Matthew 11:2-11: Looking ahead to the Third Sunday in Advent

Icon of St. John the Baptist (Greece, 1993).

Sunday, 12/12/10: Third Advent – A: Matthew11:2-11


This upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading continues the story of John the Baptist; however, things have taken a darker turn.  John, who last week was baptizing people in the wilderness outside of Judea, is now in prison.  He sends a message to Jesus, asking “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

A helpful approach this week might be to fill in the gaps of our story up until this point, setting a context for Jesus and John’s exchange.

Who was John anyway?  Ray introduced John last week, noting that he was Jesus’ cousin; that he preached a message of repentance; that he lived like an ancient wilderness prophet; and that he is associated with Isaiah’s prophecy about “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isa. 40:3).  John was, in fact …

-         Jesus’ cousin: John’s mother, Elizabeth, was Mary’s “relative” (Luke 1:36).  Tradition has it that the two women were cousins, which makes for a wonderfully intimate connection between Jesus and John.  Mary visited Elizabeth when both of the women were pregnant and John, upon hearing Mary’s voice, “leaped” in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41). 

-         A prophet:  John was destined to be a prophet.  The angel who visited his father to announce John’s birth declared, “With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before [God]” (Luke 1:17).  Like Elijah, John lived in the wilderness, which highlights the sense in which he was set apart to see the truth about people and events, and to pronounce God’s judgment. 

Who does Jesus say that John is? The verses of Scripture that we read today have Jesus describing John to a crowd of people.  He indicates that John …

-         is not “a reed shaken by the wind”

or

-         a man dressed in soft robes:  The whole Gospel of Matthew plays on the idea of two kingdoms.  One is represented by the Roman Empire and the people who colluded with it, while the other is God’s kingdom of justice and peace.  The reed was a symbol of Herod, the puppet king in Jesus and John’s time, and “soft robes” would have brought to mind rich rulers.  In making the above statements, Jesus reminds people of the forces that they are up against, and shows that John is not weak and bending, but is strong.  He might wish to suggest that John will endure his imprisonment.

-          is great among the prophets:  John represents a turn in biblical prophecy.  He is the only prophet to be prophesied about (see Isaiah 40); but more than this, he is the only prophet to encounter (in Jesus) the person about whom he prophesies.  From this point on, prophecy is portrayed as a gift that some people in the early Christian communities possess for the benefit of those around them.  There are no more stories about eccentric, dramatic figures like Jeremiah or Ezekiel recorded for us in the New Testament.

Why was John baptizing?  Baptism has its roots in Jewish practice.  A mikvah was a purification rite, or ceremonial bath, that cleansed one of ritual impurity.  It was a temporary measure that might be repeated each time one prepared a body for burial, ate unclean food, or committed any of a certain number of offenses contained in the Law.  Nobody knows for sure how John’s baptism was understood, but it was likely something that resembled a mikvah.  Christian baptism is unique in that it is a once-and-for-all purification rite that not only cleanses us from sin, but strengthens us for goodness by giving us the Holy Spirit. 

Who were John’s disciples? Like other prophets and teachers of the time, John acquired a group of followers who studied his words and lived according to his habits.  There is no indication in the Bible whether John’s followers turned to Jesus after John died. 

Why is John in prison?  Last week we read from the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, where John points to Jesus as the fulfillment of the people’s hopes.  We’ve skipped over a lot of events to get to where we are this Sunday.  In between John’s pointing to Jesus and John’s message to Jesus from prison, Jesus has begun a ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing that is inspiring strong reactions – positive and negative – around Israel.  Meanwhile, John continued his own prophetic ministry, and ran up against the wrong people: he publicly chastised the king for marrying his deceased brother’s wife.  John remained in prison for what appears to have been several months before he was executed at the request of the king’s stepdaughter (see Matt. 14:1-12).  Other ancient sources say that the king simply feared John’s influence. 

Why do we read about John again this Sunday?  John prepares the way for Jesus.  This is his life’s mission.  In Advent, we enjoy a season of preparation for Jesus’ coming into the world and into our hearts as God’s incarnate son.  But there’s a very human piece of John’s story today that helps us to connect with him in this time of intentional reflection:

-         First, John is uncertain.  He has already pronounced Jesus to be “the one who is coming,” but after months in isolation, he has to ask, “Is it really you?”  John needs Jesus to remind him about what he believes, and to help him have faith.

-         Jesus points to his actions in order to remind John of who he is.  Part of having faith, and of growing in faith, is to discern where God is at work in the world and to meditate on it.  (Which includes asking hard questions in community when we can’t be sure of where God is.)

-         John’s ministry and faith led him into difficult circumstances.  Preparing for and welcoming Jesus into our lives means that we face challenges and encounter situations that we never anticipated.  John represents how passionate, confusing, and costly discipleship can be.

(Danielle Thompson)