Matthew 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come 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 Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore, 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. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.s

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and 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.”

Sermon Text

The world is lacking prophets. I do not mean it needs more soothsayers who claim to know the future, there are a lot of those. Nor do I necessarily mean those folks who advocate for social change inspired by scripture, though their work is necessary too. I mean that there are few people who, having received the Spirit of God, bring with them a timeless message in a truly innovative way. I think that there are those who come close to it, but outside of definitions like what is seen in Bruggeman, you do not get a sense that God’s Spirit is inspiring folk like it might have once done in history.[1]

In his writings on the work of the prophets, Jewish Philosopher of Religion Abraham Joshua Heschel states, “[The Prophet’s] true greatness is his ability to hold God and man [sic] in a single thought.”[2] In other words, the prophets are able to see the world from a divine and human perspective, they do not separate out the holy and the mundane. Every moment is a moment where humanity can respond to God, and where God is reaching out to humanity. A prophet is able to discern the heartbeat of God and relate it to the people, to not seek an agenda except to further what God’s Spirit is doing in the now.

A possible explanation for the lack of prophecy comes is given in Christ’s ministry. Christ identifies his life, death, and resurrection as the sufficient and final message to humanity. Christ also points to the unbelief of his own people, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”[3] If we are to understand what we must do in our present age, perhaps we should not wait for someone to come and tell us, perhaps that message has already been revealed in ages past.

The second Sunday of Advent often asks us to turn our eyes to John the Baptist. John was Jesus’s relative and is traditionally believed to be three months older. His work of ministry began in the womb, when he leapt for joy at the sight of Jesus’s pregnant mother. He declared the messiah was entering the world even then. John would flee into the desert as an adult, declaring a simple but powerful message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” All who approached him were asked to mark their repentance with a new kind of ritual washing, “Baptism.” In being washed in the river, they were cleansed of their sins, and prepared for a new life.

All kinds of people came to see John. All parts of Judea were represented in the faithful people seeking a new life. The majority were probably poor folk, steeped in religion but lacking in all earthly goods. It was not long, however, until John attracted attention of people higher up in society. King Herod Antipas was known for enjoying John’s sermons, even if the prophet was critical of his rule within them.[4] Pharisees and Sadducees regarded him with a mixture of interest and fear – after all, he was not part of their parties and could not be controlled. These two groups, the Pharisees who taught the people and the Sadducees who administered within the Temple, are the focus of our scripture today.

John looks at them and spits out exactly what he thinks about them. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee the wrath to come?” I frequently say this in private. If I hear a minister say something I find objectionable dressed up in holy language, this is usually my response. It feels good, but it also is a clear naming of the stakes. “You who harm the people,” it says, “… why do you now come seeking to be saved?”

Within scripture we are often convinced that we are the recipients of God’s grace without question. We read of prodigal sons and lost sheep and rejoice that God has done so much to bring us home. Rightly so, God truly does reconcile all people and will chase us to the ends of the earth. However, I think we sometimes forget that we are not lost sheep or wasteful children when we sit in a pew and still neglect God’s word. No, we are not the protagonist of a redemption story, we are often an antagonist to God’s gospel. We like the Pharisees and Sadducees presume to be righteous, come to receive God’s grace as if we deserve it, and in so doing prove ourselves to be serpents expecting somehow to be saved.

A just end to the story we are told would be John chasing off the Pharisees and Sadducees. “Begone! For you tie burdens on others until they cannot walk! You who lock up the gates of heaven and seek to make your converts twice as fit for Hell as you are!”[5] Yet, John does not do this. John looks the brood of vipers in the eyes, names their sin of presumption and holy apathy, and scoops up water in his hands as they approach. John looks these men in the eyes and tells them, “I baptize you with water for repentance…”

As we approach the table of God’s grace today, to receive this sacrament to our strength, I would ask us to examine ourselves. How have we, intentionally or accidentally, gotten in the way of God’s work? Do we prevent other people from entering this building, out of fear they are “not like us?” Do we cast a judgmental eyes across the pew each morning, examining who we may take issue with? Do we fail to share the truth Christ showed us, jealously holding onto it like we own it? Examine your heart, name your sins, and find that, miracle of miracles, God is still willing to take us in and change our hearts. God is in the business of washing snakes like you and like me, changing our hard scales and stone hearts into flesh. Let us approach the fountains of grace, and come up renewed. – Amen.

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[1] Walter Bruggeman. The Prophetic Imagination. (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press. 1978)

[2] Abraham Joshua Heschel. “What Manner of Man is a Prophet?” in The Prophets. (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson. 2021.) 21

[3] Luke 16:31

[4] Mark 6:20

[5] Matthew 23:13-15