Sunday Inbox Inspirations
3rd Sunday of Advent – A
December 11, 2022
John the Baptist
Back in the first century in Palestine, there was a man named John the Baptist.
John was a strong, fiery preacher. He expected the Messiah to come very soon.
That word meant the Anointed One of God. This Messiah was to be a savior.
It is unclear how John the Baptist thought the Messiah would save us. Like a lot of people of his day, he might have been expecting a Messiah with military skill – that he would lead the people of Israel in overthrowing the Roman rule of Palestine.
Or maybe John the Baptist was expecting the Messiah to be a person of quick judgment. Maybe he thought the Messiah would judge and punish those who were not following the way of God.
John’s understanding of the Messiah is unclear. But at least at first, he was clear that Jesus was the Messiah.
Jesus
Well, Jesus listens to John and is even baptized by him.
But then, Jesus goes in his own direction. He introduces a whole new language and idea about the Messiah or savior and even about God.
For example, Jesus does not talk so much about judging and punishing. Instead, he shows compassion and forgiveness.
Jesus emphasizes union with God and with one another and not division. He stresses God coming to save us from what oppresses the human spirit and maybe not from the oppression of a foreign ruler.
Jesus replaces John’s austere life in the desert with a lifestyle centered on meals. In fact, he even eats dinner with those labeled as sinners and he talks with them about God.
And beyond all this, Jesus does something that John the Baptist never does. He heals people and his physical healings also seem to point to something deeper – to the healing of the deepest hungers and hurts of the human spirit.
“Are you the one who is to come?
Eventually, John the Baptist is in prison.
He has been arrested for calling into question the lifestyle of the Roman governor. He is confronting the possibility of his own death and is asking deeper, life-and-death questions.
So, John sends some of his followers to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” In other words, “Are you the Messiah or not, because you look pretty different from what we expected.”
Jesus responds by going back to Isaiah, to what we heard in our first reading. He knows that Isaiah gives the accurate idea this Savior will do, and he knows that this is different.
So, Jesus says: “Tell John what’s happening. The blind now see a vision and purpose for their lives.
“The deaf now hear a message of unconditional acceptance and self-worth. The lame are now able to walk through the challenging bumps of life.
“Those as good as dead are now alive and have something to live for. And the poor are now cared for.”
So, he’s telling John that Isaiah’s description of what the Messiah was to be like is fulfilled in him. Jesus knows that John will understand this.
“The blind now see…”
Apparently, John does, and he places his trust and faith in Jesus.
Today’s passages invite us to do the same. So, with and in Jesus:
v We can now see his vision and purpose for our lives.
v We can hear his reassuring words of God’s love for me and for everyone.
v We can now walk with him or allow him to walk with us through the sufferings of life.
v We now have hope for life and a fullness of life in him.
v And those who are poor and in need can now experience the good news through the compassion of Jesus flowing through us.
With and in Jesus, the Messiah, this is what it means to be saved. This is what Advent prepares us to celebrate on Christmas Day.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
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