VOICE IN THE DESERT (John The Baptist-Part 2) - 2nd Sunday of Advent (Cycle C)

Homily for the 2^nd Sunday of Advent (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 3:1-6 (Gospel), Bar 5:1-9 (First Reading) and Phil 1:4-6,8-11 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

VOICE IN THE DESERT

 (John The Baptist-Part 2)

The Gospel reading for this 2^nd Sunday od Advent is fromLk 3:1-6.

Verse 1 says: In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign,^a when Pontius Pilate^b was governor of Judaea, Herod^c tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip^d tetrarch of the land of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias^e tetrarch of Abilene… Footnote ^a says “Here, as in 1:5 and 2:1-3, Lk dates his narrative by secular events. Tiberius succeeded Augustus, 2:1, on 19 August 14 AD. The 15th year, therefore, is from 19 August 28 AD to 18 August 29 AD. Alternatively, if the Syrian method of calculating the year of a reign is being followed, the 15th year is from Sept-Oct 27 AD to Sept-Oct 28 AD. At that time, Jesus was at least 33 years old, possibly 35 or 36. The indication of v. 23 is approximate, and perhaps it only means that Jesus was old enough to exercise a public ministry. The mistake in calculating the ‘Christian Era’ results from taking 3:23 as an exact figure: the 15th year of Tiberius was 782 ‘after the foundation of Rome’; Dionysius Exiguus subtracted 29 full years from this, arriving at 753 for the beginning of our era. Actually, it should have been 750 or even 746”; Footnote  ^b  says “Procurator of Judaea (including Idumaea and Samaria) 26-36 AD”; Footnote  ^c  says  “The Herod referred to is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great and Malthake; he was tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea from 4 BC to 39 AD.”; Footnote  ^d  says “Son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra, tetrarch from 4 BC to 34 AD”; and  Footnote  ^e - Known from two inscriptions. Abilene was in Anti-Lebanon.

Parallel texts are:

1.      Mt 3:1-12 - The preaching of John the Baptist. In due course^a John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message (v. 1) ‘Repent’, ^b for the kingdom of heaven ^c is close at hand! (v.2). This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. (v. 3). This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey (v. 4). Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him (v. 5), and as they were baptized by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.^d (v. 6)But when he saw a number of Pharisees^e and Sadducees^f coming for baptism he said to them (v. 7), ‘Blood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? ^gBut if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit (v. 8), and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father”, because I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones (v. 9). Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire (v. 10) I baptize you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful then I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire ^h (v. 11). His winnowing fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’^I Footnote ^a  says “Lit. ‘in those days’. Stereotyped expression, merely a formula of transition”; Footnote ^b says  “Metanoia, rendered ‘repentance’, inspires a change of heart; ‘conversion’ in the technical sense.”; Footnote ^c says “Instead of ‘Kingdom of God’, cf. 4:17+. The phrase is proper to Mt. and reflects the Jewish scruple which substitutes metaphor for the divine name.”; Footnote ^d  says “The rite of immersion, symbolic of purification or of renewal, was familiar to the ancient religions and to Judaism (baptism though suggested by these practices is distinct from them for three main reasons; it is directed to moral, not  ritual, purification (3:2,6,8,11; Lk 3:10-14); it takes place one only and for this reason appears  as a  ceremony of initiation; it has an eschatological value in so far as it enrolls its recipients among the number of those who professedly and actively prepare themselves  for the imminent coming of the Messiah and who are, therefore, the messianic community in anticipation (3:2,11; Jn 1:19-34). It produces a real effect upon the soul but this effect is not produced sacramentally since it depends on something that has not yet taken place: this future event is God’s Judgment embodied in the coming Messiah whose ‘fire’; will purify or consume according to the good or bad dispositions it meets with; he alone, and not John. Will baptize ‘in the Holy Spirit’ (3:7,10-12). John’s baptism continued to be continued to be administered by the disciples of Jesus (Jn 4:11-2)until it was absorbed by the new rite which he had instituted (Mt 28:19:Ac 1:5+: Rm 6:4+)”; Footnote ^e  says “A Jewish sect, rigid observers of the Law; undue attachments to the oral tradition of their rabbis led, however, to an extravagant and artificial casuistry; Footnote ^f  says “In opposition to the outlook of the Pharisees these rejected all traditions not contained in the written Law. They came for the most part from the great priestly families. They were less devout than the Pharisees and more politically minded.”;   Footnote ^g  says “The retribution of the day of Yahweh (Am. 5:18+), which was to inaugurate the messianic era”; Footnote ^h  says “In the OT, fire, a purifying element more refined and efficacious than water, was already a symbol of God’s supreme intervention in history and of his spirit, which comes to purify hearts, cf. Is. 1:25, Zc. 13:9, Ml. 3:2-3, Si. 2:5, etc.”; and Footnote  ⁱ  says “The fire of Gehenna which forever goes on consuming what has defied purification (Is 66:24; Jdt 16:17; Si 7:17; Zp 1:18; Ps 21:9, etc.).”

