It's judgment day -- rejoice!
Commentary
Object:
Messages of God’s judgment can be hard to hear, and feel at odds with the fast-approaching celebration of Christmas. But a closer reading of scripture invites us to welcome God’s judgment and the peace and new life that such judgment can bring. Advent can be a time to clean house, both spiritually and physically, so that come Christmas we are freed to rejoice and place our trust in God.
Zephaniah 3:14-20
These beautiful, inspiring words of the prophet Zephaniah come from early in the reign of Josiah (640-609 BCE), a Judahite king who enacted significant religious reforms. Josiah came to the throne at the tender age of 8, and his reforms are noted in 2 Kings 22-23 as beginning a decade later. Most of the book of Zephaniah is a strong condemnation of the religious infidelity and social injustice that preceded these reforms. Zephaniah prophesies a “Day of the Lord,” which begins “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth, says the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:2). On this Day of the Lord, the unjust political leaders and wealthy merchants will be punished; the sacrilegious priests will be punished; the enemies of Israel will be punished; the wicked of the city (presumably Jerusalem) will be punished -- all of these punishments are outlined in graphic and sometimes bloody detail, concluding “for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed” (Zephaniah 3:8). Following this judgment, the Lord promises a new, purified, and humble people: “At that time, I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.... For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord -- the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid” (Zephaniah 3:9, 12-13).
The Song of Joy that we read today concludes the book of Zephaniah; it comes after great prophecies of destruction and judgment. The command to Zion to “sing aloud” in verse 14 is the same Hebrew word used for the Lord in verse 17 “with loud singing” -- this is a song of love and triumph shared between Israel and the Lord, perhaps in a call-and-response fashion. In Zephaniah 2:1, the people are commanded to gather together (as one might gather straw or sticks) for judgment. In Zephaniah 3:20, the Lord promises to gather the people for rejoicing. It is interesting to note that the only other time this reading from Zephaniah appears in the lectionary is for the Easter Vigil. At the Vigil it is clearly read in the context of the sorrow and destruction of Good Friday and the promise of the new creation to come. In today’s collection of readings, this joyful pericope precedes messages of judgment and death (from John the Baptist), rather than following them.
Philippians 4:4-7
Philippians is in part a thank-you letter from Paul, sent from his prison cell to the church in Philippi, a beloved community that he helped found. Hearing of Paul’s imprisonment (scholars are uncertain as to where exactly he was imprisoned at the time of this letter; possibilities include Ephesus, Caesarea, and Rome), the Philippians sent one of their members, Ephaphroditus, with gifts to minister to Paul. While on this visit, Ephaphroditus became ill and almost died (Philippians 2:25-27), and now that he is recovered Paul is sending him back to Philippi with this letter that Paul and Timothy are writing. The verses we read today represent one of his concluding exhortations to the church in Philippi, and they echo the theme of joy and rejoicing in spite of difficult circumstances that pervades the entire letter. For Paul, the message of the gospel and the spread of the Good News of Christ carry far more import than passing physical imprisonment and physical suffering. Paul has assured the Philippians of his spiritual well-being through the trials of imprisonment. Whether he lives or dies, Paul writes, he is content, even joyful, in the spread of the gospel, and he urges the Philippians to share this joy.
