Mt 3:1-12
The Preaching of John the Baptist
1In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea 2[and] saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’ ”
4John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him 6and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. 7When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. 9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
A Man Sent from God
One of the greatest figures of the last century is Pope John XXIII. He was the one who called for and opened Vatican Council II, the ecumenical council that ushered the Church into modern times. He was beatified in 2001, the penultimate step to sainthood.
On October 28, 1958, when Angelo Roncalli accepted his election as Pope to succeed Pius XII, he was asked how he would like to be called. He answered, “John.” The choice was a complete surprise. The last Pope John who died in 1414 had been declared an anti-pope by the Council of Constance. But Angelo said “John” was his father’s name.
Angelo Roncalli proved to be a humble and loving father to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, earning for himself the sobriquet “the Good Pope.” And when people referred to the gift of his person, they would quote a passage from the Prologue of the Gospel of John (1:6): “A man named John was sent from God.” The comparison seems a bit forced. The Pope was a father-figure who conquered the hearts of people with his quiet and serene disposition. The prophet who preached in the Judean desert was an unkempt, terrible figure who forced people to accept the honest truth about themselves. Yet, in their honesty and in their dedication to their mission they were kindred souls.
The Second Sunday of Advent marks the appearance of John the Baptist in the liturgy. The Gospel situates him in the desert place, close enough to the River Jordan where he can baptize people who step forward acknowledging their sins. The core of John’s prophetic cry is for people to repent, to reform their lives. Matthew sees John as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (v 3). The oracle was an announcement of good tidings to the Israelite exiles: God would visit them and make them return to their homeland. Here, the oracle is given a deeper meaning. God is once again visiting his people to save them. This time, his visitation will not be through the instrumentality of chosen messengers like Zerubbabel, Ezra, or Nehe¬miah. God will visit as in the person of the Messiah, the Emmanuel (Mt 2:23). John does not yet know the Coming One. He only knows that the one he is preparing for is more powerful than he is, so powerful that he considers himself unworthy of even the most humble task of carrying his sandals.
John’s message inspires joyful expectancy. God will visit his people through a divine messenger. At the same time, we are caught up in the urgency of preparing for the coming of the divine messenger. The Coming One will test our hearts with the Holy Spirit and fire. To prepare for his coming, we must deal with our false pride and self-complacency.
People are just as attracted to genuine prophets today as in biblical times. John the Baptist was a genuine prophet. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees who might have thought him “strange” were attracted to him. Herod feared him, yet liked to listen to him (Mk 6:20). Another John—Pope John XXIII—was an authentic human being, who was esteemed for his simplicity, goodness, and faith. In both Johns we have excellent models in preparing for Jesus’ coming.
1In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea 2[and] saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’ ”
4John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him 6and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. 7When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. 9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
A Man Sent from God
One of the greatest figures of the last century is Pope John XXIII. He was the one who called for and opened Vatican Council II, the ecumenical council that ushered the Church into modern times. He was beatified in 2001, the penultimate step to sainthood.
On October 28, 1958, when Angelo Roncalli accepted his election as Pope to succeed Pius XII, he was asked how he would like to be called. He answered, “John.” The choice was a complete surprise. The last Pope John who died in 1414 had been declared an anti-pope by the Council of Constance. But Angelo said “John” was his father’s name.
Angelo Roncalli proved to be a humble and loving father to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, earning for himself the sobriquet “the Good Pope.” And when people referred to the gift of his person, they would quote a passage from the Prologue of the Gospel of John (1:6): “A man named John was sent from God.” The comparison seems a bit forced. The Pope was a father-figure who conquered the hearts of people with his quiet and serene disposition. The prophet who preached in the Judean desert was an unkempt, terrible figure who forced people to accept the honest truth about themselves. Yet, in their honesty and in their dedication to their mission they were kindred souls.
The Second Sunday of Advent marks the appearance of John the Baptist in the liturgy. The Gospel situates him in the desert place, close enough to the River Jordan where he can baptize people who step forward acknowledging their sins. The core of John’s prophetic cry is for people to repent, to reform their lives. Matthew sees John as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah (v 3). The oracle was an announcement of good tidings to the Israelite exiles: God would visit them and make them return to their homeland. Here, the oracle is given a deeper meaning. God is once again visiting his people to save them. This time, his visitation will not be through the instrumentality of chosen messengers like Zerubbabel, Ezra, or Nehe¬miah. God will visit as in the person of the Messiah, the Emmanuel (Mt 2:23). John does not yet know the Coming One. He only knows that the one he is preparing for is more powerful than he is, so powerful that he considers himself unworthy of even the most humble task of carrying his sandals.
John’s message inspires joyful expectancy. God will visit his people through a divine messenger. At the same time, we are caught up in the urgency of preparing for the coming of the divine messenger. The Coming One will test our hearts with the Holy Spirit and fire. To prepare for his coming, we must deal with our false pride and self-complacency.
People are just as attracted to genuine prophets today as in biblical times. John the Baptist was a genuine prophet. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees who might have thought him “strange” were attracted to him. Herod feared him, yet liked to listen to him (Mk 6:20). Another John—Pope John XXIII—was an authentic human being, who was esteemed for his simplicity, goodness, and faith. In both Johns we have excellent models in preparing for Jesus’ coming.
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