Message / Prepare the Way for Peace / Mark 1:1-8

Today's Gospel reading is about John the Baptist, who prepared the way for peace. In the Jewish community of that time, he was famous because he was considered the last prophet before the day of the Lord. Specifically, his words, actions, and appearance closely resembled those of Elijah, the only prophet in the Hebrew Bible whose death is not recorded. According to 2 Kings, Elijah ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire. For this reason, the Jews anticipated Elijah's return at the end of time, as prophesied in the book of Malachi: "I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes" (Malachi 4:5).

Despite being respected as a great prophet, John the Baptist humbly spoke of himself as a preparer of the way for Christ. He said, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:7-8).

John the Baptist was waiting for the arrival of the One who would bring God's peace to earth. He longed for the moment when "steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other” (Psalms 95:10). He yearned for true peace because his people were suffering from oppression under the false peace during the era known as Pax Romana (Roman Peace).

Pax Romana, lasting for 200 years, was a period in the Roman Empire during which the Mediterranean region experienced stability through the combination of strong military power and economic prosperity. But it differed fundamentally from Pax Christi (Christ's Peace). The former was a peace for a few powerful and wealthy ones, built on the oppression and sacrifice of many. About a third of the human population were slaves, and most of them were owned by the wealthiest 1%. The empire's peace was maintained through a hierarchical system and violence, creating divisions between men and women, masters and slaves, and citizens of Rome and other peoples.

In contrast, the peace of Christ is inclusive for all people and creatures without discrimination or inequality. God’s Kingdom is for those who are like children, those who humble themselves, those who are the last, and those who treat the least as Jesus Christ. Under God's peace, all live in harmony and joy, as the prophet Isaiah said: “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Yet, we sometimes feel skeptical or powerless about this biblical vision of peace. Observing the prevalent evil structures in the world, it may seem challenging to dream of a world where all people and all creatures live in peace. How, then, can we pave the way for God's peace?

In Confucianism tradition, it is emphasized that “Kyuk-Mool-Chi-Ji, Seong-Ui-Jeong-Sim, Su-Sin Je-Ga, Chi-Kuk-Pyeong-Cheon-Ha (格物致知 誠意正心 修身齊家 治國平天下),” which is about the steps to fulfill a peaceful world. This means: (1) understanding the principle by approaching things, (2) having the right mindset by being truthful and faithful, (3) training the body and mind, (4) harmonizing the family, (5) governing the country righteously, (6) making the world peaceful. In short, in order to achieve peace in the world, it is necessary to start with having the right mind and soul at the individual level and gradually expand from the smallest community to the largest one.

Likewise, John the Baptist encourages individual repentance. Repentance means to turn our whole life around towards God by realizing that we have gone astray. Just as small drops of water gather to form a great ocean, God's peace will be fulfilled when transformed individuals gather together. Therefore, the first thing we need to do during this Advent is to experience “turning around” as an individual.

To bring people back to God, John baptized them with water. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is accomplished only by God, while the baptism of water is our preparation for it. Water is essential for the baptismal ceremony because it cleans us by reminding us of God’s grace and love.

Adam Smith (1723-1790), the founder of modern economics and capitalism, presents two concepts of value: use-value and exchange-value. Use-value is about the things people need in life. For example, air and water have high use-value because they are crucial for people’s survival. On the other hand, exchange-value concerns how much something can be exchanged for other things. Diamonds are a good example of something with a high exchange value. Items with high exchange-value are more affected by their scarcity than by their necessity.

We generally cannot live for 3 minutes without air and 3 days without water, whereas we can live without diamonds. Use-value is much more important for survival. Sadly, many people today are too obsessed with expensive things, making it challenging for them to be grateful for God’s blessings around them. Because they only desire more diamonds, gold, and silver, they are not content with what they have. Some of them do not hesitate to commit illegal acts or engage in corruption due to the belief that high exchange-value makes them better. This is the way to Pax Romana, the false peace.

God has created the things we truly need to be easily accessible. Baptism with water is a ritual to recognize what is valuable in our lives and how great God’s grace is. Through the celebration of baptism, we have an opportunity to shift our focus from exchange-value to use-value, guiding us to experience God's unconditional and immeasurable love. This marks the starting point on the way toward Pax Christi, true peace.

Today, John the Baptist cries out to us to prepare the way for peace. It is the time for us to turn back to God. Peace begins within our hearts and souls. The most precious things and people surround us. When we are grateful for what we have, it creates space within us to work for peace. May all of us open the door to peace with gratitude, welcoming the coming Christ.

Thanks be to God. Amen.


Advent 2, December 10, 2023
South Stormont Pastoral Charge
Rev. Min Hwang


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