These few short verses appointed for today may well be known, memorized, and loved by many in the pews, and for good reason -- they are words of profound comfort and hope. Note that they do not deny sufferings and worries, but urge that we give them to God (v. 6), thereby making space in our hearts and minds for God’s peace to take their place (v. 7). The word “gentleness” in verse 5 receives multiple translations, including “moderation” (KJV), “forbearing spirit” (NASB), and “kindness” (NAB). Eugene Peterson’s The Message offers this take on Paul’s exhortation in verse 5: “Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them,” while Young’s Concordance notes that the Greek connotes yieldingness and pliability, and also that this is the only place that this particular word appears in the New Testament. Clearly, no single English word or expression suffices to describe this quality of the joyful believer who places her trust in God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
Luke 3:7-18
“You brood of vipers!” Luke is unique among the gospels in having John the Baptist address the crowds coming for baptism with such strong words. In Matthew, John addresses these words only to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, and Mark and John lack any such language. These opening words in today’s gospel contrast markedly with its final verse: “So, with many other exhortations [John] proclaimed the good news to the people.” Most of what we have just heard from John in the intervening verses may not sound like good news on first reading -- John’s words can sound more like threat than promise -- but how we hear John can depend a great deal on our social location. If we are the leaders in an unjust society -- beware! God will be changing things up. But if we are suffering from injustice, the promise of judgment and a new order are good news indeed. Luke is unique among the gospels as well in its mention of tax collectors and soldiers coming to John for baptism and counsel. Even though they are in the employ of an oppressive regime, they are not lost in this coming new order if they behave as righteously as they can with the authority they are given. Changes are coming -- a clean sweep is at hand -- but those who reorient their lives towards faithfulness to God and care of neighbor will be gathered close by the coming Messiah. There is no resting on laurels for anyone -- being one of God’s chosen people, i.e., claiming Abraham as an ancestor (v. 8), offers no protection for the unjust. John’s words are strong indeed, and clearly heard -- in verses 19 and 20, which immediately follow today’s reading, we hear how Herod imprisoned John for speaking truth to power.
Application
Dante has a lot to answer for. For many Christians, images of judgment, and especially fiery judgment as described by John the Baptist, come more from Dante’s Inferno and the vast body of art that developed out of his imaginative description of hell than they do from anything we find in scripture. In much of Western culture, judgment by God has become associated with hell and the torment of individual sinful souls in the afterlife, so much so that it can be hard to hear what the Bible is really saying.
Scenes of judgment that we find prophesied in Zephaniah and by John the Baptist are not otherworldly threats of punishment, but messages of hope for people suffering in the here and now. What is wrong in society will be put right; God will create a new world with a renewed social order on this very earth. Oppression and exploitation will be replaced by peaceful relations among just and faithful people. The fires that John the Baptist predicted could very well be seen not as the fires of hell but as the fires of Pentecost that heralded the birth of a whole new way of being in the world -- with each other and with God. One has only to read the Acts of the Apostles to see the way of life John recommends fulfilled, as the believers shared all in common. Pentecost, whenever and wherever it appears, is cause for rejoicing. “Do not be afraid” is a message we hear often in Advent and Christmas readings, and this message extends to hearing Advent messages of judgment as well.
There is plenty that needs to be swept away in our day and age; any housekeeper knows that sweeping is an ongoing task, not something done once and never again. In our country, faithful Christians helped to sweep away the sin of slavery, and then the sin of legalized segregation. The sin of racism still remains, but there are new brooms at work that we can celebrate even as we mourn so many recent events that that show how much we still need them. Advent can be a time to put our houses in order, physically and spiritually -- to discard what no longer serves us, to welcome what does. This is judgment. It’s not something to fear, but something to welcome as it frees us from the sins of the past and prepares us to welcome the Christ-child born among us.
Alternative Application
Paul wrote to the church in Philippi: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). In this Advent season, popular culture encourages us to make lists of what we want for Christmas. Children write letters to Santa Claus; adults fret over the best gift to give the friend or spouse or relative who already has too much. What a relief it could be to make lists not for Santa or other people, but for God. What might we truly ask God for in our deepest heart of hearts? What worries occupy our days and nights? For many who are struggling in our world, such a list may be for material things that seem out of reach: enough food, adequate shelter, a gift for a treasured child, medical care. Those of us with sufficient material goods may still wish for healing on some level -- of broken relationships, of a too-busy life, of loneliness, of guilt, of conflict or injustice somewhere in the world that pierces our hearts. Paul tells his friends (and us as well), “Do not worry about these things; give them all to God.” And in return “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). A peaceful heart and mind does not ignore needs and troubles, but is free to address them calmly without fretting. In worry, we are caught up in what we can and cannot do. In prayer, we place our trust not in our own abilities and means, but in God’s. What a gift it would be to us and to all we know this Advent to give up worry and open ourselves to receive God’s peace!
