Snakes on a Plane...

 

 

Luke 3:7-18
3:7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

3:8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

3:9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

3:10 And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"

3:11 In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."

3:12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

3:13 He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."

3:14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,

3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

3:18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

 

We are often in such a hurry to get to John the Baptist’s public introduction and baptism of Jesus that we ignore John’s jarring message of repentance and righteousness! Of course, John did not have the gracious diction of a silver-tongued orator. He begins his message to the gathered crowd in today’s text with “You brood of vipers!” Not exactly a crowd-pleaser. STORY: Many years ago, when I was a young lay staff person in my home church, our pastor invited a “guest evangelist” to grace our pulpit for a week of special meetings. He had read books by the geriatric British writer/”revivalist,” the Rev. Leonard Ravenhill, and had invited the enigmatic Ravenhill over “across the pond.” Ravenhill was to begin his week of “revival” by preaching the main Sunday morning service, which was also broadcast live over the local radio station. Unfortunately, our pastor got called away that Sunday to tend to a dying parent, so our lay leader joyously introduced the Rev. Ravenhill, unaware of what would come next. The curmudgeonly old evangelist walked intently to the pulpit, slowly and silently glared around at the congregation (the radio audience must have wondered what was happening), and then spoke: “Most of you are just playing GAMES with God. Why don’t you go home!” A nervous laughter tittered through the crowd (like it probably did when John the Baptist called his crowd a “brood of vipers”), thinking the old boy was joking. His sermon that day, and the six that followed over the next few days proved he wasn’t. And he sure got our attention

 

An insane movie named “Snakes on a Plane” caught the attention of the viewing public back in 2006 because most of us panic around snakes, and the idea of being “trapped” on an airliner with a bunch venomous reptiles on the loose just makes us shudder--even thinking about it as I write this! Similarly, our selfishness and sinfulness disrupts God’s better plan for humanity and the human community. WE are the “brood of vipers,” in this movie. John the Baptist has a message for us that still applies—living “rightly” or “righteously” still has its place, even on this side of the Cross! There are many in our American society who have “enough,” but will rail against those who have little chance of ever getting to “enough,” blaming them for their plight, and going so far as accusing THEM for limiting the wealth of privileged, middle-class white people! I think John would say to them, “OH, your brood of vipers!”

 

Both John’s “brood of vipers” greeting, and his message of judgment got their attention. After his warnings to the crowd, some wiseacre shouted out, “What then should we do?” Seeing that he had already told them to “flee the wrath to come,” (which, incidentally, became John Wesley’s rallying cry, too), he went on to describe several practical, ethical and compassionate things they could do in order to “live out” the righteous life Torah required. And these stern warnings of John’s colored his introduction of Jesus, for he initially describes Jesus as the “great judge” that will separate the wheat from the chaff. I love how the author of the Gospel “recovers,” with verse 18: “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. Every time I read this text, my mind asks, “WHAT good news?”

 

Ravenhill was right—many in the congregation before him were just “playing games with God,” but I would suggest that their “games” were less intended to deceive or “fool” God, themselves, or others, and more the result of just not understanding what it means to live the righteous life. In some cases, where they did have a “clue” of how, there was the issue of desire. Some of the “game playing” we do happens when we refuse to give up a grudge, or feel we have a “right” to judge someone else for their bad behavior. The “good news” of John’s message was that God was sending a savior, and that God had “signaled” through the message of John and the other prophets that God desired to forgive and redeem all people. While Rev. Ravenhill’s messages were hard to listen to, as he was out of the old “hellfire and brimstone” tradition, he never finished one without offering Christ to his listeners. Trouble was, that old tradition scares off the audience before they hear the good news! The adage, that one “catches more flies with honey than with vinegar” certainly applies here, only we “flies” want to be “caught” by God. Few people shy away from grace when they fully understand that it is being extended to them as a gift, and that it can wipe away the sin and harm of sin, rendering them right with God. Many reject it when they DON’T understand it, often believing there is a “catch,” or that they must become somehow “acceptable” to God before the grace is applied (probably a side effect of our “pick yourself up by your own bootstraps” ethos—the same ethos that is used to sour or even deny helpful programs for the poor and disenfranchised among us). Others don’t want to so quickly and greatly alter their lifestyle or change their behavior, and therefore reject God’s grace, or at least postpone the acceptance of same while they “sow their wild oats.” Fact is, God takes us as we are. Early in my ministry I used to say that the Gospel is a “come as you are” party, only with the caveat that God’s Spirit will lead us toward a life of positive, moral change AFTER we have been forgiven.

