Today's Scripture Reading (December 1, 2023): Matthew 3
I admit that I am a sucker for all
those top ten lists that cross my computer screens. You know the ones, the top television
shows that you have forgotten about (I have no idea how M*A*S*H could show up
on that list, but it did), the top "one-hit wonders" (that list
featured the Scottish Rock Band Nazareth who apparently only had one hit, "Love
Hurts." I remember a few more, including "Hair of the Dog" and "This
Flight Tonight" (a cover of a Joni Mitchell song that charted in Germany,
where it reached Number 1, as well as in the United Kingdom and Canada. I have
never heard the original Joni Mitchell version, but I love the Nazareth cover).
Maybe the real truth for this list and others is that the song never happened
if it didn't chart in the United States.
Recently, I read a list of the top
ten most intriguing Star Trek characters. The title piqued my curiosity, and I
admit that I expected Captain Kirk to come in first, but he was actually placed
at number three on the list. William Shatner is often ridiculed for his overacting
on Star Trek. Still, the reality is that Shatner is classically trained for the
stage, which is precisely what those in control of the television series wanted
for their famous Starship Captain. According to the article, the most
intriguing Star Trek Character was Captain Jon Luc Picard, followed closely by
Gul Dukat at number two, with our Captain James Tiberius Kirk rounding out the
top three.
But the article got me wondering who
the most intriguing people might be in the New Testament. Maybe we have to
either remove Jesus, the story's main character, from consideration or concede
that he takes the top spot. But who are the other intriguing characters of the
New Testament story? Undoubtedly, the holy couple would need some
consideration. The Apostle Paul is another fascinating character that deserves
some attention. There are many others, and trying to list them in some kind of
a top ten or twenty list might prove harder than we think.
Matthew introduces one of those
intriguing characters to the story here. His name was John, and he was known
for baptizing those who came to hear him speak. He believed that there needed
to be a change in Israel. They had been lulled asleep by the religious elite
who were more concerned with their status in Israel than pleasing the God whom
they were supposed to serve.
We actually know very little about
John. We know that he was incredibly popular among the people of Israel and
almost universally hated by the political and religious powers that ran the
nation. We also know that he was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, both of
whom were descendants of Aaron, and Zechariah was part of the Jewish priesthood.
He was also a distant cousin of Jesus, although before the beginning of Jesus's
ministry, the only time the two men had met was when they were both developing
in their mother's wombs.
We don't know what happened to John
during his growing-up years. But I do have a theory. Zechariah and Elizabeth
were both older when John was born. I suspect that they died soon after the
birth of their only child, maybe when John was a toddler or a very young child.
I suspect, both because of John's theology, political ideas, and manner of
dress, that John spent his formative years among the Essenes. The Essenes were
a religious movement that believed that most of Israel had sold out their ideals
and moral directives to those who chased after political power and those
foreigners who controlled the daily life of the people of Israel. Because of
this, the Essenes isolated themselves in remote communities, often hiding in
the hills of the Judean wilderness away from Jewish society. The Essenes
believed that they were the faithful remnant of Israel. All of which was seen
in John's preaching.
John was eventually beheaded at the
command of Herod Antipas early in the ministry of Jesus. But all of this made
him both a key and intriguing character in the story of Jesus.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Mark 1
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