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    Constance T. Hull

John the Baptist

Posted On December 9, 2019

Jesus said of John, there was no man born greater than John. John was the last Old Testament prophet, bridging the beginning of the New Testament. He was the one ‘crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord’ for Jesus’ arrival. John would point to Jesus and not himself saying ‘I must decrease, while he increases.

Are we pointing to Jesus and to Jesus alone? In the increasing darkness in our time, there is a need for voices crying out that Jesus is both Messiah and Lord, who offers mercy, forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus wants to empower us to be bold like John and point others to him, so ultimately, all will point to his Father. That was Jesus’ mission, to reveal that God sent him to redeem the world and to reclaim what was lost.

In today’s first reading, we see the prophecy of Isaiah saying that Jesus will come forth from the root of Jesse, meaning he was of the lineage of David, which Matthew points out in the beginning of his gospel. He will be the one who will be fair and just to all.

“The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.  Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” Isaiah 11

Ultimately, the reign of God will triumph and in the end, we will see a stark contrast to what is seen in the world today where conflict and destruction reigns.  John calls the pharisees and scribes a ‘brood of vipers’ and tells them they must show forth the fruit of their repentance.  He wants all to know this is serious because it will bring about the greatest change.  Isaiah goes on to tell what kind of a change will take place in the end.

“Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.  The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.“

Israel could not believe that the Gentiles would be a part of this.  Even when Jesus lived, the gentiles brought pain and suffering on the Jewish nation. John spoke truth and this truth cost him his very life.  He was unwavering in his commitment to tell the truth to others and like Jesus, he too had disciples who followed him. In the end, he was beheaded for speaking the truth about sin and righteousness in regard to Herod’s marriage.

Jesus, who spoke about John, said “Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit  will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” John had foretold that the messiah would come and he would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  John looked forward to this and was willing to step aside to allow the reign of God to come about.  May we like John, speak truth in our time to others and see the fruits of repentance, so all may know God and live with him forever in his kingdom.

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