 

John was right about his “brood of vipers” remark.  His crowd was made up of Jews who believed they were the “elect” of God (“We have Abraham as our ancestor…”) just because they were sons and daughters of Israel, and because they nodded to the law. They came to hear John because word was out that a prophet was in the land. Understand that it had probably been over 400 years since Israel had heard the voice of a prophet. Prophets were like Rev. Leonard Ravenhill—a great reputation, but when you finally heard them, you kind of got beat up by their message. It wasn’t meant to be a comfort, but it was meant to strongly urge you to get your act together. Their message was often fearful, indicting, and carried word of what was to happen to you if you didn’t heed it. This was the method of old-time “revival” preachers like Ravenhill. They hit you right between the eyes, as did the words of the prophets of old. The revivalists and the prophets spoke of God’s redeeming, “cleansing” power, or in the case of John, the “refining” fire that would burn the chaff off of our “game-playing” lives. In both cases, however, the good news was that God was out to cleanse and purify God’s people so the love and grace of God would have a place to land in the human soul. I am reminded of how Jesus talked of “chasing out the demons,” but then “cleaning the house” so they could not return. Likewise, once the “demons” that haunt us are exorcised, the house is cleaned by God’s redeeming grace so God’s sanctifying or “teaching” grace has a home. It is this grace that John Wesley taught would teach us the ways of Christ and Christian discipleship. It would “perfect” our lives so that we could “live rightly,” which is what the word righteous actually means. 

 

John addresses sanctification in his message to the “brood of vipers,” telling them that the ethical, moral life, as well as the generous life of giving and servanthood, are the result of getting close to Jesus Christ, who served as an example of both. 

 

It’s interesting that the Lukan text talks of John’s “exhortations” to the crowd, as this relates to my personal story about Rev. Ravenhill. His style of harsh preaching wherein he “called out” the sins of his listeners, was actually known as “exhortation,” and the preacher was labeled an “exhorter.” There aren’t many of these left in our time, thanks to the “catching flies” adage cited earlier. People who come to hear preaching today are looking for the answer to the question they posed to John: “Teacher, what should we do?” The preacher who makes the message of the Gospel relevant to the needs of her congregation, offering “practical” lessons about how to live it out, from day to day, is the preacher who will be listened to. The preacher who uses fear as his attention-getting technique will either “turn off” his audience, or will attract those who respond only to such fear. The Christian life that is lived out of fear and IN fear, is not a very effective one. This paralyzing or debilitating kind of fear is NOT what the Bible is referring to when it talks of “fearing God.” That expression has to do with taking God seriously, and respecting the Divine, not something that makes one cower.

 

And speaking of fear, let’s get back to the “Snakes on a Plane” reference. This movie put two things together that strike fear in our hearts, at least most of us. People are typically a bit anxious when flying on an airliner. If not because of the fact they are speeding along at almost 700 miles an hour in what some have described as a “sealed tube of death,” then because of the stress of getting through TSA security and being “humbled” by removing shoes and belts, and being X-rayed and “wanded,” if not patted down before even boarding the aircraft! And fliers ARE sealed into that tube, and trapped at 34,000 feet. Now, introduce a bunch of poisonous snakes slithering around the cabin. Might there be a bit of fear and panic going on? And would there be anyone on that plane who wouldn’t pray for a “savior”? I didn’t see the film at the theater, but eventually caught it on television. My “theology as film” mindset brought me to the conclusion that this scenario is not a bad metaphor where John’s message was going. While his listeners thought they were doing OK, John exhorted them, accusing them of BEING the “snakes” in the eyes of God, because of their false righteousness. Not until they let God “kill the snakes” could they find the true saving grace of God. In our time, the “snakes” haunting us are our inordinate fears of judgment, and what we believe could be the eternal penalties for our wrong behaviors and skunky attitudes. Either way, the snakes must go if we are ever to feel safe on our “flight” through life. Thanks be to God that Jesus “chases the snakes away” like St. Patrick banished them from Ireland, only in Jesus’ case, it’s no legend, it’s the Gospel truth! What I like about the “Snakes on a Plane” fear is that I can’t imagine anyone being happy with that scenario, and neither should any of us grow “comfortable” with our personal demons, either. For our spiritual health and wholeness, the snakes and the demons must go. Then, by yielding our lives to the redeeming, sanctifying grace of God, a new course for our lives may be charted. And this is what we call discipleship! Happy landings, Dear Ones! Amen.