Advent Lectionary Reflection—17 December 2017
6-8There once was a man named John sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John wasn’t the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.
19-20When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn’t evade the question. He told the plain truth: “I’m not the Messiah.”
21They pressed him, “Who, then? Elijah?”
“I’m not Elijah.”
“The Prophet?”
“No.”
22Exasperated, they said, “Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself.”
23“I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!’ I’m doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.”
24-25Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: “If you’re neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26-27John answered, “I only baptize using water. A person you don’t recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he’s not in second place to me. I’m not even worthy to hold his coat for him.”
28These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.
21They pressed him, “Who, then? Elijah?”
“I’m not Elijah.”
“The Prophet?”
“No.”
22Exasperated, they said, “Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself.”
23“I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!’ I’m doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.”
24-25Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: “If you’re neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26-27John answered, “I only baptize using water. A person you don’t recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he’s not in second place to me. I’m not even worthy to hold his coat for him.”
28These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.
John the Baptistb is mentioned in all four gospels. And in each account, we learn some little details about him.c Previously, we read a little more of John’s message. Here, we get a little more of John’s encounter with the Religious Opposition. The most common theme, though, is that he was the one who came to “prepare for God’s arrival” and “make the road straight for God” (see Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3; John 1).
It’s quite clear, then, that there was something in the air. God was about to do something and some people could sense it deeply within themselves. We’re given a clue of this in a couple of other passages. For example, Simeon was a “good man… who lived in prayerful expectancy of help for Israel.” God’s spirit had promised Simeon that “he’d see the Messiah of God before he died” (Luke 2.25-32).
Likewise—
Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She’d been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
Anna, Simeon, and others were “waiting expectantly” for God to act in a profound way. They were expecting the Messiah to come soon (see Luke 3.15). So we can understand the reaction of the Religious Leadership when they hear of a man preaching a message about “preparing the way for God.” They needed to find out what was going on. So they sent out a delegation to ask some questions. “I’m not the Messiah,” John replied, “nor Elijah, nor the Prophet.” In other words, John’s something different.
I’ve written before that John was Elijah. But here, he’s quite clear that he’s not Elijah. So what gives? The answer is simple—people thought Elijah would physically return before God arrived.d This is what John was addressing. He’s not Elijah in that sense.e This is how John can say he’s not Elijah but Jesus can say he is. Jesus was referring to John in a mystical sense, not a literal one.f But, make no mistake, “John [was] the ‘Elijah’” they were expecting (Matthew 11.11-15).
What did those questioning John mean by “the Prophet”? Who was that supposed to be?
This goes back to something Moses said the the people of Israel. In Deuteronomy, Moses said, “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18.15; NLT;g adapted).
While we’re looking backwards through time with Jesus as our lense, we understand that Moses was talking about Jesus the Messiah (see Acts 3). But from the standpoint of the people of Israel, they saw the Prophet as a different person from the Messiah (John 1.25). And John says he neither one of them.
Who, then, is he?
John tells those sent to question him that he’s the messenger sent to prepare the people and the land for Yahweh’s arrival. Like we read previously at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1), John quotes from Isaiah saying, “I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God’” (John 1.23).
So John isn’t the Messiah. Or the Prophet. Or Elijah.
He’s something else. He’s someone else.
But one thing that’s boggled people for a long time is that, as we see from the Lectionary reading above, John was sent to “make the road straight for God” but Jesus was the one who was coming after him. This tells us something about the way this story has been written, not only here, but in all of the Gospels. The way the story is told shows us that the coming of Jesus was the coming of God. Yahweh was returning to Israel (Malachi 3-4).
John’s vocation was to point away from himself to someone else. He was sent to prepare the people for the arrival of Yahweh. This was accomplished by the people vowing to change their hearts and lives, and then being baptized as an outward act of their pledge.
In another passage, some of the people being baptized asked John if there was anything else they should do to show that they’ve changed their lives—
11“If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.”
12Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13He told them, “No more extortion—collect only what’s required by law.”
14Soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “No shakedowns, no blackmail—and be content with your wages.”
12Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13He told them, “No more extortion—collect only what’s required by law.”
14Soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “No shakedowns, no blackmail—and be content with your wages.”
As we’ve seen before, then, living a life of faith in Jesus also means living a life of good works in The Way of Jesus. Not to earn salvation, but to show that we’ve already been rescued.
During this time of Advent, are we, too, “making the road straight for God” in our own lives? Or do we continue to put up obstacles to keep God at bay? Do we only give God a nod and a wink or are our lives an open road for God to go wherever God needs to go? And since God works through people to accomplish God’s work in our midst, are we preparing ourselves to go wherever God needs us to go? Are we living lives that reflect our faith in Christ?
~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
~~~
- Scripture quotations marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
- Nor is he some sort of reincarnation of Elijah because, again, Elijah didn’t die. See previous note.
- Anothering interesting note is that this encounter took place at the Jordan river. This is the same place that Elijah passed on his ministry to Elisha. Again, see 2 Kings 2.
- Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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