Zephaniah 3:14-20
These beautiful, inspiring words of the prophet Zephaniah come from early in the reign of Josiah (640-609 BCE), a Judahite king who enacted significant religious reforms. Josiah came to the throne at the tender age of 8, and his reforms are noted in 2 Kings 22-23 as beginning a decade later. Most of the book of Zephaniah is a strong condemnation of the religious infidelity and social injustice that preceded these reforms. Zephaniah prophesies a “Day of the Lord,” which begins “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth, says the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:2). On this Day of the Lord, the unjust political leaders and wealthy merchants will be punished; the sacrilegious priests will be punished; the enemies of Israel will be punished; the wicked of the city (presumably Jerusalem) will be punished -- all of these punishments are outlined in graphic and sometimes bloody detail, concluding “for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed” (Zephaniah 3:8). Following this judgment, the Lord promises a new, purified, and humble people: “At that time, I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.... For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord -- the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid” (Zephaniah 3:9, 12-13).
The Song of Joy that we read today concludes the book of Zephaniah; it comes after great prophecies of destruction and judgment. The command to Zion to “sing aloud” in verse 14 is the same Hebrew word used for the Lord in verse 17 “with loud singing” -- this is a song of love and triumph shared between Israel and the Lord, perhaps in a call-and-response fashion. In Zephaniah 2:1, the people are commanded to gather together (as one might gather straw or sticks) for judgment. In Zephaniah 3:20, the Lord promises to gather the people for rejoicing. It is interesting to note that the only other time this reading from Zephaniah appears in the lectionary is for the Easter Vigil. At the Vigil it is clearly read in the context of the sorrow and destruction of Good Friday and the promise of the new creation to come. In today’s collection of readings, this joyful pericope precedes messages of judgment and death (from John the Baptist), rather than following them.
Philippians 4:4-7
Philippians is in part a thank-you letter from Paul, sent from his prison cell to the church in Philippi, a beloved community that he helped found. Hearing of Paul’s imprisonment (scholars are uncertain as to where exactly he was imprisoned at the time of this letter; possibilities include Ephesus, Caesarea, and Rome), the Philippians sent one of their members, Ephaphroditus, with gifts to minister to Paul. While on this visit, Ephaphroditus became ill and almost died (Philippians 2:25-27), and now that he is recovered Paul is sending him back to Philippi with this letter that Paul and Timothy are writing. The verses we read today represent one of his concluding exhortations to the church in Philippi, and they echo the theme of joy and rejoicing in spite of difficult circumstances that pervades the entire letter. For Paul, the message of the gospel and the spread of the Good News of Christ carry far more import than passing physical imprisonment and physical suffering. Paul has assured the Philippians of his spiritual well-being through the trials of imprisonment. Whether he lives or dies, Paul writes, he is content, even joyful, in the spread of the gospel, and he urges the Philippians to share this joy.
