Hacked into Pieces: the Way to Peace (#2) (The Forest of God)　

December 8, 2013
Advent 2


GOSPEL LESSON: Matthew 3:1–12 [A voice of one calling in the desert.]
In those days John the Baptist 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 for 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, God 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 with 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.”

Have you ever chopped a tree down with an ax? 　When I was at Boyscout Camp, I enjoyed doing that. In the forest there are always a few small dead trees, not too large in diameter. We would use an ax to cut down the tree, and then we would chop it up smaller for firewood. Unlike using a saw, when you use an axe, you make a lot of wood chips that go flying off all in all directions. Where there was once a tree, now all you have left are scattered pieces. They make good kindling for the campfire.

John the Baptist says that the country of Israel is like a forest that will be cut down. The religion of the people in the country of Israel is dead. There is no good fruit. There are no good children of Abraham. So John predicts the destruction of the country. He says, “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.” John is not just talking about politics; he is talking about the everyday life of people. Because their everyday life was bad, the whole country was going to be cut down. And so John told people to confess and repent of their sins and receive baptism. This was the way to prepare for the coming messiah.

John condemned the leaders of Israel and he condemned the people of Israel, too. Preachers in America condemn the leaders and the people of the country. It is really interesting to see the reaction of people when their country is being criticized. Sometimes people get angry or defensive. It is because they themselves are being criticized. Their way of life is being exposed. They have no good fruit. And so they fear the axe that will cut them down.

The Biblical word for cutting down a person is “repentance.” People say “I am sorry,” hoping that they can escape being punished for something. Just saying “I am sorry” is not repentance. You may feel bad about doing something bad, you may feel unlucky about getting caught, and you may fear punishment. But that is not repentance. Repentance is being cut down. The Word of God comes like an axe. It hacks you into pieces like an axe. First Commandment, Second Commandment, Third Commandment…… and that is just the first ten pieces. There is the bad we did and the good we did not do. Repentance turns us into firewood. The bonfire of the Bible is hell.

Cut down we are reduced to a stump. A stump will sometimes produce a branch, a shoot that will grow into a new tree, but not always. A shoot will only grow if there is life in the roots. Then it will be like a resurrection. This is faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus was like a wonderful tree. There was love and joy and healing and hope and excitement and justice. But the leaders of the nation saw all that fruit as being harmful to themselves. So they cut down the tree of Jesus. The axe was their hatred and fear and jealousy and misunderstanding. Actually they did not cut Jesus down, but they raised him up onto the tree of the cross. And there they killed him. But on the third day he rose again. This was a further fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa.11:1).

This is why the ministry of the church is to give you roots. There are going to be times in your life when you will be cut down. At that time you need good roots so that you can survive and thrive again. Sometimes you are going to be hacked into little pieces. You might become sick or injured and literally have part of your body cut off or cut out. You might be bullied as others try to cut you down. You might lose your money, your home, or your reputation. Those you love will be cut off because of death or separation or just drifting away. Failure and defeat and remorse and disappointment and depression can cut you down emotionally. Your faith and belief in God will be constantly attacked by the axes of unbelievers. Doubt will make you feel weak. But we know that the only axe that can really kill us is the axe of God. Our sin is the reason that God will cut us down. Every sin we commit sharpens the axe of God.

The repentance that John the Baptist and Jesus talked about cuts us down. It takes everything away. Repentance is the confession that we are only a dead stump. We are helpless but not hopeless. That confession is faith. We need a resurrection. Baptism is the water of God that refreshes our souls and gives us new life. We are like a new shoot. The stem grows to a branch and then like a tree we can bear fruit for Jesus. And this is the reason that God cuts us down, so that we can grow anew.

A devotion that I read last week reminds us that we are evergreen trees. For our Christmas tree we do not use an apple tree or some tree that loses it leaves and looks dead in the winter. We use a tree that always looks fresh and alive; because that is the way we are in Jesus. That is the peace of Christmas.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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