Is. 11:1-10 Ps.72
Rom. 15:4-13 Matt. 3:1-12
Lectionary Link
We might call John the Baptist, the Advent saint, because he dominates the lectionary readings from the Gospels for Advent. He is even more prominent than the apocalyptic lectionary portions for Advent, and John coupled with the apocalyptic helps to teach the dual comings observed in the Advent liturgies, namely, the first coming of Jesus in the birth of Jesus, and the second coming of Christ in some future event.
John the Baptist as an desert dwelling ascetic who was under the vow of the nazirite, was aloof from society, in contrast with Jesus who was very much interactive with people even to be called a glutton and drunkard because he ate with sinners and interacted with harlots. John the Baptist made people come to him and they came and he verbally dressed them down for their behaviors and demanded that they amend their lives and undergo the ritual of baptism, as if, implying they needed to be re-converted into an awareness of their standing with God.
John proclaimed a new community of people in that his baptism made all newly baptized proselytes of this new faith perspective; it did not matter whether they were religious leaders or adherents to Jewish ritual requirements. His message, even if delivered like a drill sergeant, was persuasive and effective. It was effective enough to get him killed for his popularity, according to Josephus, even while the Gospel says it was because he offended Herod's new wife.
He was cause for the religious leaders to feel threatened regarding their own authentic religious practice. He was also like other prophets of the time, one who had a following and thereby considered as a potential Messiah, a potential political threat to the local authorities who administered the province for the Caesar of Rome.
As for knowledge about John the Baptist outside of the Bible, the famous historian of the era, Josephus wrote more about John the Baptist than about Jesus, even information which contradicts the Gospels. In Josephus, John the Baptist died for political reasons of his popularity and not for rebuking Herod about his marriage. In Josephus we find that the famed girl dancer who was tricked to ask for John's severed head is named, Salome.
One could logically assume that if John the Baptist has more written about him than Jesus in the history written by Josephus, it could mean that John and his community were a formidable social movement. And with all the mostly favorable writing about John the Baptist in the Gospels, one can assume that the Gospel writers were making an appeal to the community of John the Baptist to move on to Jesus as perhaps the logical successor leader for the community of John. The officiant at the baptism of Jesus was John the Baptist at the insistence of Jesus. This might be an indication that John had been a mentor of Jesus in his pre-ministry days. At least, these are conclusions one could draw from the presentation their relationship in the Gospels.
They were both apocalyptic preachers, preacher of the hope of a great intervention on behalf of the oppressed. In this sense, they were both realistic about the Roman Empire and its grip, not only on Palestine, but also on the entire world. They were realistic in that they only thought that some great cosmic event would upset the power of the Roman Empire, or any Empire. As expectant prophets, they had messages of hope, which included a, "great things can happen message; so hang in there." Just like floods and earthquakes can happen, cosmic things can happen. This great event might be understood in various ways since Christianity is built on the reappearance comings of Christ in encounters with some of his followers. Again his departure is written about but he continued to appear to many in many unique ways, as he did to Paul, and as he did through the experience of the indwelling Holy Spirit giving people a sense that Christ had come to them and given them a new identity with Him. So Advent is about the alway future coming of Christ to the people of this world.
But John the Baptist is also linked to the first coming of Jesus. Jesus had a miraculous birth story; John had a marvelous birth story. In the meeting between two expectant mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, the story indicates that the gestational John leaped in his mother's womb as if we was recognizing Christ child before either of them were born. One realizes how the Gospel writers told the story of John the Baptist as the one who would prepare the way for Jesus Christ.
We have inherited this story tradition of John who is interpreted as being an important opening act and supporting actor for the main star of the New Testament communities. And we would not be over-reaching to suggest that the community of John the Baptist might be regarded as a pre-existing proto-church to the eventual communities of the Jesus Movement. The followers of Jesus would most likely have been highly motivated to persuade followers of John to become followers of Jesus, just as some of the prominent disciples of Jesus had done.
Where does that leave us today in our appropriation of John the Baptist, the saint of Advent? Since like Lent, Advent is a penitential season, John the Baptist functions as a sort of liturgical police in reminding us not to hurry to the excess of the season of Christmas. John stands to us as the model of a life built on fasting from any excess so that perpetual devotion to God might be practiced in intentional ways. John's message of repentance is not a negative message of "you can't and you shouldn't do this or that." It really is the positive message about human perfectibility in being able to surpass ourselves in excellence each day. John's message is this: Because God made you perfectible; you should walk on the path of perfectibility.
It is no secret that the early church believed that people could have an event and continual events of transformation which might be called a new birth or being born again. As the Christmas story encodes the new birth mystery for each person, during the Advent season, we invoke the memory of John the Baptist to remind ourselves of our perpetual preparation for the birthing process in knowing ourselves to be children of God. The Advent liturgies which include a recitation of the life of John the Baptist are annual rememberings of our spiritual journey of continual renewal, and we prepare to be renewed again at Christmas, even as we gather to inculcate and perpetuate these Advent values once again in our community.
Before we hasten to the excesses which often characterize our Christmastide, let us ponder the soul of St. John the Baptist, who lived just on enough, so that he could devote himself to higher values of living. Let us learn from John the Baptist to be fasting people, so that all might have enough, and so that all might know that they can be on the path of perfectibility. Amen
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