These few short verses appointed for today may well be known, memorized, and loved by many in the pews, and for good reason -- they are words of profound comfort and hope. Note that they do not deny sufferings and worries, but urge that we give them to God (v. 6), thereby making space in our hearts and minds for God’s peace to take their place (v. 7). The word “gentleness” in verse 5 receives multiple translations, including “moderation” (KJV), “forbearing spirit” (NASB), and “kindness” (NAB). Eugene Peterson’s The Message offers this take on Paul’s exhortation in verse 5: “Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them,” while Young’s Concordance notes that the Greek connotes yieldingness and pliability, and also that this is the only place that this particular word appears in the New Testament. Clearly, no single English word or expression suffices to describe this quality of the joyful believer who places her trust in God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
Luke 3:7-18
“You brood of vipers!” Luke is unique among the gospels in having John the Baptist address the crowds coming for baptism with such strong words. In Matthew, John addresses these words only to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, and Mark and John lack any such language. These opening words in today’s gospel contrast markedly with its final verse: “So, with many other exhortations [John] proclaimed the good news to the people.” Most of what we have just heard from John in the intervening verses may not sound like good news on first reading -- John’s words can sound more like threat than promise -- but how we hear John can depend a great deal on our social location. If we are the leaders in an unjust society -- beware! God will be changing things up. But if we are suffering from injustice, the promise of judgment and a new order are good news indeed. Luke is unique among the gospels as well in its mention of tax collectors and soldiers coming to John for baptism and counsel. Even though they are in the employ of an oppressive regime, they are not lost in this coming new order if they behave as righteously as they can with the authority they are given. Changes are coming -- a clean sweep is at hand -- but those who reorient their lives towards faithfulness to God and care of neighbor will be gathered close by the coming Messiah. There is no resting on laurels for anyone -- being one of God’s chosen people, i.e., claiming Abraham as an ancestor (v. 8), offers no protection for the unjust. John’s words are strong indeed, and clearly heard -- in verses 19 and 20, which immediately follow today’s reading, we hear how Herod imprisoned John for speaking truth to power.
Application
Dante has a lot to answer for. For many Christians, images of judgment, and especially fiery judgment as described by John the Baptist, come more from Dante’s Inferno and the vast body of art that developed out of his imaginative description of hell than they do from anything we find in scripture. In much of Western culture, judgment by God has become associated with hell and the torment of individual sinful souls in the afterlife, so much so that it can be hard to hear what the Bible is really saying.
Scenes of judgment that we find prophesied in Zephaniah and by John the Baptist are not otherworldly threats of punishment, but messages of hope for people suffering in the here and now. What is wrong in society will be put right; God will create a new world with a renewed social order on this very earth. Oppression and exploitation will be replaced by peaceful relations among just and faithful people. The fires that John the Baptist predicted could very well be seen not as the fires of hell but as the fires of Pentecost that heralded the birth of a whole new way of being in the world -- with each other and with God. One has only to read the Acts of the Apostles to see the way of life John recommends fulfilled, as the believers shared all in common. Pentecost, whenever and wherever it appears, is cause for rejoicing. “Do not be afraid” is a message we hear often in Advent and Christmas readings, and this message extends to hearing Advent messages of judgment as well.
There is plenty that needs to be swept away in our day and age; any housekeeper knows that sweeping is an ongoing task, not something done once and never again. In our country, faithful Christians helped to sweep away the sin of slavery, and then the sin of legalized segregation. The sin of racism still remains, but there are new brooms at work that we can celebrate even as we mourn so many recent events that that show how much we still need them. Advent can be a time to put our houses in order, physically and spiritually -- to discard what no longer serves us, to welcome what does. This is judgment. It’s not something to fear, but something to welcome as it frees us from the sins of the past and prepares us to welcome the Christ-child born among us.
Alternative Application
Paul wrote to the church in Philippi: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). In this Advent season, popular culture encourages us to make lists of what we want for Christmas. Children write letters to Santa Claus; adults fret over the best gift to give the friend or spouse or relative who already has too much. What a relief it could be to make lists not for Santa or other people, but for God. What might we truly ask God for in our deepest heart of hearts? What worries occupy our days and nights? For many who are struggling in our world, such a list may be for material things that seem out of reach: enough food, adequate shelter, a gift for a treasured child, medical care. Those of us with sufficient material goods may still wish for healing on some level -- of broken relationships, of a too-busy life, of loneliness, of guilt, of conflict or injustice somewhere in the world that pierces our hearts. Paul tells his friends (and us as well), “Do not worry about these things; give them all to God.” And in return “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). A peaceful heart and mind does not ignore needs and troubles, but is free to address them calmly without fretting. In worry, we are caught up in what we can and cannot do. In prayer, we place our trust not in our own abilities and means, but in God’s. What a gift it would be to us and to all we know this Advent to give up worry and open ourselves to receive God’s peace!
