2nd Sunday of Advent [A] – [December 8, 2019] – Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist is a prominent figure in four Gospels, and he powerfully appears before Jesus begins His public ministry. But, who is this John the Baptist? His name is simply John, and the Church calls him the Baptist to distinguish him from other John in the Bible like John the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ disciples. John the Baptist is the miracle son of Zacharia and Elizabeth in their old days. And since Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus, are relatives, John and Jesus are closely related to each other.
Certainly, there is something strange about this John. He is eating locust and honey. Surely, it is an exotic food, but we need to remember he is living in the desert, and this kind of food is common. He is wearing clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. It is just a fashion statement or he has nothing to wear. John’s clothing reminds us of the things Prophet Elijah wore in his time [see 1 Kings 1:8]. John is presenting himself as a prophet, and not any prophet, he is the new Elijah. The appearance of Elijah is an important sign of the imminent coming of the Messiah [Mal 4:5].
One thing for sure about John is that he becomes very popular, and people from all over the country come to him, to listen to his preaching and to be baptized as a sign of repentance. Yet, despite the great number of followers, he remains true to his mission. He is preaching on the coming of someone who is much greater than him, even he declares that “is unworthy to carry His sandals.” He is God’s instrument in fulfilling the prophecy, and he has a specific role to play.
Now, we know a little background about John the Baptist, what will be next for us? Certainly, we are not called to follow him in wearing clothing made of camel’s hair or to eat locust everyday, but we are to prepare the way for the coming of the Savior. How? Some of us are called literally to baptize people like myself. Some are commissioned to preach and educate people. Yet, all of us is to live a life of repentance. The repentance has to be alive and penetrating all aspects of life. The word used by John in Greek is “metanoiete” and it does not simply mean “repent!” but more precisely, “keep repenting!”
The first stage of repentance is certainly turning away from a sinful life, but it is more than that. Repentance is not about one-done-deal action, but a life-long process. The word “Metanoia” is coming from two words, “meta” meaning “changing” and “nous” meaning “mind”; Thus, “metanoia” means changing of mind, changing the way we see life and the way we live. Our mind is no longer earth-bond, but fixed into God. The transformation is not from sinful life to a good life, but a life that is even closer to God. It implies changing of priority. Do we make God our priority? It entails holiness. Do we do things that are pleasing to God? This presupposes the love of God. Do we love God more than other things, or do we love other things more than Him?
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP
We are entering the season of Advent. This time marks the beginning of the new liturgical year of the Church. The season itself is a preparation for us to welcome the Christmas, the coming of Jesus Christ. The word Advent is coming from the Latin word “Adventus” that simply means “arrival.” The dominant liturgical color will be purple that signifies hope and joyful expectation of the coming of our Savior.
Often we take for granted the name Jesus Christ, without realizing the meaning behind it. The word “Christ” is neither part of the personal name of Jesus nor the family name of Jesus. Jesus earns the name Christ not because of His foster father, Joseph, otherwise, we also call him Joseph Christ and his wife, Mary Christ.
During the reign of Herod the Great, the Temple of Jerusalem was refurbished, adorned by gold and other precious metals, and expanded, and thus making it the crown jewel of the Jewish nation. However, the Temple was not merely a magnificent building, but primarily the center of Jewish religious worship and religion. Every morning and evening, sacrifices were offered, and every year, Jewish men from all over the world made their pilgrimage, and paid their homage the Lord God. It was the place where God chose to stay, the place where the Israelites meet their God, and the house of God.
In the time of Jesus, there are at least two kinds of taxes. The first tax goes to the Temple of Jerusalem. This is a “sacred tax”. Those who collect them are performing a sacred duty, and those who pay are fulfilling their due to God. Yet, the second tax is exacted by the Roman government. In order to effectively get the taxes, the Romans employs the local collaborators. The Jews are heavily burdened by this tax because they are unjustly hefty, and often collected by coercion. The Jews understandably loathe those Jewish tax collectors who willingly betray their own people and are involved in greedy malpractices. These are the worst sinners, unclean, corrupt and traitors.
In Jesus’ time, they were several Jewish religious groups and one of them is the Pharisees. These are the people who love the Lord and devoutly observe the Law of Moses and the traditions of the elders even in their daily lives. Thus, Jewish people regard them as righteous because they are faithful to the Law, and pious because they pray often. Many Pharisees turn to be the caretakers of the local synagogues and zealously teach the Law during Sabbath days. No wonders, the Jewish people offer the Pharisees the best places in the worship places and the parties. The leaders are called the Rabbis or teachers.
The widows are one of the most disfranchised groups in ancient Israel. In those times, women, in general, were considered to be less human. Every time a Jewish man in first-century Palestine woke up, he would pray and thank the Lord for he was not born as a Gentile, a slave or a woman. Often, women were treated as the properties of the patriarchs. While adult men were working outside the house, women were expected to stay behind to take care of the children and the household. Since many women were supported by their husbands, being a widow means loss of both financial foothold and honor. They were lucky if they had mature sons who would take care of them, but those widows without sons were the most pitiful.
Suffering, sickness, and death do not care whether you are Jews or Samaritans, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are old or young. When it strikes, it strikes. In time of Jesus, leprosy or Hansen’s disease was still one of most dreadful sicknesses. It ate you your skin and made you ugly. It is highly contagious, and thus, cut you from your community. It was incurable and thus brought you a slow and agonizing death.
If there is one most powerful force in the universe, it will be faith. Jesus teaches us that even faith as small as a mustard seed can do the impossible. Jesus preaches that with this little faith, we can command a sycamore tree be uprooted and be planted in the sea. One of the smallest things on earth can move the most significant reality in the world. The sycamore tree has both deep, strong and widespread roots. It is just impossible to uproot it when it has grown mature. Yet, Jesus surprises further even by saying that we can replant this on the bed of the ocean. That makes it doubly impossible. Jesus is pushing his teaching on faith beyond natural human reasoning!
