Holy Threshing: Matthew 3:1-12 - Second Sunday in Advent

¹In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
  make his paths straight.’ ”
⁴Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, ⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
  ⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹Do not presume 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. ¹⁰Even 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.
  ¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (NRSV)

Threshing by Eileen Delhi.  Creative commons image on flickr

Every year, the hottest Christmas gifts are always electronics—and kitchen appliances.  What a great gift to just press a button—and have hours of work done for you.  What a gift to just sit back and be entertained for hours on end…

This is probably why winnowing forks and threshing floors are so unfamiliar to us…

But for thousands of years, it was grueling, backbreaking work to harvest wheat.  Once you bring in the sheaves from the wheat field, you lay them out on the threshing floor.  Then, you bring in oxen or other animals to trample on the stalks.  You may even beat them with a blunt object—all to separate the grains from the chaff.  Then, you use a winnowing fork to flail the stalks into the air, so the wind blows the chaff away while allowing the grains to fall back to the floor. Once all that’s done, the chaff is gathered up and disposed of, while the grains are sifted and stored in the granary in order to be milled into flour. 

This is the essence of what Jesus has come to accomplish, and John the Baptist does not mince words.  There’s nothing about this man or his message that’s gentle or sentimental.  He’s dresses and eats like a caveman.  He’s cranky and blunt, especially when the religious leaders show up to be baptized with his followers.  It won’t be enough to pay Jesus lip service, as the Pharisees and Sadducees are doing.  Jesus comes for the purpose of judgment, separating the godly from the evil.  “You must repent, be baptized, and bear fruit,” John cries, “or be cut down and burned.” 

So where do you go from here?  How do you repent?  And will that be enough “to flee the wrath to come?”

But bear in mind—if you’re cultivating wheat, it’s not for the purpose of growing fuel for a fire.  It’s for food!  With all this talk about fire and judgment, Jesus isn’t a pyromaniac!   The ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming is to reap the most bountiful harvest on God’s good creation—and Jesus is taking an active role in making that happen! 

This is precisely what John is crying out for you to prepare yourself—not for hell, but for harvesting.  Jesus is coming—and you are going to be changed.  That’s repentance.  But most Christians don’t really understand what it is to repent—particularly the people who carry the signs…

Repentance isn’t something you do.  It’s what Jesus does to you.  You receive it.  Jesus begins it in baptism, and continues it on through your baptism.  Jesus is turning you to God; giving you a new set of eyes to see your life and your world.  with a new set of eyes; having a change of heart and a change of mind.

Repentance is Jesus working in you and on you like wheat is threshed and winnowed, so that you may become the person God created you to be.  But don’t think for a second that this will always be pleasant, comfortable, and fun. 

There’s pain when you come to the knowledge of your sin.  It’s guilt, it’s shame, it’s sorrow—for all the people you’ve hurt and the messes you’ve made.  It’s the pain of having the legs of your pride broken right out from under you.  What is even more difficult, though, is that Jesus both creates and demands change in you.

Repentance goes so much further than simply breaking bad habits and polishing yourself up.  In order for wheat to become bread, it must die—and it’s no different for a child of God.  When you receive repentance, you’re giving Jesus permission to put you on his threshing floor; stamping out your pride and self-centeredness; winnowing away every desire, every possession and every so that you may be fully his.  You’re giving Jesus permission to crucify you with himself, so that you will rise to new life in him.

If you make this confession today, it will hardly mean a return to business as usual in your life.

This may be for you a cause for comfort—or a cause for concern.  But I will say this—our world needs Jesus.  The greed, the war, the terror, the poverty needs to stop.  Jesus is born for this. 

So how will you live—and what will you do? 

Jesus wants to fill that emptiness and heal that brokenness in your life.  At the same time, will you trust Jesus to empty and break you—if that is what is necessary for you to come to new life in him?  Are you ready to let go of your need to control your circumstances and relationships so that God’s grace meets your needs?  Are you ready to see this world with new eyes—and perhaps for your most deeply-held beliefs to be changed?  Are you ready to become a neighbor to people you’ve spent your life trying to avoid?

Are you ready for Jesus to take you out into the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair and eating locusts and wild honey, losing your life to proclaiming the promises of God?  Are you ready for a holy threshing?