‘We have Abraham as our forefather,’ for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. And already the axe is lying at the root of the trees, so that every tree which does not produce good fruit will quickly be hewn down and thrown into the fire.
I indeed am baptizing you in water on a profession of repentance; but He who is coming after me is mightier than I: His sandals I am not worthy to carry for a moment; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. His winnowing-shovel is in His hand, and He will make a thorough clearance of His threshing-floor, gathering His wheat into the storehouse, but burning up the chaff in unquenchable fire.”
Just at that time Jesus, coming from Galilee to the Jordan, presented himself to John to be baptized by him. John protested. “It is I,” he said, “who have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
“Let it be so on this occasion,” Jesus replied; “for so we ought to fulfil every religious duty.” Then he consented; and Jesus was baptized, and immediately went up from the water. At that moment the heavens opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him, while a voice came from Heaven, saying, “This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight.”
They were all ready for discussion: Stephen couldn’t wait to tell anyone who would listen about the persistence of the John the Baptist loyalists into the next generation, that in Acts 19, Paul arrives in Ephesus and finds disciples of John the Baptist alive and well there. And Webster had a handout ready to be distributed, showing a page from his “Gospel Parallels” in which the various accounts of John the Baptist were put side by side. Then, someone wanted to know how bad the Pharisees and Sadducees were, really, that they were singled out for such condemnation; maybe they were truly interested in what John had to say . . . and what about all the threats of fire?
For the first time, Melanie was perplexed. It wasn’t the start she had envisioned. There was energy in the group but the possibility of anarchy. So she called them to order and appealed for a more systematic approach to the text. “Let’s start at the beginning; there’s safety in that!”
Putting aside her discomfiture, she tried an introduction:
“For this chapter, then, we have high drama; this wild man from the desert (according to Luke, a cousin of Jesus) and his fiery rhetoric. Even his first recorded words might get him into trouble as talk of ‘the Kingdom’ would play into popular expectations of liberation from Roman rule. And his scathing denunciations of the Pharisees and Sadducees made sure of their enmity.” She paused and looked around the group, realizing that she was in full lecture mode, exactly what she had vowed to avoid. “Did anyone have better luck than I,” she asked, “ in discovering why John came on so hot and heavy?”
Some thought that it was a reflection of later conflicts between the early church and the ascendant Pharisaic influence in Judaism in the later part of the first century. But against that idea was the fact that Sadducees had disappeared by the year 70 so their inclusion as enemies would be somewhat redundant. Several had read up on the Pharisees and identified them as pious Jews, keen to keep the law in every detail. They wondered if the scrupulous observance of purity laws by Pharisees was an effective barrier to all but the leisured classes and that they thereby created a barrier to “the outcasts and sinners” with whom Jesus had such sympathy. “If you’re a working man, grabbing lunch from a street vendor, there isn’t much time and place for handwashing!”
It was then time to think about baptism, especially the baptism of Jesus and the awkward moment when John is portrayed as acknowledging his own need. The reply of Jesus” . . . we must fulfill every religious duty,” was identified as a strange explanation since earlier the baptism was accompanied by confession of sins.
Webster recalled having read debates about that text within the church from the beginning, finding uneasiness in the idea of Jesus as needing to repent or to confess sins. He tried again one of his hypotheses: “I understand ‘repentance’ to mean a change of life’s direction, so it isn’t too difficult to see Jesus at a turning point. Maybe with a new awareness of his destiny as preacher of the Kingdom.” “So far, so good,” Andrew said, “I guess that I can buy that but what about ‘sin’. The church has always claimed Jesus to be sinless. There seems to be the options: either give up that teaching and see Jesus as a sinner like the rest of us. Or find some other meaning for his baptism.” There were nods around the table and an eagerness to see if Webster could stick handle his way around this. “Well,” he began, “I agree it’s a bit tricky. My feeling is that we define ‘sin’ a bit too narrowly. The actual word carries the connotation of ‘missing the mark’. Maybe Jesus saw his thirty years up to that moment as somehow spent in avoiding his destiny.”
“It’s quite a big ‘maybe’” replied Andrew “But it’s certainly worth some thought.” And Melanie rounded off their exchange by expressing gratitude that “here is a safe place to be creative!”
Finally, the familiar episode of the dove, the voice and the commendation. Was this observed by all? Or did Jesus speak later (to his disciples?) of some mystical experience at his baptism? Melanie raised these issues and she was surprised when Stephen, whose interventions to date had been rather irritating, spoke quite movingly of his own experience as a teenage boy, being baptized in a river in Manitoba and the lasting impression made by that event. He confided that each year on August 10, he celebrated the anniversary of his baptism by attending a Eucharist wherever he might be and renewing his baptismal vows. All present were impressed and rather surprised; Al, who had been silent most of the evening, acknowledged that he had never been baptized and thanked Stephen in a very cordial manner for his sharing.
As the time for ending the session came closer, Al suddenly came up with a suggestion which took Melanie quite by surprise. “Leading a group like this is not easy,” he said, “and we know that Melanie didn’t exactly volunteer for the job. Why don’t we take turns at introducing the chapter and then go on from there?” Melanie felt her anger rising but she kept herself as calm as she could. “Why,” she wondered to herself, “hadn’t Al had the courtesy to raise the matter in their coffee shop conversation?” She was somewhat mollified as Al continued. “Melanie,” he said, “don’t take this as a criticism. It’s just an idea which occurred to me this minute.” She had come to realize that Matty had held the group in control by the force of her personality and that she wasn’t in the same league. She decided that two could play at the game of surprises. “Actually, it would suit me quite well to have someone else take over next week. There’s a lot going on at the office. And since you raised this, Al, what about taking it on?” She was a bit startled when he agreed.
They went their separate ways, somewhat surprised by the turn of events. Al tried his best to continue his reassurances in the parking lot and Melanie felt that she should be magnanimous. “Al, we will be looking forward to next week,” was her parting remark
Chapter 4
Al could devote time the following week to some sober second thoughts. His agreement to give an introduction to the next chapter of Matthew had been impulsive. It wasn’t that he shrank from the task, exactly, but rather that he wanted to avoid giving a lecture and then waiting for questions. There was also the little matter of being a complete newcomer to Bible reading! He remained uneasy and regretful about his impulsive action, hoping that his relationship with Melanie wouldn’t be soured by his suggestion.
He sighed as he sat at his desk in the bookstore. It was a familiar location where he was well able to keep an eye on comings and goings. There was George, one of the regulars, a collector of Victorian children’s books, browsing but rarely making a purchase. And Brian, shabby and sad, finding the bookstore a warm, dry place. He occasionally surprised Al by his knowledge of books but had never yet bought one.
He
