Brood of vipers and a winnowing fork that tosses the chaff into an unquenchable fire; it seems there is no joy to be found in today’s gospel reading. The other three lectionary readings are full of joy, and song, and exultation, and praise, so perhaps I should have gone with those, however I think it is important to wrestle with difficult passages, so that it what we are going to do for the next ten minutes or so.
One of the ways we can approach a text like today’s reading from Luke is to consider what the author of the story wants us to understand. Bible commentators observe that the gospel of Luke is primarily concerned with the difference salvation makes to our lives in the here and now. Luke recognises that accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour comes with the need to change, the requirement to become a citizen of God’s realm in this present life. Many early believers had the notion that Jesus would return to earth bringing the fulfillment of God’s realm into being, within days, weeks or at a stretch months. Luke does not deny that Jesus will come again, however he encourages his readers to “dig in for the long haul and do what they can to further God’s work here on earth”.[1] It turns out Luke was spot on, and we could say that today’s passage is all about what we as do in the meantime. How do we actively wait for Christ to come?
We can observe this theme in the opening verses of today’s reading. John the Baptist appears to see straight into the hearts and minds of the people coming out to be baptised. He knows that many of them do not expect the baptism of repentance to make any change to their lives. For many of them it is a token repentance, a going through the motions in the hope of getting in God’s good books. Others, sure in their religious pedigree as God’s chosen race do not think it makes any difference to their salvation, and others still have probably come out just to enjoy the spectacle and the drama, wondering if John may be the mighty warrior king, the Messiah who will free Israel from Roman tyranny. Will the baptism of repentance make any difference to their lives? Probably not. Sadly we could say the same thing of many people today.
To make the necessity of change even more obvious Luke has several members of the crowd ask the Baptist what they should do now that they have repented. The answers are all about becoming citizens of God realm in everyday life and they focus on attitudes and ways of being that are just, honest, grateful, compassionate, and hospitable. Those with plenty are encouraged to give and share, those who deal with money are encouraged to be fair and just, and those who work for a living are encouraged to be content with what they have. Imagine what the world would look like if all of us here followed those principles in every aspect of our lives. Imagine what the world would look like if the heads of big business and world’s leaders followed those principles. So far our little dig into today’s passage has been straightforward and I hope pretty easy to understand but what do you make of the last few verses. What do you make of the one who will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire? What do you make of the one who will separate the grain from the chaff ? what do make of the unquenchable fire? Do you see this text as one that is all about judgement or is it a call to new life? Does it sound a bit fire and brimstone, or does it reveal the way in which God will reconcile all things to Godself?
I am going to step out of the pulpit for a moment while I tell you a true story. I am going to step away because from that position I preach the good news; from this position I offer you all something to think about, more in line with the way we toss things around in a Bible Study. So here is my story. I once attended the funeral of a person who could be described as difficult, someone who would not be generally described as a lovely guy. On the way to the funeral I wondered how the Priest would speak about this man. How do you pay tribute to someone’s life if they have been hard to get along with, way too fond of alcohol and at times very selfish and occasionally abusive? The phrase the Priest used to honour this man and all of those present was to use the words of John the Baptist in today’s reading. The Priest said that Jesus has the power and the grace to save all people through the holy fire that burns away all the parts of us that are unkind, unjust, and self-centred, in other words the chaff. What is left is the person God created us to be, the grain. If you know your theology this doctrine sounds a lot like universalism, the doctrine that asserts that God in time will save and reconcile all people and all created things. This doctrine resonates well with Jesus the Good Shepherd who goes looking for the one who is lost and the story of the father who waits patiently, never giving up on the son who will one day return. It blows my mind to think that this image and picture of grace came out of the mouth of a Catholic Priest.
I will move back now, and I leave my story with you for you to wonder about.
What I can proclaim, what I know to be true is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and of fire has the power to change us from the person we think we are into the person God sees and knows. It is interesting that John mentions fire in the baptism that is to come through Jesus. We rarely think of this in regard to our own baptism, in fact we are focused on the opposite element water. I was curious about this and checked the rite of baptism in the UCA to see if there is any mention of fire.
There is one reference, and it is in the form of a prayer, it reads: by the Holy Spirit, gracious God, strengthen your servants, and set their hearts on fire with love for you.
I am glad Luke puts this phrase into the mouth of the Baptist because there is joy in thinking that through our baptism the Spirit’s unquenchable fire burns and consumes those parts of us that are not holy, pure, and righteous. There is great joy in knowing that in Christ we can become our true selves, freed from our former selfish attitudes and incorrect thinking. This unquenchable fire means that we are continually changing and growing into our Christlike selves. Our baptisms are not a once only experience, we are not dunked and done are we? Indeed this is exactly the Baptist’s point, don’t come out to baptised into repentance if you are not willing to change and allow the Holy Spirit and our Lord’s unquenchable fire to bring about something fresh and new. In that light I think it is helpful to consider repentance as less about sin and its consequent judgement and more about making a change, more about turning away from ourselves and turning to God.
If we were in a high risk bushfire season here in NSW it would be hard to talk about the positive effects of fire, however over the last few years we have also heard this lands First People, our indigenous elders, describe the ancient practices that harness fire as a tool and a means of transforming the landscape. A tool that brings about new growth, forest renewal, and flourishing pastures. Today may the unquenchable fire of Christ burn within you to bring about new growth in us and in our church. May we be renewed and grow into being the people God has created us to be. And may our Christlike gentle selves be apparent to all those we know and meet. Amen.
[1] Mark Allan Powell,163.