as well as truly divine.
Jesus wants to be baptized because that is what people who want to have a closer walk with God are doing in Judea, where he is, and he is one of those people. He tells John, “Let it [go].” The Greek reads simply, “Let it,” which means “release” something, in this case, an idea. He continues, “…for this way is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:16). Jesus believes what is right and just is for him to do this very human thing: seeking baptism and pledging his life to God.
And then… the stunning moment of immersion, and rising from the water, and the dove signifying the Spirit, and the voice of God ringing out. We don’t know who hears it. Only Jesus? Jesus and John? The crowds? The evangelist does not limit who hears this, so it may be that everyone hears it. God also speaks aloud to Jesus—from the heavens—in the gospel according to John. There, Jesus hears God’s words; others hear thunder. Maybe that is what happens here.
But God speaks words that touch our souls: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:16). These words affect me physically. I doubt I’m the only person here who remembers hoping for words like that from a parent, or waiting for them. Maybe hearing them—occasionally, or frequently—and not realizing what a blessed gift that was. Maybe never hearing them and wondering what we did wrong, wondering whether we were wrong, in some global way.
This is the way God speaks to us. These are the words we long for, and God speaks them into our hearts. We, too, are beloved children. We, too, please God—not necessarily for anything we have done, but simply for being. God creates us, and says, this child of mine is good. Very good. Life leaves its mark on us, and at times we wonder whether that is true. It is true. God creates us, and we are a part of God’s good creation.
So hear these words today. Take them in. God speaks them to you know. You are my beloved child—that’s what God says. I am so pleased with you. I delight in you. I created you for my own delight, and you delight me.
I send you into the world as I sent Jesus—I send you with the gifts of love, and peace, and justice on your lips and in your heart. I send you. Go.
You are my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
* Scripture Translation from A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A, by
the Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney.