MESSAGE IN CONFLICT (42)
Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12
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Message in Conflict (42)
Lectionary, Year A, Advent 2
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 3:1-12
Years ago, a series of commercials used the tag line, ‘‘When E. F. Hutton speaks, everybody listens.’’ The idea was that every thing this man said was something of considerable worth and should be taken to heart in the world of finance and investing. Not everything that comes out of our mouths has the same weight or value. My listing items on a menu is very different from telling a joke, communicating spiritual wisdom, talking nonsense with my dog, or offering a needed word of comfort. When it comes to the Bible, however, we often approach the text as though every snippet holds identical depth of spiritual truth or precision in communicating God’s message. So what do we do when major characters who speak for God present messages in conflict with each other?
Today’s passage centers on John the Baptist. Elsewhere, we will hear Jesus refer to him as the greatest of the prophets yet still apart from the Reign of God. Here we see Jesus identifying with him and at least the general trend of his proclamation. Matthew identifies him as the voice described by Isaiah, calling people to make ready for the coming of Messiah. Then we hear some of his message turned against two specific sectors of the Jewish religious landscape, the Pharisees and Sadducees. This was a voice of harsh condemnation, pitting his take on the coming reign of Yahweh’s Messiah in stark contrast to those streams of tradition.
John was an ascetic. His clothing and food were very different from that of cultured Judaism in the cities and towns. He lived off the land, depending on God’s daily provision for his needs, very much akin to those ancient Hebrews wandering the uncultivated land prior to crossing the Jordan to settle in comfort in the Land of Promise. John’s way of eating and dressing was a reminder of the need to depend on Yahweh’s sustenance and provision in preparation for living a new charact ...
Lectionary, Year A, Advent 2
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 3:1-12
Years ago, a series of commercials used the tag line, ‘‘When E. F. Hutton speaks, everybody listens.’’ The idea was that every thing this man said was something of considerable worth and should be taken to heart in the world of finance and investing. Not everything that comes out of our mouths has the same weight or value. My listing items on a menu is very different from telling a joke, communicating spiritual wisdom, talking nonsense with my dog, or offering a needed word of comfort. When it comes to the Bible, however, we often approach the text as though every snippet holds identical depth of spiritual truth or precision in communicating God’s message. So what do we do when major characters who speak for God present messages in conflict with each other?
Today’s passage centers on John the Baptist. Elsewhere, we will hear Jesus refer to him as the greatest of the prophets yet still apart from the Reign of God. Here we see Jesus identifying with him and at least the general trend of his proclamation. Matthew identifies him as the voice described by Isaiah, calling people to make ready for the coming of Messiah. Then we hear some of his message turned against two specific sectors of the Jewish religious landscape, the Pharisees and Sadducees. This was a voice of harsh condemnation, pitting his take on the coming reign of Yahweh’s Messiah in stark contrast to those streams of tradition.
John was an ascetic. His clothing and food were very different from that of cultured Judaism in the cities and towns. He lived off the land, depending on God’s daily provision for his needs, very much akin to those ancient Hebrews wandering the uncultivated land prior to crossing the Jordan to settle in comfort in the Land of Promise. John’s way of eating and dressing was a reminder of the need to depend on Yahweh’s sustenance and provision in preparation for living a new charact ...
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