2.       Mk 1:1-8 - The beginning of the Good News^a of Jesus Christ, the Son of God^b (v. 1). It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:  Look I am going to send my messenger before you: he will prepare your way (v. 2)  A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight (v. 3), and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming^c a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v. 4). All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptized by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins (v. 5). John wore a garment of camel-skin,^d and he lived on locusts and wild honey (v. 6). In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals (v. 7). I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (v. 8).  Footnote ^a says “Good_News. Old English ‘god-spel’, Greek euaggelion, hence Lat. evangelium. The word is used in the NT to mean, not a book, but the Good News of salvation. Jesus being both its messenger and its message.”; Footnote ^b  says “Om ‘Son of God’”; Footnote ^c says “Var. ‘John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming…’; and Footnote ^d says “Var. ‘John wore a garment of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist”, cf. Mt 3:4.”

3.       Lk 1:80 - Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit matured.^gg And he lived out in the wilderness until the day he appeared openly to Israel. Footnote ^gg  says “A kind of refrain: 2:40,52; cf. 1:66 and cf Ac 2:41+; 6:7+.”

4.       Mt 27:2 - They had him bound, and led him away to hand him over to Pilate,^a the governor. Footnote ^a  says “Var ‘Pontius Pilate’, Cf. Lk 3:1+. In Judaea, as in all the provinces of the Empire, Rome reserved to itself power of life and death: the Jews had to approach this magistrate for confirmation and execution of the sentence they had promulgated.”

Verse 2 says: during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas,^f the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness… Footnote ^f says  “The high priest in office was Joseph, called Caiaphas; he exercised this function from 18-36 AD and played a leading part in the plot against Jesus, cf. Mt 26:3; Jn 11:49; 18:14. His father-in-law, Annas, who had been High priest from 6 (?) to 15 AD is associated with him and even named first, cf. Ac 4:6 and Jn 18:13,24, as if his prestige was such that he was high priest in all but name.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jr 1:2 - The word of Yahweh was addressed to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign^c.  Footnote ^c  says “Formula introducing the narrative of the prophet’s call (6:26), 1:4-19.”

2.       Ho 1:1 - The word of Yahweh was addressed to Hosea son of Beeri when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were reigning in Judah, and Jeroboam son of Joash in Israel.^a Footnote ^a  says “More accurately, it was under the last king of Israel that Hosea chiefly exercised his prophetic ministry. Menahem (743-738), Pekahiah (738-737), Pekah (737-732), Hoshea (732-724).”

Verse 3 says: He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins^g

Footnote ^g  says “Probably in the neighborhood of Jericho.”

Parallel text is Jn 1:23 that says: So John said, ‘I am as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord’.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 say: as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, winding ways will be straightened and rough roads made smooth and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

Parallel text for verse is Is 40:3-5 that says: A voice^c cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.^d (v. 3) Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be made low,^e let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley (v. 4); then the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken’ (v. 5). Footnote ^c says “The voice of Yahweh addressing the prophet. The evangelists quote this text in its LXX form; ‘A voice of one who cries in the wilderness…’; for them this is the voice of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah.”; Footnote ^d  says “The Exodus is to be repeated; Yahweh will lead his people back to Palestine. The wonders of the Exodus have already been recalled by Isaiah, 10:25-27, as an earnest of God’s protection. The prophets of the Exile elaborate this theme. As of old, God will come to save his people, Jr. 16:14-15; 31:2; Is. 46:3-4;  and 63:9 (repeating Ex. 19:4) The miracles of the first Exodus, Mi. 7:14-15, the crossing of the Red Sea, Is. 11:15-16; 43:16-21; 51:10; 63:11-13; the water from the rock, 48:21; the bright cloud, 52:12;  cf. 4:5-6, the desert march, 40:3f; cf. Ba. 5:7-9; become both type and guarantee of the second, from Babylon to Jerusalem. On the theme of the Exodus see also Ho. 2:16+.”; Footnote ^e says “Mountains symbolize the arrogance of the great; the reduction of these has already been foretold in Is 2:12-15 as a sign of the ‘day of Yahweh’.”

