Mt.3:1-12
“The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.” (Henri Nouwen)
The second Sunday of the season of advent invites us to embrace sincere repentance and prepare ourselves to receive the saviour. The gospel passage of the day presents to us the way in which John the Baptist prepared himself and others to welcome the saviour. Every prophet in the history of Israel was entrusted with the same mission: to turn people’s hearts from worldly affairs to God. John, the last of all prophets, was destined for the same mission more than any other; he was ordained to be a precursor and to prepare the people for their immediate encounter with the Messiah.
John the Baptist didn’t appear on the scene one fine morning and exhorted the people to repent. Instead, he prepared himself to receive the Messiah by spending his time in prayer and repentance in the desert. The prophet Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come again before the day of the Lord. In fact, his external appearance was similar to that of Elijah. He wore clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist like that of the prophet Elijah. A deep reflection on the scripture would help us understand more similarities between the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist. Elijah prepared the way for the prophet Elisha, who would cleanse the leper Naaman, raise a child from the dead, and multiply the bread to feed the crowd; we see Jesus also performing the same miracle during his public ministry. However, John was not merely preparing the way for another prophet but for the long-awaited saviour of the people of Israel. His ascetic mode of life was depicted in his food style, which was locusts and wild honey. He withdrew himself from the world. He prepared himself so intensely and efficaciously so that he could be an effective instrument in the mission entrusted to his care.
He invited the people of Israel to Jordan to receive the baptism of repentance. Jordan was not a mere river for the people of Israel. It marked the significant moments of their history. After 40 years if wilderness journey the people of Israel was taken to the bank of river Jordan to enter into the promised land. Jordan is the river in which the Syrian army commander Namman was healed, and the prophet Elijah was taken into heaven at the Jordan river bank. Now, the new Exodus is going to begin under the leadership of Jesus, the new Messiah.
Along with the people, the religious leaders also come to receive the baptism, but not to embrace repentance but to satisfy their sceptical and rude mindset. Therefore, John challenges their religious hypocrisy. They had the strong prejudiced belief that, being members of the Jewish community and descendants of Abraham, they would be saved. If they are not ready to repent and produce fruit, what awaits them is not mere pruning but a complete cutting down and throwing into fire, which implies the unavoidable judgement that awaits them.
John’s statement that he is not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals implies the Jewish tradition that a disciple is obliged to perform all the services for his master except untying his sandals. When John says he is not worthy of it, that shows his profound humility and the greatness of one who is coming after him. John was certain about his mission, and he wanted the people to also get the clarity that the baptism that he gives is only a baptism of repentance, but that one who comes after him would be baptised with fire and the Holy Spirit, indicating the universal salvation and the life of grace that humanity lost because of its inclination to sin.
Let me conclude by quoting the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the hero of the Christmas carol written by Charles Dickens. Ebenezer Scrooge was a wealthy businessman noted for being stingy. Scrooge understood the world as a harsh and scary place. He took life very seriously and was insensitive to the feelings and needs of others. He was cold and harsh with everyone and had no sympathy for the poor. He went about his lonely existence until that Christmas Eve when he was visited by the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley, who informed Scrooge that he needed to make some serious changes in how he understood life and related to others. Otherwise, Marley warns Scrooge, he will end up just like Marley, wandering for eternity, bearing the chains and weights of his sins.
Scrooge didn’t hear this as good news at all. He particularly disliked the part about the coming of three more spirits! Jacob Marley was a sort of John the Baptist figure for Scrooge. Like many of us, Scrooge knew that change could be painful and scary and cause him to feel uncomfortable, so he said, “I think I’d rather not.” He had a whole list of reasons why he shouldn’t be expected to change. He reasoned that he’d been, “no worse than the next man … just a man of business.” Skeptical, he retorted, “Bah, Humbug!” at even the thought of it. It was too late, he thought, he was too old to change and beyond hope. But despite his resistance, the spirits came anyway.
First, came the childlike-but-old, Spirit of Christmas Past, who took Scrooge back through his lonely, painful and sad life.
Scrooge was next greeted by the jolly Spirit of Christmas Present who told Scrooge that spirits of Christmas live not just one day of the year, but 365, as is also true of the child born in Bethlehem, who lives in people’s hearts all year long.
Then came the silent, black-shrouded Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. Scrooge is shown people conversing about a wealthy man who died alone without anyone to mourn his passing. At first puzzled, reality became clear to Scrooge when he was taken to his own lonely grave. He screamed, cried and begged for another chance.
These experiences made quite an impact. Facing his past, and accepting realities of the present and future cause Scrooge to sincerely desire a new life. Scrooge awakens in his own bed a changed man. From that moment his life was different. The old pennypincher was dead. He was born anew. Many people grew to love Scrooge, who from then on was known as a generous, joy-filled and loving man.
As we reflect on this passage on the Second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves: Are we giving due importance to the spiritual preparation to receive Jesus? Are we in need of repentance? Do we entertain the pharisaic idea that being righteous means we don’t need repentance? If we don’t examine our life based on these questions this advent season remains as part of liturgical ritual and just pass. If we are ready to examine and renew our lives with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, then our Christmas becomes meaningful and fruitful.