First Light – Week 3: God’s Great Clean-Up

This week we focused on the differences between the baptismal movement of John and the kingdom movement of Jesus.

Summarized, John had an eschatological vision of an imminent coming of God which would include a great “clean-up” of the man-made empire of Rome. John envisioned a punitive God punishing those who oppressed. John’s program of baptism was a re-enactment of the Exodus. Purification was achieved by a baptism/crossing of the Jordan. Each baptism was a step toward purifying Israel and a call for God to intervene. When Antipas beheads John, the movement is beheaded as well.

In contrast, Jesus argues that kingdom is not just imminent, it is present. Jesus insists we don’t need to wait for God; we need only to join in. Crossan calls this “collaborative eschatology.” Jesus views God as non-violent. There are consequences to sin and mistreatment of others, but the consequences are not punitive. Finally, the Jesus movement is collaborative unto itself. The movement will survive Jesus’ death.