The Most Advent-y Gospel
No justice, no peace ... know justice, know peace.
The gospel passage for the coming second Sunday of Advent is Mark 1:1-8. Mark has no narrative of the birth of Jesus. The gospel begins with the appearance of the John the Baptizer as a full adult in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This gospel gets straight to the heart of what is means to prepare the way of the Lord. It is the least Christmas-y and perhaps the most Advent-y of the four gospels. Through John’s words, Mark invites repent, that is to reorient, to turn toward God and God’s deep peace - Shalom - this Advent time.
The opening verses of Mark’s gospel are full of anticipation:
Mark 1:1-8
1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'"
The passage goes on:
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (NRSV)
Mark paints a picture of a solitary figure in the wilderness, dressed like a monk, leading a spartan existence. John is the one who cries out “'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" Mark does not dwell long on what John is saying in the wilderness, other than to say he preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The other gospels go into a little more detail about what that repentance - or turning toward God - means. Here is what John says in Luke’s account:
Bear fruits worthy of repentance … And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."
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." (Luke 3:8, 10-14, NRSV)
For John the Baptist, the fruits worthy or repentance mean reorienting our lives toward justice. Repentance means addressing inequality: giving coats to those who need clothing, addressing economic inequity, performing our work (even if it is for the empire) with compassion for others. If John the Baptist was to appear in the wilderness today, with an Advent message for us today, I imagine he’d be carrying a banner and crying out “No justice, no peace … know justice, know peace!”
May we pray:
Holy One,
We long to know your peace this Advent, in our hearts, in our families and communities,
and in our world.
Lead us, we pray, to seek the deeper peace than merely the absence of violence and war.
May our repentance – our turning toward you – be a turning toward shalom:
the deep peace of justice and equity
in which the hungry are fed;
the broken-hearted are comforted;
and the unhoused and dispossessed find sanctuary and rest in a place they can call home.
And, so, gracious One, we prepare a way for your coming to us this Advent.
Amen
For more on peace this Advent in particular, see this post: Jacqui Lewis post "Peace Starts with Us"