3rd
SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Readings:
Isaiah 55:1-6, 10
James 5:7- 10
Matthew 11:2-11
"Among, that born of women there has
been none greater than John the Baptist."
Last Sunday, we meditated on the
preparations God made for his Son’s coming. The
remote preparations in the Old Testament are mostly contained in the prophets,
of whom Isaiah stands as greatest with his finest messianic prophecies. The
immediate preparations are found in the person and ministry of John the
Baptist. Although. John still belongs to the Old Testament, his heralding opens
the road to the New Testament, thus bridging these two great biblical eras.
Today's gospel gives us an added opportunity to meditate on the greatness of
John.
1. "Amen, I say to you,
among those of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist.”
These are the very words of Jesus himself exalting person of the Baptist. And
with that, it seems that no other biblical person has ever received such great
honor; But Jesus has good reasons to give John that credit. This can be seen
and understood is a two-fold aspect; that
is, in the call and response of John.
a. John was no ordinary figure. He
was a recipient of God's special calling. Right from the very start, John
already enjoyed God's favor. His conception was revealed to his father in a
vision. Like Isaac (cf Gen18) was born in his mother's
old age. Like Samuel (cf 1 Sam 1) and Samson (cf Jg 13), he was born of
a mother thought to be sterile. And like any
other big biblical characters he was endowed with a particular mission. But
unlike the rest, his mission was singular and special. In fact, the prophets
themselves had foretold both his person and mission: “A voice of one crying
out in the desert, ‘prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.’”
b. But John's greatness consists not only in his calling but also in the
very response he shows to it. All of his
life, he tried to be deserving of God's favor. First, although he knew
fairly well that he was God's choice, he did not ask for a life deserving of a
singular character. Rather, he led a simple and austere life, spending most of
his preparatory years in solitude. He survived with locusts and wild honey, and
clothed himself with a camel's hair. Second,
when the time for his public ministry as prophet finally came, he came out too
from the wilderness really as a voice crying
out the message he ought to bring. Thus, his ministry is marked by his bold and uncompromising pronouncements. Even the
power that is of his time would be rocked by his proclamations and
condemnations. This is precisely why he received the prophet's reward: the crown of martyrdom. Third, John knew his own
limits and never went beyond them. He was
always aware that he was only a voice and was not the "real
one." We must remember that by the time Christ came, John was already at
the height of his popularity. Had he made a mischievous curb and told the
people that he was the messiah, the course of
events would have surely turned out differently. And, humanly speaking, Jesus
would be out of the scene. But no. John was honest and faithful: He stuck to
who he was and what his role would simply be: a voice tasked only to prepare
the way. He was humble enough to take a very low posture even at his immense
and unstoppable popularity. He even sees himself unworthy even to untie the
strap of the Messiah’s sandals. Thus, when
the hour finally came for him to fade away, he would only say with pride and
joy: "He must increase while I must decrease"
(Jn 3:30). Here, then, lies the greatness of man, John.
2; ‘”Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’”
This is the surprising comparison Jesus gives between John and the "least in the kingdom. "If the latter surpasses
the former, we must discover then the reason
for it. Today's gospel suggests some pointers. It would seem that the key to
this truth is found in the biblical concept and understanding of the kingdom.
a. "Are you the one who is to come, or should we looking for
another?" We may be surprised why John would send his disciples just
to ask this question to Jesus. All of his life, private or public, was spent in
solitary meditation or public proclamation about the messiah. John must have known
whom he was talking about. But why does this surprising inquiry now come? Was
it simply to confirm, or was John really in doubt if
Jesus was the real one?
This seems to be an honest question on the part of John. Being a Jew, John shared with the Jewish popular
expectations about the messiah. According to the many enunciations of the
ancient prophets, the Coming One would be a powerful Messiah-king. With
his majestic righteousness, he would dispense justice uncompromisingly by punishing
evil and rewarding good, by bringing back Israel's glory, and by delivering to
the poor of Israel the manifold blessings of Yahweh. The reign of the messiah
would then be accompanied by great things and his triumph would be without end.
Such was the thinking and disposition of John that even his ministry bespoke of
it. As he prepared the messiah’s way, his announcement was one of: retribution.
Thus, Jesus' ministry characterized by peace and love, patience and humility,
pain and death would puzzle him so much.
b. "Go -and tell John what
you hear and see: the blind regain sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed
to them.” Jesus could have had a straight answer: Yes, I am. But no.
Instead, he repeats the oracle of Isaiah. With this, Jesus must then be deeply
intentional. Such answer was meant to be an eye-opener to John, and to all of
us for that matter. True, the Messiah's coming would be accompanied by great signs.
But these signs are far different from those expected by the Jews. Jesus reigns
not by power and power but by mercy and love, not by grandeur and glory but by meekness
and simplicity. Nonetheless, what Jesus did were in no way inferior to any majestic
deeds of the Jewish supposed messiah. In fact, they
were even much nobler than anyone could expect. For the great wonders of Jesus
consisted in satisfying man's basic needs and innermost cravings.
By answering the Baptist's
disciples with Isaiah's oracle, Jesus identifies his Messiahship with the kingdom.
Sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, life to the dead, good news to the
poor, etc., are messianic signs which are at
the same time proofs of the reign of the kingdom. Thus, he who works for the
fulfillment of the messianic era works for the establishment of the kingdom. He
becomes one with the messiah and his reign. In the final analysis, therefore,
he who belongs to the kingdom – even the least in the kingdom -
participates with the greatness of the Messiah. In this sense, we understand
the proposition of Christ. Surely, is great. But greater is he who belongs to
the kingdom.