Wall Street vs. Main Street is an old story. The rich always seem to get richer and live lofty lifestyles of opulence and overindulgence while the “non-rich” become larger segments of society. While the depths of poverty might be less deep than they were in the past, the excessive heights of the “haves” makes the view from “have not” seem subterranean.

Sound familiar? But no, not just 2009. How about ’09? How about the world in which John the Baptist and Jesus both grew up? The Roman rulers lived high-on-the-hog in the midst of the poor, kosher peasantry of Palestine. The time was ripe for a “renewal prophet” such as John the Baptist.

It is the elite classes — economically, politically, and religiously whom John first targets with his accusatory “You brood of vipers!” Literally the ph…