you Vipers-zah
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas - -
- - in those days John the Baptist appeared in the Wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt about his waist, and his food was ακρις, locusts and wild honey. The people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins - -
and You. You live in a small village here in the Wilderness of Judea close by the River Jordan. Nothing ever happens here, life is plain - - but everyone in the village is excited that one of the roving Jewish baptizers is down by the river preaching his gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and baptizing everyone who comes forward for this custom of washing sins away.
The baptizer is YoHAnain ben-ZehKARiYAH - - John, son of a priest in the Jerusalem Temple.
YoHAnain has a reputation. Worse than other wandering baptizers, he is hot-tempered, crude and profane. Up close, he is terrifying. Some people see him as entertainment, some call him a clown, some call him Messiah. But he takes himself dead serious, puts on a frightening show, suffers no fools. And always draws a crowd.
There’s anticipation in the air, the atmosphere in your village is electric. It’s a hot day, but a short stroll down to the Jordan, less than an hour, and it will be cooler by the river. You and your neighbors pack a picnic. Those who can afford it take a coin for the offering, and everyone brings an extra grasshopper because even eccentric baptizers have to eat. So, quickly finishing up morning chores, before noon the entire village sets out for adventure and excitement, to see the preacher someone called “the Wild Man of the Desert”, and witness his raging.
When you arrive, a crowd is already gathering, from other towns, even Jerusalem. The preaching is already underway, and
YoHAnain ben-ZehKARiYAH does not disappoint. Ranting and raving, shouting hellfire and damnation, calling down the wrath of God upon sinners, damning everyone, and especially the Jewish elite, he screams and threatens, occasionally slipping into unknown tongues of glossolalia.
“HaaGaGaLaLeeOhLayLoo. You brood-ah of vipers-zah! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come-ah? Bear fruit worthy of repentance-ah. Do not-ah presume-ah to say to yourselves-zah ‘We have Abraham-ah as ancestor-ah; for I tell you-ah, GOD-DD is able from these STONES-AH to raise up children-ah to Abraham-ah.
HooLooLeeOhGaGaLay. The ax-ah is laid at the root-ah of the trees-ah; every-ah tree-ah that does not bear good fruit-ah is cut down-ah and thrown-ah into the fire-ah.
“I baptize-ah you with water-ah for repentance-ah, but one-ah who is more powerful-ah than I-yah is coming-ah after me-yah; I am not worthy-ah to carry his sandals-ah. He will baptize-ah you with the Holy Ghost-ah and fire-ah. His winnowing fork-ah is in his hand-ah, and he will clear-ah his threshing floor-ah AND-DD will gather-ah his wheat-ah into the granary-yah; but you chaff-ah he will burn-ah with unquenchable fire-ah.”
Terrifying, it’s a great show! There’s good attendance. People are delighted, enchanted, mesmerized, many are frozen with fear. Religious fervor burns through the crowd, and many who go forward to be baptized come out of the river falling to the ground, rolling around, slain in the spirit.
The day goes on and on, the preacher shows no sign of slowing. Daylight slips toward evening, the crowd thins. You and your friends and neighbors finish the last bits from your picnic baskets, pack up and head for home.
As you walk slowly along toward the village, there’s chatter about the day. It was exciting, wasn’t it! You’re so glad you came. But more than entertainment, the preaching left you uneasy and pondering: who is this Mighty One John says is yet to come, who will burn with unquenchable fire? Obviously, John is not Messiah at all. And what about you, me, what about me? How will I know him? How will he know me? WILL HE know ME? And if he knows me, is that good news or bad? Will I be wheat, or chaff? What if he comes before I’m ready and I’m chaff? How do I GET ready, how do I prepare? What must I do to appease him?
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You are NOT chaff, and it is so easy, and, no monster come to incinerate you for your “sins”, he is a loving Savior who will show you what God is like, and call you to follow him in the Way back to God. If you believe in him and commit to him in faith, his asking, his expectation, his hopes of you are so clear.
The Baptismal Covenant is in the Book of Common Prayer, page 292. You are invited and welcome: if you wish to reclaim your baptism and renew your commitment to Jesus this morning, the baptismal bowl of Holy Water from the River Jordan has been moved up front center where, if you wish, you may touch it on your way to the Altar for the Blessed Sacrament. Or even if today you are committing to Jesus for the first time, will you come? will you stand? Page 292.
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Homily or sermon preached in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2019. The Rev Tom Weller. Text: Matthew 3:1-12.
Homily or sermon preached in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2019. The Rev Tom Weller. Text: Matthew 3:1-12.
The Wilderness of Judah is located east of the Hill Country of Judah – that is east of Hebron and Jerusalem. This area overlooks to Rift Valley (Dead Sea) to the east. It does not receive much rainfall. It is composed primarily of infertile Senonian Chalk with some deep west to east flowing valleys.
