Matthew 3:13-16
Yesterday’s reading was about the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. John is one of the my favorite Biblical characters because he has a courage that I don’t. He has a conviction and a craziness to spread the message in a way that I just can’t access. Locusts and honey are not on my menu…well, maybe honey is…but locusts, no.But it is more than that, it is the way he recognizes when his job is done…or at least his main job and that is heralding the Saviour. When Jesus stands before him, we don’t know when the last time they saw each other was. They were cousins yes, they may have spent time together and for all we know, Jesus may have warned him that this was the moment to look for when he comes to him to hear his preaching. Or it could have been that John didn’t immediately recognize Jesus as his cousin but first as the “One” who was sent to free the people. Perhaps, the relationship that had been long established by God was only just then evident to John. I can’t help but wonder this because we are all called to herald in the coming of the Lord, it is a baptismal call and part of what we profess to believe every week. We say we believe that Lord will come again. Advent is the season of THAT hope. The hope that we can prepare ourselves to recognize Christ when he is in our midst. That no matter how important we consider our job to be, we can be like John and look not just with our eyes but with our hearts so that we can see the PROMISE that stands before us. John could have looked at Jesus but been so caught up in his own idea of God’s plan that he didn’t see Jesus. Sometimes, we all do that. We bind ourselves in Scripture (as John did) and can recite them thoughtlessly but then ignore the very essence of the Word in front of us. My own goal is to be more like John, I figure I have the crazy aspect down and my sense of fashion is wanting enough, but I want to have not only his courage but his vision…his ability to see what is what. Internalizing Scripture as he did and apologetically saying to myself…repent. Repent and make way for the coming of the Lord, Make straight his paths.
