Advent Sunday III

"The one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist!"

Introduction:

Advent is the season of joy. Joyous songs and joyous celebrations increasingly fill our time as we approach Christmas and the year's end. But what is the nature of our joy? Is it simply the release of tension as we participate in a month long shopping spree and a "party-on" mentality or is our source of joy something deeper and more substantial? If it is the former, our joy will last about as long as it takes to participate in the shopping spree and parties. If it is the latter it will fuel our spirit for months to come.

Isaiah expresses the reality of our joy in verse 10 of this week's first reading and the reason for our joy in verses 1-6. The joy of which he speaks will result in "joy and singing," and "sorrow and sighing" will pass away. What a wonderful two-fold joy! The inner pain that causes our sighing and sorrow will be removed and replaced with inner "joy and gladness." Of course we will burst out in song, for a heart and mind free from concern and filled with  gladness cannot long remain silent.

As Isaiah looked ahead to the coming Savior he saw several reasons for unrestrained joy. First and foremost was that the land and the people would experience the presence of God's majesty and glory. With the Lord's presence would come deliverance from enslavement, healing and renewal. We see in the Gospel reading that these things began coming to pass as Jesus conducted his ministry, the blind received their sight, the deaf had their hearing restored and lepers were healed. We can only imagine how the heart of John the Baptist leapt as he recalled Isaiah's prophecy and compared it with the accounts of Jesus' ministry. How he must have received solace, comfort and strength through the joy of knowing that the presence of the Lord was among them.

So too should our hearts leap with joy. So too should we find solace, comfort and strength remembering that God is present among us. As F. W. Faber explains, "What would the world be without Jesus?...An earth  without hope or happiness, without love or peace, the past a burden, the present a weariness, the future a shapeless terror-such would the earth be, if by impossibility there were no Jesus....Besides this, Jesus is bound up with our innermost lives. He is more to us than the blood in our veins. We know that he is indispensable to us; but we do not dream how indispensable he is. There is not a circumstance of life in which we could do without Jesus....But, if he is thus indispensable in life, how much more will he be indispensable in death? (From Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition by Jordan Aumann.) This is why our hearts should leap for joy.

Unfortunately for many of us the leap for joy will be no more than a brief flutter as we open some gaily wrapped present or participate in some fun get-together. For many we will once again go through the Advent and Christmas seasons totally missing the meaning of them and the ensuing joy they should produce. In the Gospel reading John the Baptist  was unwilling to miss the meaning or the joy of Jesus' presence. From the darkness and despair of his imprisonment John asked, "Are you the one?" How wonderfully the darkness was vanquished, and the despair lifted when Jesus' reply reached him. He who was indispensable for life had come, and death needed no longer to be feared, for he who was indispensable for life was also indispensable for death. Oh that we, from the darkness and despair of our world, would also ask Jesus to reveal himself to us during these Advent and Christmas seasons, we too would find him indispensable as he affirms his glory and majesty. We would find that "Joy to the world the Lord has come," would sustain us long after others have stopped singing it.

First Reading
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10
1  The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the      crocus
2  it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
3  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
4  Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.   He will come and save you."
5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6  then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.  For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
...
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Second Reading
James 5:7-10

7   Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain.
8    You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9    Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors.
10  As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lo

Gospel Reading
Matthew 11:2-11

2  When John (the Baptist) heard in prison of the works of the Messiah,  he sent his disciples to him
3   with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
4   Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
5   the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
6   And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
7  As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
8  Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
9   Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10  This is the one about whom it is written: 'Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.'
11 Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Bible Study

2  When John (the Baptist) heard in prison
    -----Matthew postpones the explanation of why John the Baptist is imprisoned until the story of his death (Matthew 14:3-12) [for publicly rebuking Herod Antiapas for his adulterous and incestuous marriage with Herodias (ex-wife of his brother Herod Philip)]. According to Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2§119) the prison was in the palace-fortress of Machaerus, built by Herod the Great on the desolate heights of Moab near the east central shore of the Dead Sea.

2b of the works of the Messiah,
     -----The way this is phrased it sounds like they are asking about the nature of Jesus' messiahship, it may well have been an inquiry as to whether he was a divine messenger like Elijah.

2c he sent his disciples to him
3  with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
4  Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
5  the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
   -----Recall our first reading from Isaiah 35:5-6. Although this is not a formal claim of messiahship, these are allusions to the phenomena in the Old Testament which were associated with the messianic era. Note that it is not a messiahship of judgement and wrath, nor the establishment of an empire over all the kingdoms of the earth, nor a war of extermination against the enemies of the elect people. It is a messiahship of the healing of ills and the conferring of blessing.

