In those days John [the Baptizer] came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, G-d is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:1–12 ESV
Gang,
Many of you know of Prophets as brusque, rude, hell-bent on the rightness or righteousness of their cause, and in many cases that would be a correct assessment. But that is not the whole story.
John’s heart and zeal was for the annunciation of the coming kingdom. He is not merely showing his trailblazing with zero compromise, but he is also showing a deep heart and yearning and tenderness and brokenness that was also full of tunnel-vision
In their love and tenderness, the Father put the Prophet on a Mission: to purify those things that are impure. And to cut up the things that need to be cut up in order to have a clean and blank slate, so that, if the Prophet has high numbers in interpersonal relationships, they can build something deep and protective and loving and affectionate with others.
So, the high-functioning Prophet’s iconoclasm is not tied up in their hatred of sin, though that is a major factor, so much as their love of the people caught in that sin.
So, he or she is going to take it hard and fast with an axe to those with the choking spirit of religion.
I have one sister (she is too close to be called a mere friend, and I DESPISE the religious usage of that term by people who are stuck on the usual bandying of “brother” and “sister” without having first paid the price in terms of earning the authority and intentionally choosing their family) who is a Prophet who is like this throughout.
At first, stand-offish, but once connected, is as gushy as many a Mercy I know to those they trust.
The Baptizer’s overarching zeal and truly (I rarely use the following word because it has become overused), their PASSION (something you love so much you are willing to suffer for it) is others’ freedom. Their love is for others’ deep and prevailing liberation from bondage.
It’s not merely for the Baptizer, (no I will not call him a Baptist, that manner of translation is incorrect and culturally stupid, he is a Baptizing one, one who Baptizes, and Immerser, a Baptizer, not the leader of some denomination) or for any Prophet, about doing the things, but showing they are authentic in doing the things.
And so with us, Prophets’ first and foremost DESIRE, is our authenticity in responding.
The Gospel of Desire, gang…
Be blessed, lovelies.