¹ In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
² (and) saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
³ It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'"
⁴ John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
⁵ At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him
⁶ and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
⁷ When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees 7 coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
⁸ Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
¹⁰ Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
¹¹ I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
¹² His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

• "The kingdom of heaven" appears in Matthew 32 times, showing its importance. Kingdom here indicates an active ruling, not a static place or group of people.
• John's place (wilderness) resembles the purifying trip from Egypt to the Promised Land, from slavery to freedom. John's clothes (camel's hair and a strip of dried animal hide) show simplicity and also resemble that of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). People believed that a prophet like Elijah would come just before the end of time. John's foods (locusts and wild honey) were common staples of the poor, were also foods eaten by Samson who fought against injustice and oppression.
• Pharisees and Sadducees were highly respected in the Church. Pharisees (29 times in Matthew), meaning "separated," thought that they were above others because they observed the religious laws of the Jews very carefully. The high-priest Sadducees were considered descendants of the high priest Zadok of David and Solomon's time; they moved primarily among the rich and the politically powerful, so they did not like revolutionaries like John. For those who were proud of their ancestry, calling them "brood of vipers" would be the most offensive. Vipers are extremely poisonous snakes, which look like a good dry branch. St. Paul was bitten by a viper once when he was gathering wood.
• "Baptism" comes from the Greek word meaning "dipping in liquid." Water, fire, and wind were all considered "liquid." Therefore John dipped people in water, but Jesus dips people in fire and wind. This dipping can be violent, can kill, and relates to the image of death and resurrection.

METANOIA (repentance)
Metanoia means "afterthought," a change of heart and mind about what is and what is not important in life, followed by a corresponding change in behavior, or "bear[ing] fruit." It does not mean having an emotional binge of remorse over a past that is now beyond our control. Repentance is also the first word Jesus preaches about (Mt 4:17), and the message Jesus sent disciples out to preach (Mk 6:12).

1. What is the basis of my self-worth? A certain "separatedness" because of my social class or my actions in the Holy Church?
2. What is my value system now, and how does God call me to view my world differently?
3. In my baptism, what in me should die, and what will have a new life?

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A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community