The First Reading is from Bar 5:1-9.

Verse 1 says: Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God forever,

Parallel texts are:

1.       Tb 13:16 - …because Jerusalem shall be built anew and his house for ever and ever.

2.       Is 52:1 - Awake, awake! Clothe yourself in strength, Zion. Put on your richest clothes, Jerusalem, holy city; since no longer shall there enter you either the uncircumcised or the unclean.

Verses 2,3,4 5, and 6 say:  Wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you, put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your head;  since God means to show your splendor to every nation under heaven, Since the name God gives you forever will be, ‘Peace through integrity, and honor through devotedness’.^a Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east: see your sons reassembled from west to east at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them. Though they left you on foot, with enemies for an escort, now God brings them back to you like royal princess^b carried back in glory.  Footnote ^a  says “For the other messianic names given to Jerusalem, cf. Is 1:26+; 60:14+; Jr 33:16; Ezk 48:15”; and Footnote ^b  says “Lit. ‘sons of the kingdom’ Vulg. And some Greek MSS; ‘as (on) a royal throne’ Greek. On this second Exodus, cf. Is 40:3+.”

Parallel texts for verse 6 are:

1.       Is 49:22 - Thus speaks the Lord Yahweh: I beckon to the nations and hoist my signal for the people.^k They will bring back your sons in the cloak,^l they will take your daughters on their shoulders. Footnote ^k  says “In 5:26, this signal called in the invader, now it proclaims salvation”; and  Footnote ^l says “As babes are tenderly carried.”

2.       Is 60:4 - Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried.

Verse 7 says: For God has decreed the flattening of each high mountain, of the everlasting hills, the filling of the valleys to make the ground level so that Israel can walk in safety under the glory of God.

Parallel text is Is 40:3,4 that says: A voice^c cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.^d (v. 3) Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be made low,^e let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley (v. 4);  Footnote ^c says “The voice of Yahweh addressing the prophet. The evangelists quote this text in its LXX form; ‘A voice of one who cries in the wilderness…’; for them this is the voice of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah.”;  Footnote ^d  says “The Exodus is to be repeated; Yahweh will lead his people back to Palestine. The wonders of the Exodus have already been recalled by Isaiah, 10:25-27, as an earnest of God’s protection. The prophets of the Exile elaborate this theme. As of old, God will come to save his people, Jr. 16:14-15; 31:2; Is. 46:3-4;  and 63:9 (repeating Ex. 19:4) The miracles of the first Exodus, Mi. 7:14-15, the crossing of the Red Sea, Is. 11:15-16; 43:16-21; 51:10; 63:11-13; the water from the rock, 48:21; the bright cloud, 52:12;  cf. 4:5-6, the desert march, 40:3f; cf. Ba. 5:7-9; become both type and guarantee of the second, from Babylon to Jerusalem. On the theme of the Exodus see also Ho. 2:16+”; and Footnote ^e says “Mountains symbolize the arrogance of the great; the reduction of these has already been foretold in Is 2:12-15 as a sign of the ‘day of Yahweh’.”

Verses 8 and 9 say: And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade for Israel at the command of God; For God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory with his mercy and integrity for escort.

Parallel text for verse 8 is Is 41:19 that says: In the wilderness I will put cedar trees, acacias, myrtles, olives. In the desert, I will plant juniper, plane tree and cypress side by side.

The Second Reading is from Phil 1:4-6,8-11.

Verse 4 says: Every  time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy,^b Footnote ^b says “Joy is one of the chief characteristics of this letter; cf. 1:18,25; 2:2,17,28,29; 3:1; 4:1,4,10.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Th 1:2 - We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all…

2.       Ph 1:18,25 - But does it matter? Whether from dishonest motives or in sincerity, Christ is proclaimed; and that makes me happy…(v. 18)This weighs with me so much that I feel sure I shall survive and stay with you all, and help you to progress in the faith and even increase your joy in it…(v. 25).

