Last week we heard John the Baptist
preaching out in the wilderness about repentance and unquenchable
fires. Today we hear that he's in jail and sending his disciples to
Jesus asking if he's the Messiah or if they should wait for someone
else. This might seem nonsensical to us today what with 2000 years
of Christian tradition and history behind us. After all, Luke tells
us they were cousins; John leapt for joy in his mother's womb when
Mary made her visit to Elizabeth. And in this very gospel it is
recorded that John baptized Jesus, witnessed the heavens opening, and
God declaring Jesus the beloved Son. How could John NOT
know that Jesus was the expected one?
Well, as a former professor used to
say, “It's more complicated than that.”
At this particular time in history, as
with other times, there seemed to be a concern as to whether or not
it was the end of days. Various communities sprung up in Israel that
were steeped in last days theology. It has been speculated that John
was a member of one of these groups – specifically the Essenes.
I'm not getting into that debate other than to say this: Those
communities were focused on the end days and the imminent coming of
the Messiah. If John were a member, then it makes perfect sense that
he wants to verify who Jesus is.
One of the other issues with the Church
at the time the gospels were written was what's been called “the
problem of John.” John was seen as a great prophet. John baptized
Jesus. John had many followers/disciples who saw him as sent by God
to proclaim a message of repentance. John was a big deal. But this
gospel passage isn't about John.
One of the reasons for inserting this
story into the gospel was to put an end to that controversy. John
prepared people for the coming of Jesus and was then written out of
the story. Add to that Jesus' proclamation that, no matter how great
John was, even the least in the kingdom of heaven would be greater
than him. And ultimately this particular passage isn't about John or
his question, it's about Jesus' response.
“Are you the one who is to come, or
should we wait for another?” is the question.
“Go and tell what you hear and see,”
is the response.
I'm reading a book entitled The
Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller. He's focused on the parable of
the two sons found in Luke, but he said something applicable to all
of Scripture. He basically says, “The Bible is not the ABC's of
our faith, but it is the A to Z of our faith.” What he's getting
at is that the Bible is not a rules book but is, instead, a complete
way of life.
I think Jesus, through Matthew, makes
this same point when he says, “Go and tell John what you hear and
see.”
Too often, it seems, we look for a
savior or a messiah who fits a particular criteria. We see someone
who proclaims himself to be anti-abortion, pro-choice, anti-taxes,
pro-business, pro-family values, pro-women, or whatever issue we
personally have a stake in, and then (to borrow a phrase from Arlo
Guthrie) we pin a medal on his chest and say, “You're our boy.”
If we see it fitting in with our particular values, we want to make
the proclamation of a savior. But in Matthew, Jesus takes a
different approach.
Go and tell John what you hear and see.
If we read Scripture holistically, A to Z, rather than
prescriptively, ABC, we come to a different place. We don't see
Jesus as fulfilling the requirements of ABC and then anointing him as
Messiah. Instead, we hear the words of Scripture as an A to Z
relationship and we see how Jesus fulfills the overall scriptural
theme.
It was good. God gave. God desires.
Return to me. Have compassion. Do not opress others. Blind shall
see. Lame shall walk. Lepers shall be cleansed. The deaf shall
hear. The poor will have good news brought to them.
This is not only an A to Z life change
for those people, it is an A to Z life change for us who help make
this a reality. As we look to Scripture to inform our lives, how
does Scripture reflect the totality of our faith, the A to Z, rather
than particular check-points of a faith, the ABC's?
This is what Jesus is telling John
through his disciples. What do you hear in the voice of Scripture?
What do you hear in the prophets? What do you hear from God?
Those things you hear – restoration,
compassion, inclusion, healing, and wholeness – are being fulfilled
in what you see from Jesus. Through Jesus people are restored and
healed. Through Jesus people receive compassion, dignity, and
respect. Through Jesus the outcasts are returned and included. What
you see is a fulfillment of what is heard in the holistic totality of
Scripture.
The focus of today's gospel isn't
John's question. Today's gospel isn't concerned with seeing how
Jesus fulfills a messianic checklist that determines whether or not
we follow him.
Instead, the focus of today's gospel is
to allow us to hear how the long arc of Scripture is fulfilled in the
person of Jesus. Jesus shows us how to live faithfully on the arc of
Scripture through his healing, restoring, compassion, and dignified
inclusion of outcasts.
On this Gaudete Sunday when rejoicing
is the overall theme of the day, what do you hear in Scripture? Do
you hear what Jesus heard? More importantly, will what you hear
allow others to see what Scripture proclaims?
Amen.
1 comments:
I had that same question - how did John not know?
Love the A to Z vs. ABC thing. (which has a lot to do with why I'm no longer a Baptist. heh.)
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