Devotional 12-2-13

The Hope Chest

Matthew 3:1-12

This lesson from Matthew tells us about John the Baptist.  John began preaching in the Judean wilderness.  His clothing was woven from camel hair, and he wore a belt.  His food was locusts and honey.  People  from Jerusalem and all over the Jordan Valley came to the wilderness to hear him preach.  When they confessed  their sins, he would baptize them in the Jordan River.

When he saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. He told them just because they were Jews did not mean they would be saved.  They must repent and prove that they had turned from sin by doing worthy deeds. He baptized those who repented with water but then told them that someone else greater than he would baptize them with the holy spirit and fire.  Only He would know if they had truly repented.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.  John did not want to do it because he felt unworthy.  Jesus asked that he please do it because He must do what was right.  Since Jesus was human, he must do what was necessary to show this characteristic. When John did baptize Jesus, a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved son, and I am wonderfully pleased with him.”

At the heart of this lesson is the overall theme of hope.  John the Baptist appears as one who prepares the way with the talk of repentance.  There is hope for us in the future.  As the commentary by James Boyce says, “to borrow a metaphor, every Christian needs to have a HOPE CHEST.”  Since God’s reign is drawing near, it is important to know that God’s Promise will be kept.

We should not dwell on the past, but look toward the future.  Repentance and its seal of baptism signal a theme found in Matthew. Repentance and fruit belong together. Bearing of fruit (good deeds) means above all not to be enslaved by the past but to be open to the future of what God is doing and will do.

To me this lesson is saying that no matter what one has done in the past, if one repents and accepts responsibility for the future, one can look forward to the hope and promise of the future in God’s promise. We can move into this Advent season in hope and in the sure confidence that fruit for us is yet to come.

Carolee Brown