3.       Ph 2:2,29 …then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy^c (v. 2). Give him a most hearty welcome, in the Lord; people like him are to be honored (v. 29).  Footnote ^c  says “The urgent plea for unity suggests that internal divisions threatened the peace of the Church of Philippi, cf. 1:27; 2:14; 4:2. Note how Paul keeps insisting that he is addressing all of them, 1:1,4,6,25; 2:17,26; 4:21.”

4.       Ph 3:1 - Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.^a  Footnote ^a says “Paul interrupts the conclusion of the letter to add a long postscript.”

5.       Ph 4:1 - So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

6.       Ph 4:10 - It is a great joy to me, in the Lord, that at last you have shown some concern for me again; though of course you were concerned before, and only lacked an opportunity.

7.       1 Th 5:16 - Be happy at all times.

8.       1 Co 1:8 - And he will keep you steady and without blame^d until the last day, the day^e of our Lord Jesus Christ. Footnote ^d  says  “Cf. Ph 1:10; 2:15f; Ep 1:4; Col 1:22; 1 Th 3:13; 5:23; Jude 24”;  Footnote ^e  says “This ‘day of the Lord’, 5:5; 2 Co 1:14, 1 Th 5:2; 2 Th 2:2; cf. 2 P. 3:10, called also the ‘day of Christ’, Ph 1:6,10; 2:16, or simply the ‘day’, 2 Th 1:10; 2 Tm 1:12, 18; 4:8; cf. Mt 7:22; 24:36; Lk 10:12; 21:14, or ‘the day of the Son of Man’, Lk 17:24, cf. v. 26, or ‘the day of God’, 2 P 3:12, or ‘the day of visitation’, 1 P 2:12, or ‘the great day’, Jude 6; Rv 6:17; 16:14, or ‘the last day’, Jn 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; 12:48, is the fulfillment in the eschatological era, ushered in by Christ, of the ‘day of Yahweh’ foretold by the prophets, Am 5:18+. The fulfillment begins with the first coming of Christ, Lk 17:20-24, and the punishment of Jerusalem, Mt 24:1+; and this final stage in the history of salvation, cf. Ac 1:7+, will be completed by the glorious second coming, 1 Co. 1:7+; 15:23+; 1 Tm 6:14+, of the Sovereign Judge, Rm 2:6+; Jm 5:6-9. A cosmic upheaval and renewal will accompany it (cf. Am 8:9+), Mt 24:29p+; Heb 12:26f; 2 P 3:10-13; Rv 20:11; 21:1; cf. Mt 19:20; Rm 8:20-22. This day of light is coming, Rm 13:12; Heb 10:25; Jm 5:8; 1 P 4:7; cf. 1 Th 5:5,8, but exactly when is uncertain, 1 Th 5:1+, meanwhile we must prepare for it. 2 Co. 5:2+.

Verses 5, 6 and 8 say: Remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News^c from the day you first heard it^d right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes. …and God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. Footnote ^c says “Not only by sending money, 4:14-16, but by suffering for the Good News, 1:29-30”; and Footnote^d says Since the day they were coverted, cf. Ac 16:12-40.

Parallel text for verse 8 is Rm 1:9 that says:  The God I worship ^f spiritually ^g by preaching the good News of his Son knows that I never fail to mention you in my prayers.

Footnote ^f  says “Lit. ‘I offer worship offered to God, cf. 15:16, like the Christian life itself, since both depend on charity, 12:1; Ph 2:17; 3:3; 4:18, Ac  13:2; 2 Tim 1:3; 4:6; Heb 9:14; 12:28; 13:15; 1 P 2:5”; Footnote ^g  says “By spirit (pneuma) Paul sometimes means the highest element in a human being, Rm 1:9; 8:16; 1 Co 2:11; 16:18; 2 Co 2:13; 7:13; Ga 6:18; Ph 4:23; Phm 25; 2 Tm 4:22; cf. Mt 5:3; 27:50; Mk 2:8; 8:12; Lk 1:47,80; 8:55; 23:46; Jn 4:23f; 11:33; 13:21; 19:30; Ac 7:59; 17:16; 18:25; 19:21. This  he distinguishes from the flesh, the lower element (1 Co 5:5; 2 Co 7:1; col. 2:5; cf. Mt 26:41p; 1 P 4:6; Rm 7:5), from the body (1 Co 5:3f; 7:34; cfJm 2:26; Rm 7:24), and from the psyche also (1 Th 5:23+; cf. Heb 4:12; Jude 19); it bears some relationship to nous (Rm 7:25; Ep 4:23) Cf also ‘dispositions of the spirit’ in 1 Co 4:2); 2 Co 12:18; Ga 6:1; Ph 1:27. By choosing this traditional term (Cf. Is. 11:2+) instead of the nous of the Greek  philosophers, the NT can suggest a deep affinity between the human spirit and the Spirit of God that stimulates and guides it, Rm 5:5+; Ac 1:8+. There are many texts where it is hard to tell whether it is the natural or supernatural spirit that is referred to, the personal or the indwelling spirit- cf. e.g. Rm 12:11; 2 Co 6:6; Ep 43:23; 6:18; Ph 3:3 var. Col 1:8, Jude 19, etc.