6  And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
    -----The messiahship of healing and blessing was not the messiahship which the people, including the disciples, expected.

7  As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
    -----Jesus gives testimony about John the Baptist; first in a set of six rhetorical questions, then in three positive assertions about him.

7b  "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
8     Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
9   Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
     -----The common Jewish belief is that there has been no prophecy in Israel since the last of the Old Testament prophets, Malachi. The coming of a new prophet was eagerly awaited and Jesus agrees that John is a prophet, and much more!

10 This is the one about whom it is written: 'Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.'
     -----See Malachi 3:1; Exodus 23:20. John is the long awaited precursor of the one who will bring in the new and final age.

11  Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
      -----This makes John the Baptist the last and greatest of the prophets, even greater than Moses.

11b  yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
      ----John lived and worked before the messianic reign. Therefore, even the least in the messianic reign, who will have the light of the gospel and the communication of the power of faith, will accomplish greater works than John.

Meditation

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of God?    Jesus praised John the Baptist as the greatest person born. Who can top that as a compliment? But in the same breath Jesus says that the least in the kingdom of God is even greater than John! That sounds like a contradiction, right?  Unless you understand that what Jesus was about to accomplish for our sake would supercede all that the prophets had done and foreseen in the past.  John is the last and greatest of the prophets of the old covenant.  He fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets: to be fingers pointing to Christ, God's Annointed Son and Messiah.  John prepared the way for the Messiah and he pointed others to Jesus the Messiah at the River Jordan when he exclaimed, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29)   John saw from a distant what Jesus would accomplish through his death on the cross -- our redemption from bondage to sin and death and our adoption as sons and daughers of God and citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Why did John, while in prison, send his disciples to question Jesus?  John wanted them to hear and see firsthand from the Messiah himself before John would meet his fate, martyrdom at the hands of King Herod.  Jesus says that his miracles and message about the kingdom or reign of God are proof enough for John and his disciples to recognize as the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy foretelling the signs and wonders which the Messiah would perform  (see Isaiah 35).  Jesus in his characteristic fashion also returned one question with another. 

What do you see in John the Baptist?  And why does Jesus contrast John with a reed?  Unlike a reed which is spineless and can be bruised easily, John stands as a pillar of truth which no demonic force can overtake because his heart is set on God and burns with  the fire of God's truth and love.  Someone who is tepid -- careless, half-hearted, and lukewarm -- is easily swayed by whatever hits his or her fancy.  If our heart is not filled with the love of God is easily grows cold and our faith wanes.  If the heart feels emptied of God it seeks to fill the void with other things, which not being God, cannot bring true satisfaction.  If we want to be like John the Baptist, then we must set our heart, mind, soul, and strength on one thing, and one thing only -- the Lord Jesus Jesus Christ and his kingdom of everlasting peace, joy, and righteousness.  There is no room for compromise. 

We are either for Jesus and his kingdom or against it.   We either give him our full allegiance and submission or we hold on to the reigns of running life as we want it to go.

Reflections:

·  Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you.
· One of John the Baptist's tasks was to be the Lord's messenger, the other is to prepare the way for acceptance of Jesus. How should we continue that ministry?
·  When John (the Baptist) heard in prison of the works of the Messiah,  he sent his disciples to him with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: (Matthew 11:2-3).
    -----Jesus said, "Tell John what you hear and see."
            What do I hear and see?
            What does Jesus say and do?
            How do people react?
            What do I react in thoughts, feelings, and actions?
·  the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."  (Matthew 11:5-6)
   -----What can we learn from Jesus' answer to John the Baptist, that would help us live a life of hope?
·  Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11)
   -----Do I believe that Jesus' kingdom is the greatest?
          What is so great about it?
          Can I see the greatest of God's kingdom in my daily life?
·  John The Baptist is the prophet eventhough his outfit did not reflect that. Did you ever learn something out to the man/women who was poor and wore an aweful clothes?
·  Share one small charitable activity you have been doing in your family, at workplace or school.

To live God's Word this week:

·  Invite someone who has just got laid off for dinner.
·  Put aside some money from Christmas gifts to help victims in Vietnam.

For Youngsters:

·  Tell your parents one story about Christmas in one of your families' night prayer.

Prayer

Lord, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom.