Never ask a question to which you do not want to know the answer. Ladies, is it ever a good idea to ask, “Does this dress make me look fat?” And men we all know the answer to that, right, even if it is not the most truthful. Seriously, we all know it takes courage to ask the tough questions. In a performance review, it is hard to ask for honest feedback especially in the growth areas. In relationships, to ask the thing you are worried about instead of pretending the signs aren’t there. We have to overcome doubts and fear in pursuit of the truth. The crowd following John, seeking to be baptized, wondered if he was the Messiah. But they never asked the question. Maybe they were afraid to ask because John had just called them a “brood of vipers,” a pit of snakes. Not only that but he had challenged their greatest comfort – being the chosen people of God. They could no longer have confidence in their religious standing because their ancestor was Abraham. Now they would need to repent and change their ways and follow Jesus, the one who is to come. The one for whom we are waiting.
Then John breaks out the fire and brimstone saying if you do not bear good fruit then the ax is lying in wait, lying at the root of your tree. I think that becomes a very motivating sermon, because what do they do? Three times they ask the same question. The crowd, the tax collectors and the soldiers each ask and receive their own specific answer to the question, “What should we do?” First let’s give them credit for asking the tough question. Once they have their own specific answer it will be doubly hard to go back to business as usual. Business as usual which I don’t think has changed much in 2,000 years. Business where we keep all that we have, a business we skim a little extra off the top, and a business where we use our influence and power to get what is best for us.
Did you notice John does not offer the same response to everyone? He tailors it to the person asking, addressing their responsibilities and temptations. Tax collectors are known for making much of their money from adding fees, if you will, on top of the tax they are to collect for Rome. A small fee is expected, but John is saying no price gouging, no getting rich off of others. Essentially be honest in your business dealings. Everyone is entitled to make a living but not to oppress people when you are in a place of authority. There is no Better Business Bureau to protect the tax payer.
Then to the soldiers he exhorts them to use their power fairly. This reminds me of all the police shootings of African American young men. Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Gardener in New York City, just to name the ones we know. Every 28 hours a black man, woman or child is murdered by police or vigilante law enforcement. That is according to the Black Lives Matter movement which fights the injustice of racism. I know the police have a very difficult job, and they put their lives on the line to protect our communities, but I cannot help but think John would have something to say about how many black men are being killed, that they are robbing them with violence upon their lives.
Tax collectors, soldiers, these are two examples of ways people exploit other people specific to the jobs they do. The first group to ask John, “What should we do?” was the crowd. This means his answer is for everyone to heed. In Mathew’s account of this story (3:1-12) it is the religious leaders who are called out as a brood of vipers and will soon see the ax. Luke makes a point of starting with the crowd- you and me- every person drawn to Jesus should hear this lesson. John is giving a very clear directive answering the question what should we do? “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise” (3:11). Clearly John is saying, share, keep no more than you need, be fair, treat others with care and be honest. In essence we are being told to love.
Love one another,
love those who are in need,
love the God who has given to us all that we have.
Hearing the same question asked three times reminds me of another set of three questions. John is asked “What should we do?” before Jesus is even on the scene, and the resurrected Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter declares his love and is told by his risen Lord to “Feed and tend my sheep” (John 21:15). Food and clothes, feed and tend- the gospel message is clear- we are to be the ones feeding, and tending, we are the ones who are to share what we have with others. When we give to Recuperative Care Center we feed, when we make stockings for CASA we are tending, when we go to El Salvador we share and receive God’s love. Giving to the Christmas Joy offering is a way of showing God’s love throughout the larger church. We do these ministries to heed Christ’s call. And yet we each have our own answer to the question what should we do?
What do you do?
This month Mark Zuckerberg cofounder and CEO of Facebook, along with his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, pledged to give away over his lifetime 99% of his shares in the company valued at $45 billion dollars. They hope to fund personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities. This decision comes after the birth of their daughter Max in an effort to build a better community for all in her generation. It is their overwhelming love of their daughter that sparks this generosity. You can almost hear the words of Zephaniah, “Rejoice and exalt with all your heart, O daughter!” Of course the prophet was speaking of Jerusalem, but the feeling is the same. Parental love motivated this billion-dollar gift. God our Heavenly Father gave a priceless gift in his Son; a gift that is worth so much more that 45 billion dollars- your gift of grace and forgiveness. Live into that gift!
You might say well if he can give so much why should I bother? We give because we are claiming our baptism, we are sharing God’s love, we become the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Remember the story of the widow’s mite- the lesson there is that she gave abundantly from what little she had, even though it would pale in comparison to other gifts, much like our gifts will pale compared to Mark Zuckerberg’s. We each give as we are called and as we feel led.
John is asked three times by the people seeking baptism, “What should we do?”
You might be asking, my family stresses around the holiday, “What should I do?”
The Prophet tells of the Messiah, “What should we do?”
The world feels chaotic, “What should we do?”
Christ is coming, “What should I do?”
John’s answer is to love, love in a way that is unique to you. As you consider your response, I want to remind you of what God is doing! Zephaniah- the prophet preached doom and then comfort to those who wait patiently on the Lord. We hear, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst… he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love” (3:17). God renews you in his love. Christ coming is God renewing you! God’s grace and forgiveness is renewing you in love. Sharing God’s love is your response to God renewing you in love.
It is OK to ask the tough questions. We get to be honest about our lives and our faith.
What should we do this Advent season?
We tend and feed those in our midst.
We await the arrival of our Lord.
We welcome a baby into our hearts.
We rest in God’s renewing love! Amen
