Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12
It is reported that in areas with a majority Christian/Catholic population, entering the month ending “-ber”, September onwards, the nuances of Christmas have begun to echo. Christmas songs reverberate everywhere, from homes, churches, shopping centres, to city transports that roam the streets. Christmas decorations also lively adorn the city. The desire to experience the joy of Christmas is palpable. It's the same desire we feel as Christians. But before we get to that excitement, Advent invites us to reflect on our own pilgrimage of faith, especially in remembering and welcoming His coming. Jesus was born thousands of years ago and we celebrate His birth every December, but at the same time we prepare to await His return and the fulfilment of His Kingdom. Those are the two dimensions of advent that cannot be separated from each other.
How to wait for His return? John the Baptist in our text emphatically calls for repentance. He tells the crowd, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" The prophets of Israel prophesied future salvation and judgement, while John proclaimed the imminent kingdom of heaven with the coming of the One with more power. Thus, what John proclaimed, as did Jesus, was not the Kingdom in heaven, but the Kingdom of God that began to be present in this world through the ministry of Jesus. Thus, what human beings need to do is to show the right response, namely repentance. The Greek word used to describe repentance is metanoia, which literally means to change one's mind, to change one's direction in life, to turn away from confessed sins to return to God whose kingdom is near.
What John is calling for resonates with the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11:1-10. The text reveals that new hope would come through the line of Jesse (note: Jesse was the father of David). God would bring salvation through him. For the Israelites in exile, this prophecy was a ray of hope for the suffering they had endured. In later times, the early Christian community interpreted it as God's promise of the Messiah who would bring true salvation. Both meanings imply the same thing, namely that God brings hope to the people who are being overwhelmed by various struggles. Like a just judge, the promised Messiah will adjudicate cases well. Those who are weak will be granted justice, those who are oppressed will have their cases settled with honesty. He will come bringing the peace of God, while those who do evil will not stand before Him.
The salvation of God or His kingdom seems to be closely tied to the manifestation of all the attributes of the Almighty God in the world. Justice, honesty, love, peace, etc. The image of the Saviour in Isaiah chapter 11 underlines this. He who will come and liberate the people begins His work by liberating those who are oppressed and have never felt justice. Reflecting on this, the repentance produced by believers should be repentance that has an impact or produces fruit that can be felt by others. That is true repentance. So naturally, when the Pharisees and Sadducees asked John to be baptised, they were rebuked as descendants of vipers. They held important social and religious strata at that time, but their daily lives were far from the Torah they taught. It was as if repentance was unimportant or something they only did with their mouths.
Thus in this second week of advent, let us bear the fruits of repentance as a form of active work in waiting for His coming. This repentance not only relates to our relationship with God, but also with our fellow human beings. It is this last point that often gets less attention. Yet in this increasingly selfish and oppressive world, it is what is most needed. Repentance is not just about praying and worshipping more, it is also about how well we treat others, have we been fair, spoken out against oppression, and avoided dishonesty.
Reflective questions:
Have we produced the fruits of repentance in the form of renewed relationships with others?
