Second Sunday of Advent
December 7, 2025
Matthew 3:1-12

“Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to [John the Baptist], and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matthew 3:5). 

The first question is obvious. How many people are we talking about? If the people of Jerusalem and all Judea are going out to be baptized – what does that even mean? Well, the population was probably around fifty thousand people. I mean, it’s like Galveston. So think about this with me. Just like it is here, there would have been webs and networks and layers of connections. People would have known each other. You would have shown up to the market and see people you know. You would have gone to the Temple and bumped into neighbors. You’re trying to run a business in ancient Jerusalem, and chances are, you’re going to be dealing with the same old people all the time. You know what that’s like. Okay, so keep that in mind. 

At this time, Pharisees and Sadducees were leaders from two religious schools of thought in the ancient Jewish world. Generally speaking, the Pharisees were teachers of the law, Sadducees were more like the priests in the ancient Temple. Now, John the Baptist is in the wilderness, preaching and baptizing and trying to get people to confess their sins and open their hearts to God. And the gospel lesson says the Pharisees and the Sadducees go out to John the Baptist to be baptized by him in the River Jordan. Now, I have no direct evidence of this, but just living from my own experience as a religious leader in a town this size – people would have known who those Pharisees and Sadducees were. They would have been known, personally, by sight. I mean, my family walks into a restaurant, and inevitably, there’s a parishioner, somebody from the school, somebody I know from around town. I kid you not, one day the bishop drove down from Houston to meet me for coffee, and we purposefully avoided all the busy coffee shops. He walks in and boom! There’s some parishioners who instantly recognize him. I presume that those Pharisees, those Sadducees going out to the River Jordan, would have been recognized, personally, by the other people going out to be baptized. And, remember, John the Baptist’s father had been a priest in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Chances are, I presume, that John would have recognized those Pharisees and Sadducees. And they would have known who he was, John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah.

That’s the only way I can make sense of what happens next. That gospel lesson we just heard says that the Pharisees and the Sadducees come out to be baptized by John in the River Jordan, and he refuses to do so. I think it’s because he knew who they were. He knew their families, their histories, maybe even where they lived. And perhaps, he knew their intentions, perhaps John the Baptist figured out why the Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized. And it wasn’t to repent of their sins. So John let’s them have it. John breaks that one critical social rule in Galveston – don’t talk bad about anybody because they’re probably related to the person you’re talking to.

Well, John doesn’t believe in that. It’s one of my absolute favorite lines from holy scripture, John says, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7). The emotion of this, the tension of this moment is heightened because they probably all have some back history with one another. John is brave to say it, because he knows that eventually, this will cost him his life. But if the Pharisees and Sadducees aren’t coming to confess their sins, then they are just a pit of snakes. 

So why, why were the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming out to be baptized by John? Because, I think, it looked good. It was a way to build their image. Remember, they would have been recognized by everybody. So they wanted to be recognized. Like someone carefully editing their image on social media, we can sense that these religious leaders were more interested in being seen than about what is actually going on. It was a way to show that they were “with the people.” It was a way to get their faces out in public. They wanted to look the part of a worthy religious leader. They wanted to look relevant.

It’s the same old story. One day last month, out around town, I bumped into two people who are running for mayor of Galveston. You’ll be proud of me, I did not call anyone a “brood of vipers.” But what were they doing? They were out with constituents, they were meeting with their teams, they were building their image, working on their campaign. They were “with the people.” It’s a small town after all, and people are recognized, personally. That, I think, is the dynamic going on with the Pharisees and Sadducees. They simply wanted to be seen.

The real question then, is not about appearances, but it’s about the intentions. The Pharisees and Sadducees are going out there to work the crowds, to be seen, to be noticed. And that, that is why John has harsh words for them. They’re not there because their hearts have been changed, but only to look good. That same question should be turned to us, not just to those who would presume to be our leaders, but for anybody. Why are we doing what we’re doing?

Because God does not judge the appearance of holiness; God does not judge the looks of righteousness; no, God judges the human heart. And our human intentions. And what John says to those Pharisees and Sadducees, he says to me and to you. “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” Do not come to church because it looks like the respectable thing to do. Do not say you’re following Jesus because it’s the expected thing to say. These are sacred things, and to treat them as mere methods to achieve a better reputation surely cheapens the whole thing. 

And as if that wasn’t hard enough to hear, John has got even more to say. He says, “Do not presume 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. 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” (Matthew 3:8-9). God does not care for how many generations your family has been Episcopalian. God does not care if you’ve been going to church your whole life, or if this is your first time. We are not brought into the family of God by birth, by blood, by lineage, or by respectability – but only through the water of baptism and the fire of the Holy Spirit. By changing our hearts.

I realize this is a tough lesson, a hard lesson during this Advent season. Be wary of those who would use our faith to look respectable; who would use our faith for their own purposes. Be wary of ourselves when we hold on to our sins instead of confessing them. 

But we can also hear it with grace. What a relief, actually, that true religion is not connected to outward appearances. What a relief, that discipleship is not the same as fitting in. What a relief, that if we want to follow Jesus, if we want to confess and bear fruit worthy of repentance, we don’t have to put on a show for anybody. It is there for us, every day. What a relief, that God only judges us by the desires and the intentions of our hearts. This grace, this life with Jesus then, is completely free but costs us everything.

So as you prepare for Christmas, be asking yourself – why? Why? Do not spend your time, your money, your energy by working on your public image. No, spend your time, your money, your energy, your prayers, your service, all that you do, your life, giving thanks that you are already made in the image of God. Bear fruit worthy of repentance for what matters is not how people see us, but how God sees us.