Apocalypse Now~

John the Baptist Icon, Macedonia

(14th c. Unknown Author)

Scripture

 Luke  3:1-14

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁵Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; ⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

⁷John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin 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. ⁹Even 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."

¹⁰And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" ¹¹In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" ¹³He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."  (NRSV)

Devotion

 I love apocalyptic movies.  Whether it is lava flowing through the streets of Los Angeles in Volcano or the massive storms that usher in a new Ice Age in The Day After Tomorrow, these movies show us the traumatic end of life as people know it, viewers watch the way people respond to crisis.  Some characters do horrible things in order to save themselves.  Others put themselves at risk to save the people and animals around them.  At the conclusion, the survivors emerge into a world that looks very different from the one they lived in at the beginning of the movie.

John the Baptist's words in Luke are brief example of a religious apocalypse.  The Greek word ἀποκάλυψις (apokálypsis) refers to a revelation or unveiling.  Religious apocalyptic literature used vivid images and metaphors to describe of the end of one age and the unveiling/beginning of a new one.  John the Baptist uses that apocalyptic form to describe the end of the corrupt rule of Tiberius Cesar, Pilate, and King Herod and beginning of the God's reign on Earth (which will be unveiled by the long-awaited Messiah).

John quotes Isaiah's description of rough places made smooth, high and low places made even, and crooked roads made straight in order to remind people that when the Messiah comes, everything will be fair, just, and right.  The catch is that in order to have a place in this new Kin-dom, people need to be like trees that bear good fruit.  Otherwise, they can expect the Messiah to get rid of them.  Oh, and just one more thing: the Messiah could show up any time now.

John's vivid language disturbs his audience so much they ask what they must do to keep the Messiah from writing them off as dead weight.  A good number of them probably hope to buy or flatter their way into the Messiah's affections.  John surprises them by saying that bearing good fruit means that people with extra clothing or food must give what they don't need to those who don't have enough.  Tax collectors must stop adding extra "processing fees" to people's bills.  Soldiers must quit using their position to demand money from people powerless to resist them.  Rich people who didn't help the poor, greedy tax collectors, and soldiers who abused their power were the kinds of things that folks in Roman occupied Judah just accepted as part of life... and each of these common occurances defied God's instructions in the Torah.

John's point is that if people want to fit into the Messiah's new Kin-dom, they need to stop participating in the daily injustices of their world.  The Messiah expects them to prepare the way and bear good fruit by following God's commands to protect the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed.  When they do their part to create a fair and just society, then they are showing that they can fit into the new, upside-down world that the Messiah will create.  If, however, they continue to use and abuse those who are less fortunate, then there no place for them in the Kin-dom of God.

The exact ways that people are taken advantage of may have changed a bit in the past 2000 years, but John's basic message remains very relevant.  The world remains full of injustice.  If we are honest, we will admit that there are times we participate in things that we know are wrong but that also benefit us.  We justify ignoring, exploiting, or otherwise harming the very people God calls us to help.  Perhaps we need a new apocalyptic vision...one that is updated for our modern sensibilities so that it is easier to understand what is at stake and what behaviors we need to give up.

This is why I love disaster films.  Like John the Baptist, their use of vivid images and a few pointed statements can help us repent from our sins against others and commit to caring for the vulnerable.  In Volcano, would we rather be the rich man who tells his wife to walk away from her job at a medical triage center  ...or the hero who sacrifices his life in order to save a subway train full of people?  In The Day After Tomorrow, would Christ want us to be the politicians who dismiss the effects of climate change on the developing world...or the Mexican officials who open their borders to millions of displaced U.S. citizens?  

As each tale ends, we see the opportunity for a new age to emerge. Will the survivors finally learn to protect and care for one another, or will they go back to ignoring and exploiting those who are worse off than them?  Given our own thoughts, words, and deeds, where would we fit in?

As you reflect upon John the Baptist's words, I invite you to take an honest look at your life and ask what Jesus would expect you to change in order to bear good fruit?  What injustices do you need to stop participating in or ignoring?  Once you have one in mind (and we all have a few), try committing to some tangible ways you can begin making that change. 

The more we we each strive to follow God's commands and bear good fruit, the more room we make for the Kin-dom of God to fully arrive here on Earth.  So let us bid farewell to participating in the commonplace injustices of our present reality and say hello to the instructions that Christ would have us follow.  When we commit to that upside-down place where justice abounds, our Messiah will gladly welcome us into the coming age.  

Prayer

 Messiah, help me prepare the way for your Kin-dom by following God's commands to care for the vulnerable.  May I repent from the ways I have helped perpetuate injustice and recommit to bearing good fruit in the world.  When I stray from your ways, may your saving grace always bring me back to you.  Come, Messiah.  Come soon.  Amen.