Verse 9 says: My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception

Parallel texts are:

1.       Col 1:9-10 - That will explain why, ever since the day he told us, we have never failed to pray for you, and we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will.

2.       Phm 6 - I pray that this faith will give rise to a sense of fellowship that will show you all the good things that we are able to do for Christ.^b Footnote ^b  says “Lit. ‘that the fellowship of your faith may become effectual in a full knowledge of every good thing in us for Christ; i.e. faith unites a person not only to Christ  but to all who are his brothers through their union with Christ. Faith and love go together, v. 5, and Paul expects that faith will produce practical results. ‘effectual’; var. (Vulg.) ‘manifests’, ‘we are able’; var. (Vulg.) ‘you are able’.”

Verse 10 says: So that you can always recognize what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ,

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ph 1:6 - I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes.

2.       Heb 5:14 - Solid food is for mature men with minds trained by practice to distinguish between good and bad.

Verse 11 says: when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ph 3:9…and be given a place in him, i am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts, the perfection that comes from the Law, but I want only a perfection  that comes through faith in Christ, and is from God and based on faith.^g  Footnote ^g  says “The difference between these two sorts of perfection form the entire subject of Paul’s letters to the Christians of Galatia and Rome.”

2.       Jn 15:1 - I am the vine^a and my Father is the vinedresser. Footnote ^a says “On the vine image, cf. Jr 2:21; Is. 5:1+. In the synoptic, Jesus uses the vine as a symbol of the kingdom of God, Mt 20:1-8; 21:28-31, 33-41 and p, and ‘the fruit of the vine’ becomes the Eucharistic sacrament of the New Covenant, Mt 26:29p. Here he calls himself the true vine whose fruit, the true Israel, will not disappoint God’s expectation”.

3.       Heb 12:11 - Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but, later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness.

4.       Jm 3:18 - Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.

The following is taken from my homilies for December 16 to 25 on the “Messianic Connections”:

Today’s Gospel is taken from John 5:33-36. It talks about the real identity of John the Baptist according to this gospel of the Apostle John.

Let us first paraphrase the whole of this gospel in order to understand what it is saying  to us now.

First, is verse 33.  It says: They sent messengers to John.

Who were these messengers?  They were priests and Levites from Jerusalem sent by the Jews (Jh, 1:19).

It is historically note-worthy to remember that John the Baptist did not belong to the existing two Jewish religious sects at that time, the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Cf. Mt. 3:7), but belonged to another sect, the Essenes. The Essenes and the Pharisees both belonged to the Hasidean (the “devout” mentioned in 1 Mac. 2:42) party, which was devoted to the Law.  When the Hasideans later rejected the policies of the Hasmonaeans, the Pharisees and the Essenes split into two separate groups. The Pharisees were identified with the Hasmonaean Party and Herodian Dynasty, whose policy was to cooperate with the foreign (the Greeks and the Romans) conquerors of the Holy Land. On the Sadducees, see note on Acts 23:8 of the Jerusalem Bible.

