Day 3 - John the Baptist Preaches about the Coming One - And is Imprisoned (Matthew 3:11-12, Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:15-20)

Readings:  Matthew 3:11-12, Mark 1:7-8, Luke 3:15-20 (Throckmorton §4-5)

Luke's Gospel has a much fuller account of John the Baptist's preaching than the other two gospels.  I was drawn for some reason to Luke 3:18 this morning, which is missing from the other two Synoptic gospels:  "So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people."  Don't we all love good news?  I was watching television recently and saw an advertisement for Publisher's Clearing House's latest sweepstakes - $5,000 a week forever.  Wouldn't someone coming to the door telling you that you have won that jackpot be good news?  But let's look at the "good news" that John the Baptist is bringing:  John the Baptist says that he is not the Messiah, but One is coming soon who is "not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals" (Luke 3:16, cf. Mark 3:7, also Matthew 3:11-"carry His sandals"); this One will baptize not with water as John is doing but with "the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, cf. Matthew 3:11, also Mark 1:8, just says "baptize you with the Holy Spirit); this One will separate the wheat from the chaff and the chaff will be burned with "unquenchable fire" (Luke 3:17, cf. Matthew 3:12, note absence from Mark).  At first, I am not sure I would consider this message "good news."  I am reminded the late Rev. Peter Gomes who once remarked, "Just because it's called the Good News doesn't mean it's good news for you."  (See, for example, Herod, who John "rebuked" for his sins with his sister-in-law and "all of the evil things that Herod had done" - Luke 3:19.) There's a lot of what we call the Good News (the Gospel) that does not sound like good news to us.  This Good News runs afoul of our cultural preferences of accommodation and nonjudgmentalism. 

But here is why it is truly good news to John the Baptist and to us:  God wins.  Remember John the Baptist's last words as recorded in John's Gospel:  "He must increase and I must decrease" (John 3:30).  That's the cry of his heart, and it ought to be the cry of our heart.  The word fire is used twice, but largely in the same way:  the One will baptize with fire and will burn the chaff with fire.  In both cases, fire is used as a means of purification and destruction.  In the ancient world, one of the ways fire was used was to purify precious metals, which by nature are filled with worthless impurities.  It is impossible to simply dig them apart with tools or human hands.  But by using fire, the impurities could be separated away from the gold or silver.  In doing so, the gold or silver's value would increase dramatically.  So it is with us.  The Old Testament prophet Malachi, when speaking of the coming One says, "For He is like a refiner's fire" (Malachi 3:2b).  That's why the Holy Spirit has historically been associated with fire.  When John talks about the chaff being burned, I do not think he is talking about Hell; rather, I think he is talking about those impurities from our sin nature that the Holy Spirit promises to burn away and destroy.  In that way, Jesus will increase in our lives as our self-centeredness decreases.  May that be so for each of us.

Prayer:  Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and kindle them in the fire of Your love.  May all those things that do not please You burn away that we may be pure treasures for the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ, through whose Name we pray, Amen.