Sermon on Third Advent, Year B: What does John the Baptist teach us about Jesus?
This is the second week in a row that we’ve had a Gospel reading about John the Baptist. Last week from the Gospel According to Mark, this week from the Gospel According to John. It would be interesting to compare and contrast the different presentations of John the Baptist in the two gospels. But more important is to think about what John the Baptist meant to the people back then, so we can better understand what he means to us now.
The writers of the gospels were especially concerned to separate John from Jesus. Clearly, both were sent by God (as proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before), both had similar messages, and both would be executed by the government. What both our writers of the two gospels emphasize are two things: John was preaching first, in the role of prophet, and Jesus coming second was in the role of the fulfillment of prophecy.
People’s understanding of John motivated many of them to make an effort to see, hear, and follow him. What attracted them was not how John lived, which was weird. Really: isolated in the wilderness, wearing camel’s skin, and eating honey and locusts. He did not start a cult of solitary camping, and dromedary-fuzz-dresses, with a fad diet based on eating bee vomit and swarming grasshoppers.
What attracted people was what John did and preached to them. What John did was baptize: pouring on water as a symbolic act of washing away sin. What John preached was repentance and forgiveness of sins. He told people they had a chance to start over and live better lives.
And that is what we still tells us, as, of course, does Jesus. I often note that Jesus likewise said often: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus’ incarnation, which we memorialize during Advent and celebrate at Christmas, gives us a chance to constantly look into ourselves to start over and live better lives. Our baptism, which we also regularly recall, symbolized this new beginning. The Holy Spirit can act in us to sustain our better lives.
Weekly, in our service, when we confess our sins, we have a chance to reflect on our mistakes and resolve to do better. Indeed, each day, each season, each year we have a new chance to put aside the old and take on the new. That is lesson that John the Baptist provides for us in Advent. We, human beings, like he, can embrace God’s prophecy, and welcome Jesus into our lives.
Written for the parish of St. James & St. George 2020 December 13
URL: <http://therev.brianpavlac.org/srms/20201213.html