Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 3:1-12
There’s a famous picture by the Quaker pastor and painter Edward Hicks: The Peaceable Kingdom. It shows a number of wild animals and small children all sitting around and living life calmly and easily. No one is chasing anyone, no one is hiding, no one is afraid.
Clearly, Hicks was taking his inspiration from the prophet Isaiah. It’s a wonderful example of allegory. It’s not meant to be taken literally. Neither the painting nor the Isaiah passage. Instead, they both communicate a vibe, a feeling of what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. How peaceful will the Kingdom of Heaven be? There will be so much peace that the wolf will lie down with the lamb, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
It’s a lovely painting and I appreciate what it’s saying.
But I also appreciate clarity. Precision. Especially when someone is giving me instructions. Tell me exactly what you want me to do!
That’s my frustration with John the Baptist. What exactly is “fruit in keeping with repentance”? What does that look like? What does it mean?
John the Baptist is an interesting guy. He lives in the wilderness, eating locusts and honey. His clothes are animal skins rather than wool. He’s clearly an outsider. Not one of us.
And yet, crowds are drawn to him. His preaching is so powerful people are coming from near and far to hear him. Rich and poor. Young and old. Even Pharisees and Sadducees are making their way to the Jordan to listen to John.
He’s powerful, alright. But what is he talking about? What does he want them to do? What are fruits worthy of repentance?
Here, I think Isaiah can help.
Isaiah is pointing to the future. Someday, a ruler will come. A son of Jesse, a descendant of King David, will rise up and rule the people. He won’t be an ordinary ruler.
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.
But how will he rule? How will he be different?
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
This ruler will not judge people by their jobs or the signs they hold up at stoplights, asking for change. He will not judge anyone by the color of their skin or the cleanliness of their clothes. Appearances will mean nothing. Further, this ruler will not listen to rumor, inuendo or popular prejudice.
This ruler will judge with righteousness and justice. God’s righteousness and justice. That is, righteousness and justice mixed with mercy and compassion. That’s how God judges – with righteousness and justice mixed with mercy and compassion.
As Christians, we know Jesus is this ruler. Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus is the one who is filled with the Spirit of God and who judges the poor and the needy with mercy and compassion. We know the prophet is talking about Jesus.
But also, the prophet is talking about us. Like Jesus, we are meant to be filled with the Spirit of God:
The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
And being full of the Spirit of the Lord, we are to do what Jesus does.
Judge the needy with righteousness and with justice give decision for the poor of the earth.
Perhaps I’m being too hard on John. When you think about the fruits of repentance are many. They are the same Fruits of the Spirit that Paul talks about. Love, compassion, mercy, personal purity, dedication to Jesus. The list is long. But the list always includes judging the poor and needy with mercy and compassion.
In their own way, both Isaiah and John are calling us to be like Jesus. They are both calling us to be like Jesus. To be filled with:
The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
When we do, our world will be more and more like the peaceable kingdom God wants it to be. A world where all people live together in a state of Shalom: where everyone has enough and no one has to be afraid.
Beloved, may we all grow to be more and more like Jesus. Amen.