During the winter months, the wilderness usually has a light covering of green grass, and is used to pasture sheep and goats. It is about 60 mi. [96 km.] long and 10 mi. [16 km.] wide.
During the winter months, the wilderness usually has a light covering of green grass, and is used to pasture sheep and goats. It is about 60 mi. [96 km.] long and 10 mi. [16 km.] wide.
Matthew 3:1-12
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume 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. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
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“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
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Did John the Baptist Eat Bugs, Beans, or Pancakes?
BIBLICAL EXPOSITIONS DECEMBER 20, 2015
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According to our earliest source the one known as “John the Baptist,” (literally “John the Dipper”) followed a strict ascetic lifestyle reflected most prominently in his austere dress and diet:
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6; cf. Matthew 3:4).
We also read in a earlier source now embedded in Luke and Matthew, that John, in contrast to Jesus, came “neither eating nor drinking,” or “neither eating bread nor drinking wine.” Such phrases indicate the lifestyle of one who is strictly vegetarian, avoids even bread since it has to be processed from grain, and shuns all alcohol (Luke 7:33-34; Matthew 11:18-19).
The contemporary Jewish historian Josephus recounts the execution of John the Baptist at the desert fortress of Macherus by Herod Antipas in his work Jewish Antiquities, see the passage here. ((The October 2012 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review had a cover story on the archaeological work that has been done at Macherus and its possible connection to the John the Baptist story, as well as a story on what we know of Herod Antipas, see here.)) According to Josephus, Herod’s main motivation was John’s great popularity with the crowds and the possibility that he could lead an insurrection. Mark gives an alternative account, namely that Herod had John beheaded at his birthday celebration, reluctantly, at the urging of his wife Herodias, following the famously provocative dance of her daughter Salome. Herodias was upset that John was openly condemning her marriage to Antipas as adulterous, since she had been originally married to his brother Philip (Mark 6:16-29).
Josephus describes him as “a good man who commanded the Jews to exercise virtue,” but does not specifically comment on his lifestyle in the Greek version of the Antiquities that is our standard text. There is an Old Russian version of Josephus’s Antiquities, usually referred to as “Slavonic Josephus,” that describes John the Baptizer as living on “roots and fruits of the tree” and insists that he never touched bread, not even the unleavened bread nor the flesh of a lamb, at Passover. ((See the texts in English here, as well as the translation and analysis of Thackeray in the appendix to the Loeb edition of Josephus))
The most commonly held view of John’s diet, based on our text in Mark, is that he ate locusts, a migratory form of the grasshopper of the family Acrididae, still commonly consumed by desert peoples in Arabia. Others have suggested the word translated “locusts” refers to the beans of the carob tree, commonly called “St. John’s bread.” However, the Greek word translated “locusts,” (akris/ακρις) seems to clearly refer to a species of grasshopper. The problem is such eating of “flesh,” even if that of an insect, seems to contradict the sources that emphasize his ascetic vegetarian ideal. Paul, for example, refers to members of the Jesus movement who abstain from eating meat and drinking wine (Roman 14:1-4). We also have traditions that James, the brother of Jesus, practiced a strictly vegetarian lifestyle, which was also common among the Jewish Christian community that became known as the “Ebionites,” see my post here. Somehow “locusts” seem out of place.
A possible solution to this confusion about John’s desert diet is found in the fragments we have of the lost “Gospel of the Ebionites,” as quoted by the 4th-century Christian writer Epiphanius (Panarion 30.13.4-5), who hated the group but fortunately, nonetheless, can’t resist quoting them–thus preserving some precious material. The Greek word for locusts (akris/ἀκρίδες) is very similar to the Greek word for “honey cake” (enkris/έγκρίς) that is used for the “manna” that the Israelites ate in the desert in the days of Moses. According to this ancient text was not locusts but these cakes cooked in olive oil. If this is the case then John would have eaten a cake of some type, made from a desert plant, similar to the “manna” that the ancient Israelites ate in the desert in the days of Moses. This “bread from heaven” is described as “like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:8). This kind of “pancake” baked in oil, and sweetened with honey, would then reflect and emulate the ideal holiness of the desert wanderings of Israel when the people had to look to God alone for “daily bread.”
Given John’s appearance, diet, and ascetic solitary life, one could not imagine a more counter-cultural figure. In our eastern sources John as well as James, the brother of Jesus, are vegetarians, shunning the flesh of any creature. ((See S. Brock, “The Baptist’s Diet in Syriac Sources,” Oriens Christianus 54 (1970): 113-114. )) John’s cultural opposite was Herod Antipas, who eventually had him arrested and beheaded. Jesus had contrasted John’s lifestyle with those clothed in soft robes who live luxuriously in kings’ palaces (Luke 7:25). The reference to Herod and his ilk is unmistakable.