Advent 3

 

Advent 3

December 15, 2024

Have you ever encountered a truly skilled salesman? Someone who speaks smoothly, anticipating your questions before you ask them. A smooth salesman knows how to read his customer and knows just what to say to put any doubts they may have aside. On the downside, a salesman like this can be a little loose with facts, or a little creative with the details they are sharing. Their goal is to sell you something and they know how to use the emotional, financial and social buttons that can help them finalize that sale.

John the Baptist was not that kind of guy.  He certainly did not see himself as a salesman to begin with, but as someone with a message. When it came to that message he was straight to the point. In this week's gospel passage in Luke:3-18 we begin with John speaking to the crowd by saying “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” John was not making any effort to craft a message that would entice the casual listener.  John had been given the task of being the messenger who would prepare the way for Jesus to begin his ministry. His method was firm and direct. He shared the truth that God had given him, and it was because of the truth of that message, and not the delivery of John, that the people surged forward to be baptized.

In the very next verse John begins to set the expectations that exist for those who want to follow his message. He also makes short work of any claim of salvation by heritage that anyone in the crowd may be holding onto. Verse 8 starts by stating “Bear fruits worthy of repentance”. The expectation is clear, not just repent, but repent in such a way that the fruits of your life change. John is not speaking a message about beliefs only. He makes it clear that the fruits of those believe are to be visible. Then he gives a warning, still in verse 8, “Do not begin 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.” This doesn’t mean that the children of Abraham were not special and set apart. It does mean that just being set apart is not enough. God is not looking for people who are aware of His kingdom, he is looking for people who are actively producing fruit in it.

His message is clear, despite being “children of Abraham” if a person does not produce fruit, he will be cast aside. So what are we to, they ask. Here we get to the heart of the message of both John and Jesus. First and foremost the response they get meets then directly where they are. They are not told to change one single thing about themselves before they are to begin bearing fruit for the kingdom. He says in verse 11 “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise”. He is simply telling them to love their neighbor. To share with them and treat them as they would treat any family member. He does not say, start a coat drive, or build a food pantry, he just says do what you can, with what you have for those who are in need. A simpler message can not be found any other part of the Gospel.

He then gets questioned by particular people. Some of these people would have been very unpopular in their time (and possible now). The tax collector and the soldier both ask what they must do. His answer is simple, and again focuses on where they are at that moment. He does not tell either that they need to abandon their job even though he knows both jobs give them the power to abuse people. He does not say a tax collector can never repent and bear fruit. Instead, he says “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” In other words, treat people fairly. John, like Jesus after him, recognized the government's authority, and even their right to tax. He tells those with that power to treat people fairly and not to cheat them in order to line their own purse. In other words he tells them to show love. His answer is similar to the soldiers. They are not instructed to abandon the government that they serve. He simply tells them to treat the people fairly during the course of doing their duty. The fruits of the repentant tax collector or soldier can be seen simply in the fairly treated citizen. 

So here John is the messenger preparing the way for Jesus, and he is doing so by sharing the same kind of message that Jesus will share throughout his ministry.  Repent what you are doing but stay where you are. Love your neighbor. Don’t take advantage of others. These are the key pieces of the messages of both John and Jesus.

Now the last few versus of our passage today change focus from talking to the people about themselves and begins to talk about Jesus. Luke 17 says “His Winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Now when we first here this passage, if we have much evangelical exposure to the gospels we think first and foremost of the “unquenchable fire” of Hell being made ready to burn the sinner amongst us. We think of judgment. We may even think about the separating of the sheep and goats. However, I don’t believe this is at all what John is talking about. 

First, let’s have a look at the difference between judgment between sheep and goats and between wheat and chaff. Sheep and goats are both animals unto themselves. Both living things are distinct from one another. A goat is not a sheep, can’t ever become a sheep. In other passages about judgment when it talks about separating sheep and goats the passage is talking about two different things being judged and separated based on those differences. This passage is about wheat. Wheat is the living thing being talked about. Not wheat and corn or wheat and grass, but just wheat. So in this analogy every person is a grain of wheat. 

Why is this important? Because in this passage John is talking to everyone and everyone who hears him is wheat. Wheat is the fruit that is being harvested and every person is producing fruit. Producing fruit was the entire reason that John was telling the crowd to repent.  Not to be “good” or “holy” but fruitful. And the unquenchable fire is not coming to burn up some of the wheat and leave other grains of wheat untouched. That is picture of judgment and hell for those who “deserve” it. But here every single piece of wheat is facing the winnowing fork. Every stalk is being tossed in the air and exposed to the threshing. Every grain of wheat is being separated from its stalk, and broken out of its hull.  The judgment is not for the unrepentant grains, it is for all the grains. For every grain of wheat, just like every person, has something it is clinging to that it does not need.

The unquenchable fire is a purifier. Stalks and husks, while they may stick to the grains a long time, are not very strong.  It does not take much heat to totally consume of dry stalk of wheat, once all the grains have been separated from it. John is telling the crowd that Jesus is coming to separate and refine the wheat. The wheat is the people. But Jesus is not coming to separate this group of people from that group. He is coming amongst the people to separate the chaff that holds on to each person, from the grain of value that they truly are before God, and before man.

The Judgment John is telling about is not about judging one man against another and selecting the better. No Jesus is not coming to pick out the best amongst men and shame the rest. He is coming to touch each and every man. He wants to reach out to them and touch them, and then to help them to see the chaff that exists in their life. The straws and hulls that obscure the spirit of God from shining inside them and reaching the outside world. He comes as the unquenchable fire, not to burn the damned soul in hell, but to free each soul from the chaff of the world that clings to them.

The unquenchable fire of Jesus is still at work in the world. It is at work this very day and wants to work with you to free you from the things that hold you back and wants to help you become the valuable fruit that you were created to be. 

Thanks for reading.

David

Want to know why I am writing these articles? Look here.

You can find all of the readings for today at this link.

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary/advent-3c/