Hence, politically and religiously, John the Baptist belonged to the Essenes community. We now know extensively about this community with the recent discovery of the Qumran caves, which was one of the prosperous Essenes centers at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. The Essenes was a Jewish sect, founded on the Hasidean tradition, which strongly believed in the restoration of the glory of ancient Israel through the coming of the promised successor king to the Davidic throne, who is the Messiah, the Christ, and the Savior of Israel, who will liberate the people from foreign domination by the Romans. They did not recognize the Temple built by Herod the Great at Jerusalem, and, therefore, they rejected its priesthood, its religion, and its traditions. They remained as the assembly, or the “church”, in the wilderness (Dt. 4:10, 9:10, 18:16; Ac 7:38, Rev. 12:14), until the time that the full glory of the Davidic kingdom and its Temple will once more be established with the coming of the promised Messiah, who is the successor of King David (2 Sam. 7:1+, 7:12,, Is. 9:5f, 11:1f, Mi. 5:1-3, Mt. 1:1+, Rom. 1:3, 1 Tim. 3:16, Heb. 7:14, Rev. 22:16). Hence, the Essenes communities scattered throughout the Palestinian deserts were alive and burning with the Messianic hope and expectation. It is in this context that John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, another member of the Essenes community, performed their individual ministry. As they belonged to the Essenes tradition, they opposed the Pharisees and the Sadducees, their priests, Levites, and all the other Jewish religious leaders, whom they believed had politically compromised the ancient faith of Israel when these chose to cooperate and coexist with the foreign conquerors of their country.

Why did the Jews send these priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John the Baptist?  Because: “A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ” (Lk. 3:15), the longed- for-Messiah, the Anointed son of David who was promised to come, the Savior of Israel.

What did these priests and Levites do to John the Baptist? They asked him, “Who are you?”

                Verse 33 continues… And he gave his testimony to the truth.

                Why did John testify to the truth?  Because he was:  

v  a witness (Jh. 1:7,8.15, Cf. Mt. 6:22-23);

v  a herald or precursor (Lk. 1:76, Act 13:24);

v  a messenger, an envoy or emissary (Ml. 3:1).

               

What is the truth in John’s  testimony?  That he was not:

v  Elijah (or the reincarnation of Elijah) (Jh. 1:21, Ml. 3:23-24, Mt. 17:10-13), who was taken bodily to heaven;

v  The Prophet Moses (Dt. 18:15,18), Nb. 12:7+), who was also taken bodily to heaven (Dt. 34:6, Jude 9);

v  The Christ (Jh. 1:20, 3:28; Lk. 3:15, Ac 13:25);

v  Nor as the one they imagined him to be (Act 13:25);  Regarding the resurrection of John the Baptist, see Herod’s belief that Jesus is the resurrected John the Baptist (Mt. 14:2+).

Therefore, who was he?

 “Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?” asked these priest and Levites from Jerusalem whom the Jews sent to John the Baptist (Jh. 1:22).

John’s answer is:

v  I AM  A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS (Jh. 1:23). “A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for YHWH. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert’ (Is. 40:3)”…”A highway undefiled, a sacred way…the unclean may not travel by it, nor fools stray along it” (Is. 35:8).

Wilderness means “eremus” (Latin), “yermo” (Sp.), “desert” (Eng.) from where the word “hermit”or “hermitage” (“hermita” or house in the wilderness) comes from.

In saying that John the Baptist was “a voice in the wilderness”, Apostle John was clearly indicating the connection of John the Baptist to the Essenes communities found at Qumran and the Jordan territory of Judea. These desert communities were the continuation and the reliving of the assembly, or “church”, in the wilderness during the times of Moses, Joshua and the Judges, the first two kings, and the prophets of ancient Israel (cf. Dt. 4:10, Ac 7:38), wherein the center was the tent sanctuary  (Cf. Ex. 25:40, 2 S. 7:6, Ac. 7:44, Heb. 8:2,5). John the Baptist, therefore, was a minister, a priest (Cf. Lk. 1:7) of this church, or assembly, in the wilderness.

v  YOU, LITLE CHILD, SHALL BE CALLED PROPHET OF THE MOST HIGH (Lk. 1:76) …Much more than a prophet, “Since of all children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen” (Mt. 11:9,11).

But, what kind of prophet?  A prophet with the spirit and power of Elijah (Lk. 1:17, Mt. 17:10-13, Ml. 3:23-24, Mt. 11:14).

On Elijah, please read Si. 48:1,10; Ml. 3:23. He murdered, by means of beheading,  the 100 priests of Baal. He was taken up bodily in a chariot of fire. John the Baptist was believed to be the reincarnation of Elijah. Hence, John the Baptist paid for the crime of Elijah, by being beheaded himself, on orders of Herod.

                What ministry did John the Baptist do? Proclaimed a baptism of repentance  (Ac. 13:23-25)…by confessing sins while being baptized (Mt. 3:6)…as a way to prepare for the coming of the Messiah (Ac. 13:23-25), in order to reveal the Messiah (Jh. 1:15, 30-31).

