Readings:
Isaiah 54:1-10
Luke: 24-30
“When the
messengers of John left,
Jesus began to speak to the
crowds about John.”
As we begin our Misa de
Gallo, our gospel today puts John the Baptist at the focus. Our liturgy has a
significant reason for this. While are eagerly preparing ourselves for the
coming of our Lord, we do strive too to
recapture the spirit of Scripture, which tells us how God himself prepares the
way of his son. And as we know, the Father gives his people the great prophet
John in fulfillment of what is written: "Behold, I am sending my
messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you.” It is
worthwhile therefore, to focus our reflections on John, and try to discover the
singular person and personality of this great prophet just the way Jesus himself
talks about him.
1. John is a strong and
determined person. "What did you go out to the desert to see a reed
swayed by the wind?” At the outset, Jesus tells the people that his cousin
is not a weakling, not one who can easily be shaken by the wind.
Rather, Jesus describes John as someone strong and determined. And from what
the gospels tell us, we discover that John’s strength and determination come
from:
First, the clarity of his vision
and mission. John has a singular mission, something that distinguishes him from
all other prophets. He himself is being prophesied as the voice in the
wilderness crying out: prepare the way of the Lord!’ This is
something clear to John. Never once can we find that the gospels hint us about
John deviating himself from his mission. He is faithful to it and to all the
demands this mission entails. And he is consistent to his call up to the end:
from his mother's womb where he lifts with joy before the mother of his Lord to
the prison of Herod where he is beheaded for the sake of the truth.
Second, his uprightness and
virtue. Man becomes weak when he himself knows he is wanting in virtue, when he
himself realizes he lacks moral uprightness. He becomes reluctant, hesitant,
uncertain, scared, compromising, etc. John has nothing like
this. He has no fears that weaken him or
weaknesses that scare him. And there is one overriding
reason to this: he is a good man! Thus, he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.
2. John is a simple man. "Then
what did you go out to see? Someone dressed
in fine garments? Those who dress luxuriously and live
sumptuously are found in royal palaces.” Perhaps, John becomes really an exemplar of virtue because he has no magnanimous
desires and dreams, which could have spoiled
his mission and vision. What gives meaning
to his life is his call. And he knows that he can accomplish his call more
efficiently and effectively by living out with the demands of a humble and simple life and lifestyle. Thus,
although there could have been chances and
opportunities for him to rank himself among the famous
and the powerful, he opts instead to have the desert for his dwelling,
locusts for his food and honey for his drink.
3. “ Then what did you go out to see?’ A prophet? Yes, I tell you and
more than a prophet.” Jesus himself gives John the title of a prophet. In Jewish understanding, a prophet is God's
mouthpiece, a spokesman of Yahweh. Thus, we often encounter in scripture the
expression “God Yahweh speaks through his prophets..." It is the
prophet of God who gets the message and
delivers it to the people. So, it is always expected
of a prophet to speak no more and no less than the message of God. It is not the prophet’s own message that he
carries and delivers but God's. Thus, no
matter how painful and difficult that message is, and although the prophet
himself may dislike it, he is still bound to deliver it, and deliver it to the full. This is what we see in John the
Prophet! John speaks not of his own but of
God's message. And he is always mindful of this.
Perhaps, the greatest temptation of John comes when his popularity has become unstoppable and the people would start
to think and even believe that he is
"The One." The people by then are just waiting for one simple
confirmation. Surely, a single mischievous affirmation may have totally changed the course of events. And by
normal human estimates, Jesus himself could be found nowhere. But John is no
ambitious and mischievous. And by this, he proves to be a prophet, and indeed, more
than a prophet! No wonder, Jesus himself would testify with pride and
dignity: “ I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater
than John.”