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Gospel Reading - Wheat and chaff

¹While they were living in Nazareth,^a John the Baptist began preaching out in the Judean wilderness. His constant theme was, ²“Turn from your sins . . . turn to God . . . for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon.”^{b 3}Isaiah the prophet had told about John’s ministry centuries before! He had written,

“I hear^c a shout from the wilderness, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord — straighten out the path where he will walk.’”

⁴John’s clothing was woven from camel’s hair and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵People from Jerusalem and from all over the Jordan Valley, and, in fact, from every section of Judea went out to the wilderness to hear him preach, ⁶and when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁷But when he saw many Pharisees^d and Sadducees* coming to be baptized, he denounced them.

“You sons of snakes!” he warned. “Who said that you could escape the coming wrath of God? ⁸Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from sin by doing worthy deeds. ⁹Don’t try to get by as you are, thinking, ‘We are safe for we are Jews — descendants of Abraham.’ That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into Jews!^e

¹⁰“And even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised to chop down every unproductive tree. They will be chopped and burned.

¹¹“With water^f I baptize those who repent of their sins; but someone else is coming, far greater than I am, so great that I am not worthy to carry his shoes! He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit* and with fire. ¹²He will separate the chaff from the grain, burning the chaff with never-ending fire and storing away the grain.”

1. Literally, “In those days.”
2. Or “has arrived”; literally, “is at hand.”
3. Implied. See Isaiah 40:3.
4. Pharisees, Jewish religious leaders who strictly followed the letter of the law but often violated its intent. Sadducees, Jewish political leaders.
5. Literally, “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
6. Or “In water . . . in the Holy Spirit.”