“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” We tend to think that Jesus endured a trial only at the end of his life before the Sanhedrin and the Roman leaders. But, if we read the Gospels more carefully, we see that Jesus was on trial for the entirety of his public ministry, from friend and foe alike. Every time he did or said something – healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, asserted that he was one with God – we hear people ask “Who does he think he is?” Even those who, like John the Baptist, were serious about following God’s will struggled with understanding and accepting Jesus as the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies, as the Messiah, the Anointed One of God.
Just as today, in the days of John the Baptist Sacred Scriptures could be read in a variety of ways. Then, as now, there was a strong temptation to choose texts to prove one’s own point of view. John had appeared on the scene as an apocalyptic preacher who predicted that the one to come would arrive with axe and torch in hand to cut down and burn the rotten wood of Israel; we heard that last week. John the Baptist received his understanding of the Messiah from some of the prophecies that we find throughout the Old Testament. So, John the Baptist, and many others like him, thought that God’s Anointed One would come as a strong, indeed, a powerful ruler – armed with a mighty sword, much like King David – to destroy their enemies and root out the evil among their own.
After John had been arrested, however, his disciples told him how Jesus was going around preaching: unarmed and disarming. It’s easy to imagine that John was struggling with a serious faith crisis. He probably knew that his life would soon end but he was surely concerned about his mission and message. Was Jesus really the one he had been called to herald? If so, where was the destructive power and awful might that he expected?
So, we can understand why John sent his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?” Jesus’ response came straight from one of the greatest of the prophets – Isaiah – but it presented another side of the Messiah; we just heard it. Through Jesus’ loving ministry, the blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame leapt like a stag, and the mute sang. All these actions showed the presence of a merciful God in their midst.
When John’s disciples came to Jesus, their ears were still ringing with John’s castigations that we heard last week as he foretold the coming of the Messiah: “He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” John preached from a perspective that recognized sin with great clarity, and forewarned the destruction of the wicked.
On the other hand, Jesus, well versed in the very same prophets, drew the good news from them. Rather than focusing on sin and punishment, he preached and demonstrated God’s offer of salvation. Of course, we know that Jesus had equally harsh words for those who are hard-hearted or self-righteous, but had only a message of healing and peace for those who would open their hearts and their minds to his message. Responding to John’s disciples, who were among those who were earnestly seeking God and wanted to do his will, Jesus gave evidence from his works rather than words.
Today – the Third Sunday of Advent – is called Gaudete Sunday, a day of rejoicing for all of us who seek to know God and to do his will. Today’s celebration challenges us to examine our faith in the light of Jesus’ message. What does the salvation we hope to see look like? Are we waiting for the destruction of our enemies or do we long for the transformation of sinners – including ourselves? Many in today’s world seem eager to use the first option. It is the solution offered by war, lawsuits and every form of vengeance. The second option is much costlier but has eternal benefits. It requires real love to hope for the transformative salvation of those who have done us harm, and it requires humble courage to look for our own conversion. And, this is a life-long task. That’s why we celebrate the Advent season every year.
Gaudete Sunday invites us to rejoice in all that is good around us. It challenges us to recognize the presence of God in everyone. The more we participate in Jesus’ work of transformation, the more we will understand that we have encountered God with us and need not look for another.
Following his interchange with John’s disciples, Jesus made one of the more definitive and surprising statements of his entire ministry. Praising John, he called him “more than a prophet,” saying he was greater than anyone born of woman. At the same time, making a clear distinction between the past and the present, Jesus went on to say “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This was not a put down of John but the announcement that something new was happening. Jesus, who, as the Son of God, was in loving communion with the Father before all time, came as God’s definitive intervention in human history. The time of prophecy, the time of waiting had come to an end. In Jesus, God had come to dwell among us. The least of those who recognize that truth have received a greater revelation than all of the great prophets of the Old Testament – even John the Baptist.
As we continue our Advent journey, preparing to celebrate our Lord’s birth in time and anticipating his return in judgment at the end of time, let us rejoice in the love and mercy Jesus has shown to bring us hope and joy. And, let us be today’s messengers of God’s love and mercy. Jesus ascended to the Father when he had completed his work on earth. He has left it to us – his faithful followers – to continue his work here. The hungry will be fed, the homeless will be sheltered, the lonely will be visited … and all will find a cause for great hope and joy when we continue the compassionate ministry of Jesus. So many of you did this here recently as you participated in our Adopt-a-Family, Food Baskets and Giving Trees, and I commend you. And, we will find our own joy, too, as Jesus ministers to us through others, especially through the ones with whom we share God’s love and mercy.
In today’s gospel, we hear about John the Baptist who, like so many of his day, was awaiting the coming of the Messiah. And, as we heard last week, he was awaiting someone whose ax would cut down every tree that does not bear good fruit. He was expecting the Messiah to come like a farmer with a winnowing fan who would separate the wheat from the chaff. And the chaff would be burned in unquenchable fire. John got this message right. At the end of time – which we also anticipate during this season of Advent – our Lord will, indeed, come to judge us. Let us be the ones he places in his barn, to enjoy forever the joy and peace that God offers all who have opened their ears to the gospel his Son proclaimed and faithfully followed his way.