Scripture Reflections

There is an element to John the Baptist’s message in Matthew 3 that doesn’t resonate with our normal Advent/Christmas vibes. (Admittedly, I barely touched it during the sermon on Sunday…)

It’s wrath! Wrath doesn't have a place in our Christmas traditions; the closest we get to “wrath” is  Home Alone or Santa’s naughty list, and even the worst kids always seem to get presents anyway. But John the Baptist, in all his curmudgeonly “it’s-Advent-not-Christmas” glory, won’t let us look past this point: the same Jesus who was born in the manger in Bethlehem will come with wrath.

We talk about Advent and Christmas as times of hope, reminding us that “everything sad [is] going to come untrue” when Christ returns to make all things new. It may sound surprising, but this hope is inseparable from the wrath that John warned of. Jesus’ coming would bring judgment against the failures of Israel’s religious leaders (see the destruction of the temple in AD 70), and that judgment itself was a sign directing our attention toward Jesus’ return. Jesus will come back with a wrath that is aimed at the evil and wickedness that are destroying his creation and poisoning our hearts. This isn’t the fly-off-the-handle kind of anger that we are subject to; it’s love, directed against the very things that most threaten the creatures that he cares for. The powers of sin and death won’t be destroyed if he doesn’t come with wrath. Violence, disease, betrayal, deception, oppression, loneliness, and anxiety will last forever if he doesn’t come with wrath. If he doesn’t come with wrath, those things won’t be handled.

That makes this wrath sound like good news! So why would the Pharisees and Sadducees need to flee from it? It’s because they have the same heart-level tendency that we have—to cling in their hearts to the same evil and wickedness that Jesus is bent on destroying. That’s why John’s warning is tied to this call to repent. In a way, repentance is our refusal to close ourselves against Jesus’ coming. It is instead an opening of our hearts to Jesus’ arrival, even to the wrath that he brings, because we know that even his wrath will re-shape us for our good.

If you have a repentant heart that is open to his coming, then that wrath isn’t something to fear. You are sheltered and safe in Jesus; the fire won’t destroy you, it will only make you clean. That may be the best news of all–he has promised to purge us of all the things in our hearts that rob us of joy and satisfaction in him. The same Spirit that he has sent is doing that in us, even now. And by that Spirit, the Jesus that we are waiting for is present in our hearts now, too. So pray for a repentant heart that is open to his coming, willing to let go of every other thing that we might cling to for hope. Pray for a heart that is softened to his presence and willing to be cleansed by his healing fire. You can place your hope firmly in the Jesus we see pictured in all his glory in Rev. 19:11-16; he has come, and he is coming soon. When he does, all will be well.

Justin+

What does it mean to wait in faithfulness?

Advent is a season of waiting. We wait to celebrate Christmas, which is supposed to teach us to wait for the second coming of Christ. The season is a wake-up call, because we naturally wait for everything but the return of Christ. We wait for our paycheck, the fun evening planned for Friday, a vacation, a good night of rest, a chance to get ahead at work—we are constantly longing and preparing for things in front of us, some good and some bad. But Advent reminds us of the ultimate thing worth waiting for, the thing that dwarfs everything else—the return of Christ.
 
Our waiting for Christ’s return is meant to be marked by hope and by faithfulness. It should be marked by hope because it is a sure thing. Just as Christ came once, he will come again. But whenever Jesus spoke of his return, he also called us to wait in faithfulness as well. He wants to return to people who are living faithfully to him.
 
How do we wait in faithfulness? Generally, this does not mean huge, extravagant actions. (Every now and then, we are called to monumental deeds, but not often!) Instead, it means engaging in the ordinary parts of life openly in the presence of God, according to his desires. This is what John called “walking in the light.” That fun Friday evening you are waiting for? Enjoy it in the presence of God, in the way Jesus would enjoy it—he loved meals with friends that were full of truth, love, and joy. That paycheck you are waiting for? Use it in the presence of God, according to the desires of Jesus—he loved to share what he had with those who were hungry and weary.
 
Waiting in faithfulness doesn’t mean a separate set of things; instead, it means doing the things we are given in God’s presence, according to his desires. When Jesus returns, those whom he will find waiting like this will be called “blessed” and “faithful,” and he will call them into the joy of the Father, giving them more and more opportunity and strength in the kingdom of heaven!
 
Steven+

Scripture Reflections

One of Luke’s quirks is his tendency to “tell the story twice.” Sometimes, he actually recounts the exact same story twice (see Acts 10 and 11), but usually he does this by putting two similar stories in parallel with one another. These “doublets” reinforce and clarify one another through their similarities and differences.

For example, Luke opens with two women with a miraculous baby—Mary and Elizabeth. Two people sing a song of praise because of these miraculous babies—Mary and Zechariah. Two prophets greet Jesus in the temple as an infant—Simeon and Anna. Acts itself is the story of the ministries of two men—Peter and Paul. Luke loves doublets!

Zacchaeus is a part of three doublets. He is the second of two tax-collectors who turn to Jesus. Given that the first (Levi) became one of the twelve disciples, the reader should wonder whether Zacchaeus actually left his home to follow Jesus as well. Perhaps he was one of the 120 at Pentecost? He is also the second of two wealthy men to be confronted over his wealth (see Luke 18:18-25), but unlike the first, he was willing to give his wealth away.

The other doublet that Zacchaeus participates in is fascinating! He is one of two people who interact with Jesus in Jericho (read Luke 18:35-19:10 straight through to see the parallels and contrasts). The first is a blind beggar, and the second is Zacchaeus. One rich and one poor. Both outcasts, but for different reasons. But perhaps most importantly, both blind and yet wanting to see. That Zacchaeus is blind is evident in the repetition of words for seeing in his story (5 times in 10 verses), but even more so in the tree he had to climb. Like the blind beggar, he wanted to see!

Luke is hinting at something in this doublet of the blind beggar and Zacchaeus. Two men who receive mercy, two men who are healed, two men who receive salvation—yet they have only one thing in common. They aren’t alike in any other way except that they want to see Jesus! Luke’s message for us is clear: Our goal should be to see Jesus at all costs, even if it means looking like a fool on the side of the road who is screaming at Jesus or another fool on the side of the road up in a tree. Seeing Jesus is more important than anything else.

Steven+