The Way to the Kingdom of Peace
Second Sunday of Advent
Matthew 3:1–12
7 When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You snakes—who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send? 8 Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins. 9 And don't think you can escape punishment by saying that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham! (Matthew 3:7–9 GNT)
This Sunday, we are lighting the candle of Peace. Interestingly, the Gospel reading draws our attention to the ministry of John the Baptist in the wilderness. He was proclaiming the kingdom of God as being so close like it is already here. Those who wish to become part of this kingdom are then invited to go through the ritual of repentance and baptism. However, not everyone is fit for the kingdom—not even those who call themselves “children of Abraham.” In this story, the prophet condemns the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom he calls “brood of vipers”, because of their hypocrisy. Apparently, they wanted to be included in the kingdom that John was preaching but they failed to show true repentance. Apparently, only those who demonstrate genuine remorse because of sin and are baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire through Jesus Christ are considered to be worthy of the Kingdom.
In the Bible, peace is a profound expression that conveys wholeness and harmony of everything. There are many ways through which peace is imagined such as healing of the sick, doing justice to the poor, or liberating the oppressed. Another expression of peace is through the forgiveness of sins and restoration of broken relationships between humans and God. In light of this, the Gospel helps us realize that peace in God’s kingdom is not achieved without doing the right thing. It is not achieved by simply being a member of an elite social or ethnic group such that of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But rather, peace is achieved by being baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. In other words, a person must undergo transformation through the Spirit of Christ and be purged from their pride and self-righteousness before they are restored and made whole in God’s kingdom.
Today, we are invited to see the world from the perspective of the outcast prophet in the wilderness who speaks truth to power. Peace in the kingdom of God is not achieved by mere association with a chosen race, by being inside the center of power, or through superficial religiosity. While the kingdom offers forgiveness to the repentant, it is never intended to exonerate those who abuse their authority and exploit the vulnerable widows and orphans in the society. Rather, the kingdom demands that we get rid of our hypocrisy and cultivate a different mindset, a transformed life, that is not contaminated by the wickedness, injustice, and violence of the world.
Is the church ready to lose its place in the center and be tossed in the margins? Is she willing to be stripped off of the trappings of power so that it can be the prophetic voice that cries out for people to resist the crooked world and to seek the way of the Lord? This is the road to the kingdom, the pathway to peace.
