December 8, 2024

Readings:

Malachi 3:1-4

Luke 1:68-79

Philippians 1:3-11

Luke 3:1-6

all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6)

Tiberius was the successor of Augustus and therefore the second of the Roman emperors. The fifteenth year of his reign would be A.D. 28-29. Luke begins by setting the emergence of John against a world background, the background of the Roman Empire.

Luke 3:4-6 are a quotation from Isaiah 40:3-5. It was the custom when a king planned to tour a portion of his domain that couriers were sent in advance to tell people to prepare the roads. John is regarded as the courier of the king. The preparation that John proclaimed was a matter of the heart, not the roads. The preaching of John instructed to people to repent of injustice, to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

There is a call in John’s proclamation which will be echoed in the teachings of Jesus. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation and be satisfied with your wages.” (Luke 3:11-14)

These teachings are echoed in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and in Jesus’ encounters with tax collectors (Luke 19:1-10). When Jesus describes the judgement of the nations, the criterion for judgement is what one has done “for the least of these” (Matthew 25: 31-46).

As we go about our Christmas preparation, we need to be painfully aware of how we treat, not only our sisters and brothers, but the way we treat the stranger among us. We are called to practice compassion, charity, and justice in all of our encounters.

The word of John to bear the fruits of repentance emphasizes the requirement to treat others the way God would treat them if God were living our life. Repentance means to go in a different direction. It would be a radically different world, if we practiced peace and goodwill in all our interactions, not merely on Christmas.