Almost as an aside before I look at peace, I want to change the image of John. The common depiction of John is a person looking rough and wild, shouting out a message to those around. This image always puts me in mind of street preachers — the sort who stand on street corners wearing billboards around their necks shouting at passersby to repent. I don’t think John was like that at all.
Consider the picture the gospels really paint. John was probably an educated person — I have spoken in previous blogs about references to the desert most likely being shorthand for the training and education received at an Essene community.
John’s clothes are camel hair and leather. Although I personally would not wear leather due to personal principles about the cruelty involved, this does indicate some means for John. Camel’s hair clothing was (and still is) made from the fine under hair. The animal is not plucked or skinned but shed hair is gathered making it the least cruel way of obtaining wool. The resulting garments are not scratchy as often imagined but fine and soft.
And that diet — John was likely not eating bugs! Locusts refers to a sort of cake cooked in oil. The word used for it is very similar to that of manna. Thus, John’s diet would have evoked all sorts of memory and meaning to contemporary readers.
I think it is important to keep this image in mind as the message of John is looked at — not a wild, uncouth person eating bugs and shouting about repentance. But a person from a good, well-thought of family, well-versed in Scripture, with their own miraculous birth story, wearing fine clothes and with a diet that evokes memories of God’s care and concern for the people. Thus, a person to be listened too, a person with credibility who brought a strong message of the need for change — in line with today’s focus — hopefully a message of peace.
Yet, for a Sunday dedicated to thinking about peace, this reading talks a lot about violence. There was some unpleasant name calling, talk of being “cut down” with an axe and “burnt with unquenchable fire”. Not pleasant metaphors!
So, as I muse on this reading, I want to follow Trible’s advice and shake the text until it yields a blessing. In this case a blessing of peace. My advent thought for today is I want to find peace, make peace and celebrate peace. I hope each of these will be present as I shake the text. I must confess it is not easy to do.
Finding peace — I found this one a little harder to shake than the following two. However, I looked at the life of John the baptiser and deduced how John found peace in knowing who they were and what their role was. It must have been quite hard to live knowing one’s slightly younger cousin was such a special person with a lifechanging message and mission. Not always easy to know you come second. John found peace with this and was able to declare, “one who is more powerful than I . . .”
Making peace — I think the clue to this is in the harsh words to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, asking them to “bear fruit worthy of repentance”. Surely, as I shake this, I see in fruits of repentance making peace, which means going to those who have been harmed by their actions and righting wrongs. Making peace is all about changing one’s lifestyle to not causing harm to any person, animal or environment.
Celebrating peace — I see this in the action of John baptizing those who made peace. A time of rejoicing, public declaration and celebration that all is well, that peace has been found and peace has been made with all.
So, on this day, dedicated to musing on peace, my hope is that each who reads this will find peace, make peace and celebrate peace as the journey through Advent continues.
