It's enough to make one suspect that Jesus and his disciples were the first postmodernists. Today's lection begins by calling us to remember the words of one of the greatest prophets of the past: "the prophet Isaiah" (v.3). Yet our reading also looks forward to a future beyond all previous faith experience: "... one who is more powerful than I is coming after me .... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (v.11).

John the Baptist a postmodernist? It doesn't take much of a stretch to see why John attracted such large, diverse crowds. Unlike the theological arguments voiced by pedantic Pharisees or the hairsplitting squabbles of the synagogue scribes, John the Baptist rivals all but Jesus in his ability to create an experience and invest an image with life and breath.

John the Ba…