Where did John baptize this baptism of repentance? In the Jordan District in Judaea.

                This is the truth about which John the Baptist performed his priestly ministry. By birth, he was a priest, being descended from the priestly clan of the Levites, because his father Zachary (who belongs to the priestly clan of Abijah), and his mother Elizabeth (a descendant of Aaron), were all members of the levitical tribe (Cf. Lk. 1:5).

                But, was John the Baptist the priestly Messiah (Heb. 7:1f)? Can the expected savior of Israel come once more from the levitical line of the Temple priesthood, just like the Maccabean period?

                Because of his popularity, John the Baptist, was acclaimed by the people as the priestly Messiah (Lk. 1:17, 76; 3:15). Even Jesus himself said so: “And he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return” (Mt. 11:9, 14, 17, 10-13, Mk. 9:11-12).

                But what is the connection of the priestly messiaship of John the Baptist to the messiaship of Jesus Christ, according to this gospel of the Apostle John? Let us continue with the next verses of this gospel.

In verse 34, it says: “Not that I depend on human testimony, no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this.

                “I may be testifying on my own behalf, but the Father who sent me is my witness too” (Jh. 8:18)…”Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself” (Jh. 5:37, Jh 2:11+, 6:14-15, 1 Jh. 5:9).

                “The people seeing this sign he had given, said: ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world’” (Jh. 6:14)”.

                “We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God’s testimony is much greater, and this is God’s testimony, given as evidence for his Son” (1 Jh. 5:9).

               

In verse 35, it says: “John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.

                “He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light” (Jh. 1:8).

                “Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his swords flaring like a torch” (Si. 48:1).

                “But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers..” (Mt. 3:7).

Apostle John made Jesus say that John the Baptist was not the light, but only a lamp, which is a bearer of the light. As the “Elijah who was to return” (reincarnated Elijah), John the Baptist possessed the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Lk. 1:17), “who rose like a fire, with swords flaring like torches” (Si. 48:1). John the Baptist possessed this character of Elijah when he lashed at the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him for baptism: “You, brood of vipers…” (Mt. 3:7). But, John the Baptist, like prophet Elijah, was merely a lamp, who rose like fire, with swords flaring like torches. Jesus Christ was the light (Jh. 8:12+). (The theme of light-darkness contrast came to be used to the mutually hostile worlds of good and evil. Cf. the Essene texts of Qumran).

                Light and lamp must go together. And so Jesus Christ, as the light, and John the Baptist, as the lamp, must also go together.

                Let us see the last verse, before we make the conclusion.

In verse 36, it says: “But my testimony is greater than John’s: The works my Father has given me to carry out; these same works of mine testify that the Father has sent me.”

                “Jesus replied, ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness” (Jh. 10:25).

                What are these works that bear witness that Jesus is the one sent by the Father? His signs and his miracles.

                “This is the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him” (Jh. 2:11+).

                “This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee” (Jh. 4:54). (On the Cure of the Nobleman’s son). 

King Herod believed that such powers were generated because Jesus was the resurrected John the Baptist (Mt. 14:2).

                The testimony about the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than either John the Baptist or Jesus Christ individually taken. Our salvation needs both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, like the lamp and the light, always taken together. Hence, the proper connection between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ must be established clearly and immediately.

                What is the real and proper connection between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

                As we said, John the Baptist was the priest Messiah (of the Aaron-Abijah line of the Levitical priesthood).

How about Jesus Christ? He was not descended from the priestly clan, like John the Baptist (Heb. 7:14), but was a descendant of King David (Rt. 7:42, Mt. 1:1+, 9:27+, 12:23, 15:23, 21:9, Lk. 1:32, Jh. 7:42). Therefore, he was a king or royal Messiah, from the lineage of King David.

These two, therefore, are closely linked together in the dispensation of salvation. John the Baptist, who was the priest Messiah, needed Jesus Christ, who was the king Messiah, just like the two bronze pillars of the Temple, the Jachin (priestly) pillar and the Boaz (kingly) pillar, supporting together the stability of the theocracy of Israel.

