Waiting is never in abstraction; oftentimes there are persons who somehow personify what lies in prospect and so exemplify what needs to be done. Such forerunner or precursor is John the Baptizer in connection with the coming of Jesus Christ that humanity in Advent is looking forward to and clearly must prepare for (Mark 1:1-8).
The beginning of the good news
Preparatory to the coming of Jesus and part of the beginning of the good news of salvation was the appearance of John in the Jordan wilderness. His role and service were foretold by the prophet of old: a messenger would be sent ahead of the messiah to prepare his way (Malachi 3:1). Isaiah (40:3) described this servant as like a voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” It is part of God’s design that the long-awaited salvation of His people would truly begin because some persons have been waiting and preparing for it. Clearly, to be able to receive what heaven would rain down upon the Earth, humankind must be made ready.
The people had to be reminded to make straight the paths of the Lord and thus welcome his advent. And the people flocked to see John and to listen to him, from the countryside as well as from the city. Not just some but all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and from the whole Jordan region. He proclaimed a baptism of repentance, demanding from the people a sign of moral transformation and change. Their sins needed forgiveness; they must show repentance. Asking to be washed in the running water of the Jordan River was such a demonstration of repentance. It was a beginning of the story of salvation as they acknowledged their sins.
The baptizer
The people were moved to follow John’s call because they saw in him a prophet of God. John was unmistakably clear as to his task and regarding his own identity. Yes, he baptized but that was merely preparatory; his baptism was only with water, a symbol of purification in function of repentance. What he was preparing the people for was the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which only the messiah would be offering to the people. The imparting of God’s Spirit will be what gives life and creates a new people of God.
The messiah who would come after him is mightier than he is; he is not even worthy to untie his sandals for him. This humility and truthfulness of John the Baptizer was backed up by his authenticity of life. Out in the desert in communion with God, John subsisted on locusts and honey, i.e. on judgment and consolation. Locusts represent divine judgment, being instruments of punishing and bitter destruction (Exodus 10:4; Psalm 105:34; Isaiah 33:4). Honey signifies peace and plenty, a symbol of comfort and reward. John was a walking sign of God’s approaching judgment, which he tried to warn people about, and to prepare them for the coming divine reward for the faithful ones. John was a personification of his message, a prophet of God in the format of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), garbed in camel’s hair and tied with leather around his waist.
Alálaong bagá, the Lord is coming, and the Church as God’s people of salvation has now the task of being the voice in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” This prophetic role demands fidelity and courage in delivering God’s Word to all, in all seasons, welcome or unwelcome. The soil on which the seed falls needs to be cultivated constantly, or it turns into a wasteland. The coming of the Lord, not only at the end but also now, calls for models, precursors or torchbearers, to facilitate people’s encounter with him and prepare his way. Whether as parents to their children, or friends to fellow travelers, or pastors to their communities, people’s faith is nourished and quickened by the vitality of the faith of authentic witnesses who are today’s models and precursors of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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