“Getting Ready”
Isaiah 11:1-10 / Matthew 3:1-12
We have two readings today – the first from Isaiah, approx. 750 years before Christ. The second from
Matthew’s gospel: the appearance of John the Baptist.
In Scripture, virtually all the prophets in the Bible were men. However, four female prophets are
mentioned - Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, and a fourth unnamed one by Isaiah. The prophet was called
by God to speak for God – in ancient times, people listened to what a prophet had to say. Hopefully,
they took his (or her) words to heart, and obeyed them. Scripture is full of examples of what happened
when folks did not listen.
People held onto the words of the prophet, and fully expected them to come true, even if it was
hundreds of years later.
In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah is speaking of a new and glorious kingdom – Isaiah 11:110: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The
Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of
counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD – 3 and he will delight in the
fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with
his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the
poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he
will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and
the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young
will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s
den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters
cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will
rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
The Jewish nation, the former great and unified kingdom, will be in total disarray when the shoot
comes up. Like Jesse, who was never a king, the dynasty of David was a mere stump. This is exactly
where the once-great nation of Israel found itself when Jesus was born.
Israel’s throne had been empty for almost 600 years. Isaiah has hope for this new descendant from
David, the greatest king Israel ever knew.
And who is Isaiah speaking of? The Messiah, the Anointed One – whom we know as Jesus.
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Isaiah 11:1-10 / Matthew 3:1-12
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The supreme king will be equipped for his work by the Spirit of the Lord. This Messianic king will
rule over not just Israel, but the whole world. Under this perfect king’s reign, nature will be at peace.
The fallen world will be restored to its previous “unfallen” condition.
One more thing on this passage that points to Christ: in the Hebrew, the word for root is nētzer
From this word, we get the word Nazarene – Matthew 2:23: “He will be called a Nazorean.
With that in mind, let’s move to our second reading, Matthew 3:1-12. For 400 years, the Jews were
sadly aware that the prophets had not spoken; they said to themselves, “There was no voice, nor any
that answered.”
But with the arrival of John, the prophetic voice spoke once again. After four hundred silent years,
God was speaking through a new prophet who called people to repentance and promised someone
greater to come. The emergence of John was the sudden sounding of the voice of God.
Let’s read the first three verses: In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of
Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was
spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way
for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Matthew refers us to Isaiah chapter 40, verse 3.
There were two parts to John’s preaching – the first was a call to repent. In classical Greek the verb
indicated a purely intellectual change of mind. Its usage in the New Testament is different. In the New
Testament, it came to mean, “to be sorry for one's actions,” and the Hebrew word “to turn around to
new actions.”
The prophets called people to return to the covenant with God. What is meant is not a merely
intellectual change of mind or mere grief, or even doing penance, but a radical transformation of the
entire person. People were called to a fundamental turnaround involving mind and action, including
overtones of grief, resulting in, as we will hear in a few minutes, "fruit in keeping with repentance."
The second part of John’s preaching was the nearness of the kingdom of heaven, and this is given as
the reason for repentance. Through the centuries, and as we just heard from Isaiah, there were rising
expectations of a divine visitation that would establish justice, crush opposition, and renew the entire
universe.
This hope was imbedded in many facets – it was presented as…
 The fulfillment of promises to David's heir
 The Day of the Lord
 A new heaven and a new earth
 A time of regathering of Israel
 And as the inauguration of a new and transforming covenant
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. In the New Testament, “kingdom” refers to a
reign or a territory. Over time, the word became increasingly spiritualized. Many Jews believed or
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Isaiah 11:1-10 / Matthew 3:1-12
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hoped that the Roman yoke would be shattered and there would be political peace and mounting
prosperity.
Needless to say, the appearance and preaching of John brought enormous excitement. But, as today,
people responded to the words of God in various ways. Some had political expectations of the coming
of the Messiah, others had personal expectations.
But as the angel had told Joseph over twenty-five years earlier, Jesus came to save people from their
sins (Matthew 1:21). And the first announcement of the kingdom is associated with repentance and
confession of sin.
Finally, Matthew tells us John was the fulfillment of the prophet’s words, 3 This is he who was spoken
of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the
Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Let’s continue, verses 4-5: John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt
around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem
and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
John’s clothes of camel's hair and a leather belt established links with the prophet Elijah. People
immediately recognized John for what he was – a prophet. His impact was widespread and fantastic,
and crowds came from all around.
