The Baptist I Never Knew

I never knew my Grandparents in Germany. I was named after one of the many Johns on my father’s side of the family. There is so much I would like to know about him and the others.

I thought of this after reading an insightful analysis of the way John the Baptist is portrayed in Advent over the three-year cycle of Advent readings. There is so much more I would like to know about him.

I never thought of the fact that he is the only saint in the calendar, apart from the mother of Jesus, to have two days set apart in his honor.

Nor was I conscious he is the focal point of the six Gospels read for the second and third Sundays of Advent over our three-year cycle.

Who was this John the Baptist? How can his story as told in the liturgy guide us today? The Evangelists each use him to illustrate different points.

One of Matthew’s Images

I never appreciated that Matthew (Second Sunday Cycle A) portrays the imprisoned John needing reassurance because he expected a different kind of Messiah.

Years later Matthew realizes the followers of Jesus were still implicitly looking for signs of the kingdom of God in their lives. Matthew’s audience was troubled at not finding the political Messiah who overturns the social order. He has Jesus reassuring John about the true signs of the kingdom.

“Go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news brought to them.”

We all know how enthusiasm for a new cause can turn cold. The cost and weight of commitment can at times seem heavier than the immediate reward. 

Certainly, Paul had to deal with this phenomenon among his converts and it would be surprising if Matthew did not have to do so too. 

In the stress that the Christmas season brings for many, it is good to remind ourselves of this message of Jesus in John’s gospel.  

Keep your eye on the signs of the kingdom where Good News comes to those on the margins. We can give rest to the weary and discouraged. We can help people to see God’s kingdom of justice and love, walk as equal members, hear we are each sons and daughters, called to the fulness of life in the bosom of the Trinity.

Another image

In the reading for Cycle C Luke addresses a recurring question found a number of times in his two-volume work Luke/Acts. “What must we do?

He has John anticipating Jesus’ response to the lawyer who asked Jesus that question and Peter’s response to the crowds on Pentecost who asked the same question.

The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?”
He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?”
He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone

In other words, repentance – changing your way of thinking- has practical consequences in everyday life.

What can you learn from the gospels about John the Baptist…

• recognizing the signs of the kingdom in an angry and polarized world?
• accepting the challenge to change our way of thinking in this world?

Click below for an audio version of this Vincentian Mindwalk