Second Sunday of Advent

Matthew 3:1-12

Rev. Neli Miranda

 

Advent unfolds in the past, present, and future dimensions and each one of them points to the manifestation of God in our midst and all creation. The first dimension reminds us of the first Advent proclaimed by the prophets and the birth of Jesus, which fulfilled the hope of the faithful Israelites. The second dimension proclaims the return of Jesus and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God in the world. And, the third dimension is more daily, it is about the continuous coming of God to our lives. These dimensions are intertwined in Advent season spirituality when we look back, forward, and activate with hope in our present.

Today's Gospel tells us about the first Advent whose proclamation begins in the wilderness. Matthew tells us that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom of God and calling people to repent. “In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near…” (3:1-2). The image of the desert is an image loaded with great meaning for the people of Israel. It was in the desert that Moses received God’s manifestation and was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Then, they pilgrimaged there for forty years, forging their faith, and learning to trust God before entering the promised land. Thus, the desert, is not just a “testing” place but a place of encounter with God, outside the human systems that ruled the peoples.

The wilderness of Judea was not absent of trees or completely destitute of inhabitants. It was a rough, mountainous area filled with some forests. Due to its mountainous terrain, the wilderness of Judea was an excellent place of refuge throughout the biblical era. King David and the prophet Elijah, for instance, escaped to this desert during the time of persecution. It was an arid and uninviting place, but its quietness attracted those on the fringes of human society: the outcasts, shepherds, fugitives, prophets, and ascetic groups.

Some scholars think that John the Baptist came from The Essenes, an ascetic group living in the wilderness of Judea from about 200 BC to around 68 AD. They were a religious group who had left Jerusalem due to their belief that the priesthood had become corrupt. They practiced a communal life, prayed and ate together, owned no personal property, read and observed the Holy Scriptures, and awaited the coming visitation of God. So, it is quite possible that John the Baptist may have been raised and educated in the Essene community and later left it to fulfill his call to proclaim the coming of the Lord. Matthew’s image of John makes us think that John lived on the fringe of the Empire and Jewish religiosity. His clothing and food did not belong to the system: “John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey…” What a way to deny power to the system!

John’s mighty voice crying out from the wilderness fulfilled the people’s expectations of the awaited manifestation of God. Matthew interprets that John is the voice that the prophet Isaiah spoke about when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (3:3). His powerful message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” impacted the people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the people that lived in the region along the Jordan. They left the cities ruled by the system (Roman Empire, Herod’s heirs, and Jewish leaders) and went out to the wilderness to encounter God. There, they recognized their need to repent, to renounce the evil system and turn to God, and as a sign of repentance, they were baptized by John and confessed their sins. In this way, they turned towards the values and practices of the coming New Kingdom. Note that the people had encountered God in the wilderness not in the great city of Jerusalem nor in the magnificent temple controlled by the corrupt system. Thus, the wilderness of Judea had become the center of the Kingdom of God,  for God works on the fringes and turns the world upside down!!

Matthew also says that the Pharisees (the religious scholars) and Sadducees (the religious elite) also came to the place of baptism. It seems they did not really come to be baptized but to be critical observers or to put on a show by being baptized.  John, a brave prophet, rebuked their power and received them with harsh words: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance!” (3;7). John confronted and denounced the power and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his day! What a prophet!

Today, dear sisters and brothers, like in the first Advent, this Advent season calls us to abandon the current system that calls us to violence, individualism, hedonism and consumerism. This season calls us to encounter God in a wilderness without huge and crowded malls, magnificent cathedrals, splendid dinners; this season calls us to go out into a wilderness where a prophet calls us to repent, to turn to God, to immerse ourselves in the waters of repentance, to confess our sins, and to bear fruit worthy of repentance.  In the wilderness we will encounter God!!

Where is your wilderness today?

May the Holy Spirit lead us into our wilderness because the proclamation of the Gospel continues to be in the wilderness! Amen.