B6 - E2 John, Son of Zechariah
Although John was only six months older than his cousin, their lives could not have been more different. He had grown up as the only son of elderly parents and had brought them great joy and delight. They were both deeply immersed in the religious life of their Jewish faith and John became filled with a tremendous love of God, devoted to prayer and the study of the scriptures throughout his childhood.
Given the circumstances of his birth, this was not too surprising. Elizabeth and Zechariah had spoken to him often about the message that Zechariah had been given by the angel Gabriel as he served in the temple on that never to be forgotten day. This was the message that told him that he and Elizabeth were to have a son and that he was to be the prophet who would prepare the people of Israel for the coming of the long-awaited Messiah.
As parents, they had followed the guidance given to Zechariah to bring him up in a way which would prepare him for all that lay ahead. They knew the prophecies of Isaiah that spoke of a voice, ‘’Crying in the wilderness,’’ calling people to ‘’Straighten their crooked ways, to flatten the mountains and fill in the valleys'' that separated them from God. John had been steeped in the scriptures and was well aware that his was to be that voice.
After the death of his parents, he spent more and more time in the wilderness of Judea, living a simple life of prayer and meditation and growing ever closer to God. He provided for himself in many ways, making clothes from camel’s hair, which he tied around his waist with a leather belt, and eating what food he could find in the desert.
John first felt the call of God to proclaim his message when Tiberius had been the Roman Emperor for fifteen years and Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea in the south of the country, while Herod continued his brutal reign over Galilee in the north.
Crowds of people from Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside and from along the Jordan Valley came to listen to him as he preached by the river, delivering his direct and forthright message. “You need to straighten out your lives,’’ he told them, ‘’and change your wrongful thoughts and ways because God is coming to live among us.”
Everyone who felt genuine remorse and a desire to change and make amends for the wrongs they had done was baptised by being immersed in the river. This symbolised their willingness to choose a new way of life as the stain of their misdeeds was washed away by the forgiveness of God.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were amongst the leading religious groups at the time but were seen by most people as extremely hypocritical. How satisfying it must have been for ordinary folk to hear John’s words to the very people who lorded themselves over everyone else. “You brood of vipers,” he called out to them when he saw them coming to be baptised. “ Who warned you to try to escape the punishment you deserve?’’
”You need to show that you are genuinely repentant and serious in your desire to change. You seem to think that because you are descended from Abraham, that excuses you. Don’t fool yourselves. God can raise children for Abraham from these very stones if needs be! The axe is already raised to those trees which do not bear fruit! Any tree which doesn’t bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire!”
Other people in the crowds began to call out to John, asking him what they should do to show a true change of heart. He told them that they should start by sharing what they had. “If you have two coats, give one away to someone who has none. If you have more food than you need, share it with the people around you who are hungry!” Even the tax collectors, who were hated by everyone because they worked for the Romans, came to be baptised and asked John what they should do.
He told them, in no uncertain terms, that they should only collect the right amount of tax and not cheat people in order to fill their own pockets! As for the soldiers who came to him, he told them not to extort money from people by threats or lies and to be satisfied with their wages! He also fearlessly denounced Herod, the self-styled king, for his evil ways and immoral life, as it was well known that he was living with his brother’s wife.
People began to feel excited, wondering whether John himself was the Messiah but when they asked him about this, he told them emphatically that he was only the messenger. “I baptise you with water as a symbol,’’ he said, ‘’but when the Messiah comes, he will baptise you in the Spirit of God. He is more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to stoop down and untie his sandals and carry them for him.’’
Using imagery that his listeners would readily understand, John told them that the Messiah would come with ‘’a rake in his hand to clear the fields and gather the wheat into his barns, where the husks would be separated out and burned in the fire of God’s love.’’
The scene was now set. Jesus was on his way with his friends, travelling towards his cousin, the River Jordan and baptism. The adventure was about to begin.
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