Verse 6: Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Confession was not just a New Testament practice – confession of sin was commanded in the law, not
only as part of a priest's duties, but as an individual responsibility for wrongs done. In Israel's better
days this was carried out often.
The Greek does not make clear whether the confessions were individual or corporate. Most likely,
open renunciation of sin was a precondition of baptism, which was a confirmation of confession.
We see this in adult baptisms today – a person makes a public confession of faith, and is then baptized.
The sacrament is a sign and a seal of that confession.
But there were others who come out to the desert to see what John was up to – let’s finish the
passage at verse 7: But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was
baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be
cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes
one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor,
gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
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The Greek text isn’t clear – it may only mean that they were, as it says, “coming to where he was
baptizing.” If that was the case, it might suggest that representatives of the Sanhedrin (composed of
both parties with elders) came to examine what John was doing.
Or it could mean that the Pharisees and Sadducees came for baptism with the ostentation that
characterized their other religious activities. That is, they were showing the world how ready they
were for Messiah, though they had not truly repented. Maybe it was just a case of “getting their ticket
punched”
John confronts them with this question: “Where did you get the idea that you would escape the coming
wrath? How can you be baptized when you show no signs of repentance?”
John the Baptist stands squarely in the prophetic tradition. John’s use of the insult, “You brood of
vipers!” was also used by Isaiah, and will be used Jesus himself later with the Pharisees.
The coming of God's reign either demands repentance, or brings judgment. Repentance must be
genuine: if we wish to escape the coming wrath, then our entire lifestyle must be in harmony with our
oral repentance – mere descent from Abraham is not enough.
In the Old Testament God repeatedly cut off many Israelites and saved a remnant.
In the 400 years of prophetic silence, the general use of descent from Abraham, in the context of a
rising so-called MERIT THEOLOGY, supported the notion that Israel was chosen because it was
choice and that the merits of the patriarchs would suffice for their descendants.
So-called MERIT THEOLOGY exists still today:
 I’ve been a member here for over 50 years, therefore…
 I’m one of the largest givers, so therefore…
 I’m here all the time, so therefore…
But not only may God whittle Israel down to a small remnant, he may also raise up authentic children
of Israel from "these stones." Ordinary stones will suffice; there is no need for the "boulders" of the
patriarchs and their merits.
John not only rebukes the self-righteousness of the leaders but his harsh words imply that participation
in the kingdom results from grace and grace alone. And the grace of God extends the borders of God's
people beyond national boundaries.
The ax is "already" at the root of the trees. One commentator writes, “Not only is there a coming
Messianic wrath, but already there is a beginning Messianic discrimination among the descendants of
Abraham.”
Just as the kingdom is dawning already, so also is the judgment – the two are inseparable. To preach
the kingdom is to preach repentance. Any tree, regardless of its roots, that does not bring forth good
fruit will be destroyed.
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John baptizes as preparation “for repentance.” Jesus baptizes for fulfillment “with the Holy Spirit and
fire.” John wants to contrast his baptism with that of the one who comes after him – that one is “more
powerful” than John. Though John was the most sought-after preacher in Israel, he emphasized that he
was not fit to carry the sandals of the Coming One.
Just as John's purpose was to prepare a way for the Lord by calling people to repentance, so his
baptism pointed to the one who would bring the final baptism in spirit and fire. John's baptism was
preparatory; Jesus' baptism inaugurated the Messianic Age.
The Messiah's coming will separate grain from chaff. A winnowing fork tossed both into the air; the
wind blew the chaff away, and the heavier grain fell to be gathered up from the ground; the scattered
chaff was swept up and burned and the threshing floor cleared.
So there you have it – not exactly Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
My friends, are you ready for Christmas? No, not that way – I mean really – for the coming of the
Messiah.
Do we really realize whose birth we are celebrating in just over two weeks? And are we ready to let
John’s words of conviction settle in our hearts and minds? Or is it just in one ear, and out the other?
You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping
with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I
tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the
root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into
the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful
than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into
the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
So do we sit here smugly and imagine he is speaking to someone else? My friends, these words make
me really uncomfortable – I hope the same is true for you.
My brothers and sisters, today, this week, this Christmas, and always, remember WHY it was
necessary for a baby to be born in a stable so many years ago.
Merry Christmas, and thanks be to God that he came.