Matthew 3:1-6
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 the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
John, as we spoke of yesterday, comes as a prophet. His locale, clothing, and speech all identify him as one who stands in the same line as Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah whom he quotes. In some ways, and as we’ll see later, John comes as the last and greatest of the prophets.
As a prophet, John calls the people to repentance. To turn away from those things that are wreaking havoc in their lives and the world, to think again about their lives and relationships, and to return to the path of righteousness. John calls…and the people come. The people of Jerusalem and all Judea come out to hear John, Matthew tells us, and that would be quite a large number of folks.
But why? Certainly they come to hear John preach. And they come to be baptized. And they come to repent. For although we may hear the word “repentance” from a modern point of view that makes it sound rather dreary or austere, yet there is something refreshing and freeing about turning around and starting over. And so they come for all these reasons.
But they also come for one more. Like his prophetic forebears, John does not proclaim in general, but rather in response to an event. Something is about to happen, and the prophet comes to announce it, to describe what will change because of it, and to prepare the people for it.
In this case, John announces not a natural calamity or impending invasion but rather tells all who come out to the wilderness to hear him that the kingdom of God is drawing near. God’s reign and rule and righteousness, John proclaims, is around the corner. A new era of God being in the world differently than in previous generations is about to commence. And that is going to change everything.
And so they come. Wouldn’t we?
What if I told you that each Sunday we hear a similar message? Each week, that is, we hear of how God’s kingdom began in the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, and that that kingdom continues. What if we imagined that, in light of this kingdom that has come and is still coming, we also are invited to turn, to reconsider, to act and be differently, to seize the fresh start that God offers? Wouldn’t you, like the people of Jerusalem and all Judea want to come?
I guess we’ll see.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for John the Baptist and his message that in the presence of God we must all repent, start over, and begin anew. And thank you for the chance to do just that each and every Sunday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Post image: “St. John the Baptist Preaching to the Masses in the Wilderness,” by Pieter Brueghel the Younger.
Hopefully, we can awake each day with the promise and the hope that we can change. Each day we can invite God to show us a new perspective on ourselves and others. That possibility is available not just on Sundays but every ordinary day of the week.