In our reading from the gospel of Matthew today, we meet John the Baptist and Jesus when they were both about 30. We know they were the same age because their moms were pregnant at the same time…and John’s mom Elizabeth talked about how John “leapt in her womb” when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to visit her. And it seems at this point in their lives, Jesus is still fairly unknown…but John has carved out quite a name for himself.
John was a well known preacher whose whole life was consumed with his passion for God…and for God’s kingdom. He had no time for anything else. He was what is often called an “ascetic”. He avoided any kind of indulgence… he didn’t live in a nice home or eat rich food or drink wine…but got by as simply as possible. He ate locusts and honey…both found in abundance in the wild. And though it sounds strange to us, the truth is that locusts have been and are still used as a common source of protein in the Middle East and Africa and Asia.
Anyway — John had developed a following. People from all over would come out into the wilderness (which in Judea doesn’t mean forested mountains…but rather desert scrublands) to hear him speak. And when they did, he let them have it. He called people out on everything that was corrupt in their lives. Like in our gospel this morning, he harangued the religious folks for thinking that their religious credentials mattered more than how they treated other people. “Any dumb rock could be called a ‘child of Abraham’…what matters is what kind of fruit you bear…what kind of goodness you bring into the world.” John told the truth — he didn’t hold back. And he believed in God’s judgment …fiercely… that God would clear away all the chaff …all the worthless things we care so much about in life…with raging fires. Fire and brimstone…that was John. John challenged people. And people responded to him. They were moved by his words…they repented and changed their lives.
And John ‘s message and his faith came from his firm belief that God was coming to turn the world upside down…to raise up the lowly and tear down the powerful…and his cousin Jesus was going to be the one to do it. John believed that because he was raised on the song that Jesus’ mother Mary sang when she went to visit his mother during their pregnancies. Some of you might remember it. We sang it often during Advent. We call it Mary’s “magnificat” — and John believed with every fiber of his being…that Jesus, his cousin, was the one Mary sang about. Jesus was going to be the one who would bring in God’s kingdom….the one who would show strength with his arm; and scatter the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Jesus was the one through whom God would bring down the powerful from their thrones, and lift up the lowly; fill the hungry with good things, and send the rich away empty. And John’s job, as he understood it, was to prepare people for Jesus…for what Jesus was going to do. To get people to turn their lives around so they would be ready to join Jesus in the new world.
And this morning…we read the culmination of everything John had hoped for, waited for, lived for for 30 years. Jesus comes to the river where he is preaching. Finally, Jesus is making his move. But then he comes to the water, and asks John to baptize him.
And this throws John, at first. Because the point of John’s baptism was to signify a new life for people…a new beginning. It is to signify their turning away from their sin and self-indulgence…to live for God, so they will be ready to join God’s kingdom that Jesus is bringing. And Jesus…well, Jesus, hasn’t been on the wrong road, he doesn’t need to repent, and doesn’t need a new beginning. The whole point is that Jesus is the one who is BRINGING a new beginning for all of us. But Jesus says “this is what needs to be”…and so John goes ahead. And now, suddenly, baptism becomes something new entirely. Jesus is immersed in the water and the Spirit of God descends and a voice from heaven proclaims that he…Jesus…is God’s beloved son…with whom God is well pleased. Baptism…becomes the way Jesus ushers in the kingdom of God in our midst.
The kingdom is not begun with with arrogance, with Jesus dismissing John to claim his place. It does not begin with Jesus asserting his power over John …but rather, Jesus ushers in the kingdom by accepting John’s gifts, John’s ministry…with humility and grace.
And this is the way of Jesus. With whom God is well pleased.
But here’s the thing — this is NOT what John was expecting. Remember John was expecting winnowing forks and fire, not humility and grace.
But I think this is where we get our first glimpse at what the gospel truly is…what it means for Jesus to bring in the kingdom of God. Because the question becomes…When we see the world clearly…and all that is painful and wrong …how do we imagine it can be saved?
Because John saw clearly everything that was wrong with the world. He saw the corruption, the evil, the hate and the greed…and he pointed it out. He made people aware of the sin that lurks in all of us, even the most religious. Even in us. And we need people who do that…even today. We need people who call our attention to all the injustice in the world…all the ways people are being hurt. We need people who force us to open our eyes and won’t let us pretend that everything is okay, and who call on us to change. We need people who challenge us to be our best selves…people like Martin Luther King and Dorothy Day…because these are the people who prepare Jesus’ way in the world. Who make us realize how deeply the world needs to be saved…how deeply we need to be saved.
But John thought Jesus’ salvation was going to look entirely different than it turned out to be. John, like most others, believed Jesus would come in like a superhero and destroy the evil…vanquish the brood of vipers with fiery powerful weapons, and take the throne of Israel as its king. That’s how John thought Jesus would bring in God’s kingdom. He expected Jesus to claim his position as supreme leader and John would be relegated to the back seat…unworthy to carry his sandals, as he says. But instead, Jesus comes to be baptized by John. He comes and lets John bless him.
Jesus doesn’t bring in God’s kingdom by pushing everybody else down beneath him. Jesus
doesn’t destroy people…he raises them up. He brings them back to life. Jesus doesn’t tear others down…but lifts them up to fully be the children of God they were meant to be.
When John is finally arrested and put in prison…he is thoroughly at a loss when it comes to Jesus. So he actually sends some of his followers to Jesus to ask him…‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ John’s whole life has been about setting the stage for Jesus…but Jesus isn’t doing what John thought he would. There are no uprisings, no revolts…the people who do evil still seem to be in charge of things. The religious leaders are still obtuse, the political leaders are still cruel….all fueled by greed and self interest and fear.
And then Jesus tells the folks John sent — ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.’ This is what I do…Jesus says… Who I am. And this is how God’s kingdom comes.
Yes, this is the way of God’s son…with whom God is well pleased. This is the way God saves the world. Not fire and brimstone… violence and force….but by healing and compassion.
Jesus wants John to understand…wants us all to understand…that we are saved, not by arrogance and power, but by humility and undeserved grace. And Jesus does destroy evil…hate…corruption and greed. But he does it on the cross. With love. And forgiveness that will not be deterred by all the pain this world can dish out. Love and forgiveness that is stronger than even death.
And that is what baptism is for us now. It is the love and forgiveness of God poured out upon us, and raising us up to be the children of God we were meant to be. It is the love and forgiveness of Jesus….who died and who was raised from the dead….saving us…lifting us up …breathing life back into us when the world has knocked it out of us.
John was right after all. Jesus was the one he was waiting for…the one we all are waiting for. And he comes to baptize us with fire…but it is the fire of God’s love. In the midst of wrong that seems oft so strong…may we trust Jesus …only Jesus. Amen
Leave a Reply