But with the arrest (Mt. 4:12) and eventual death of John the Baptist, Jesus had succeeded him (Mt. 4:12) in John the Baptist’s ministry (Mk. 10:40, Jh. 3:36). This event was already foretold when John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River (Mk. 1:7p), making him the legitimate successor of John the Baptist, since Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River was some sort of an ordination to the priesthood. Hence, after the death of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the King Messiah, legitimately assumed the Priestly Messiaship of John the Baptist, making him the Priest-King Messiah like the priest-king Melchisedek of old (Heb. 7:1p). Henceforth, the two bronze pillars of the Temple that supported the stability of the Old Testament religion and theocracy, became, in Jesus Christ, a one single bronze pillar (combining unto Himself the kingly and priestly powers) of the New Testament Church. Jesus Christ’s assumption of both the priestly and kingly powers is necessary so that he may become like King David, his ancestor, who was both shepherd (religious) and leader (political) of my people Israel” (1 Ch. 11:2)

This is the meaning of the words of Jesus Christ, as written by Apostle John in today’s gospel, when he said: “No, it is for your salvation that I speak of this” (Jh. 5:35).

Understanding this proper connection between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ is very important indeed for our salvation.

This connection is very necessary to understand and accept the development and legitimacy to the sole claim of Messiaship by Jesus Christ. Even John the Baptist affirmed this claim of Jesus Christ while he was still alive when he said: “I am not he (the Messiah), but the one who follows me is greater than me.” (Jh. 1:15,26,30). “I am baptizing with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Spirit” (Mk. 1:7, Jh. 1:33, see also Jh. 3:27-36).

This new understanding of the old Jewish expectation for the promised Messiah, which was now fully realized in the one person of Jesus Christ, was also necessary for the realization of the salvation of the non-Israelites, the pagans, as spoken to in today’s first reading (Is. 56:1-3, 6-8) by prophet Isaiah. Jesus Christ inaugurated a new Temple and a new religion

for all mankind, irregardless of race, color or nationality.

Conclusion:

By way of concluding this present discussion, after establishing the proper Messianic connection between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, let us now put the biblical principle that: it is not proper and right for the priestly (spiritual) power to assume the kingly (political) power, just like what happened during the Maccabean times that created the Hasmonaean and Herodian dynasty which ruled Israel until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. But it is right and proper for the kingly (political) power to assume the priestly (spiritual) power, as it was began by King David and King Solomon when, as kings of Israel, started to build, and  finally completed, the building of the First Temple, and, which precedent, was followed by Jesus Christ, the Messiah Savior, in order to fulfill what God has spoken through the prophet that he shall be both “(spiritual) shepherd and (political)leader of my people Israel” (1 Ch. 11:2).

PREPARING FOR THE SON’S COMING - First Sunday of Advent (Cycle C)

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent Cycle C

 Based on Lk 21:25-28,34-36 (Gospel), Jr 33:14-16 (First Reading) and 1 Th 3:12-4:2 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

PREPARING FOR THE SON’S COMING

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The Gospel reading for this 1^st Sunday of Advent is taken from Lk 21:25-28,34-36.

Verse 25 says: There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamor of the ocean and its waves;

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 24:29-30 - Immediately after the distress of those days^m the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of heaven will be shakenⁿ (v. 29). And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven;^o then too all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.^p (v. 30). Footnote ^m  says “Join with v. 25; vv. 26-28 are a digression”; Footnote ⁿ says “Cf. Jr 4:23-26; Ezk 32:7f; Am 8:9; Mi 1:3-4; Jl 2:10; 3:4; 4:15 and especially Is 13:9-10; 34:4; the text repeats the phrases of the last two references. The ‘powers of heaven’ are the stars and all the other celestial forces”; Footnote ^o says “For the Fathers this ‘sign’ was Christ’s cross but possibly it is Christ himself proving by the triumph of his kingdom on earth that he has truly risen and is in glory”; and Footnote ^p  says “In these words Daniel foretold the establishment of the messianic kingdom by a Son of Man coming on the clouds. The cloud is the usual accompaniment of both OT and NT theophanies: Ex. 13:22+; 19:16+; 34:5+; Lv 16:2; 1 K 8:10-11; Ps 18:11; 97:2; 104:3; Is 19:1; Jr. 4:13Ezk 1:4; 10:3f; 2 M 2:8. For NT, cf. Mt 17:5; Ac 1:9,11; 1 Th 4:17; Rv 1:7; 14:14.”

2.       Mk 13:24-26 - “But in those days after that time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory;

Verses 26 and 27 say: men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken and then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

Parallel texts for verse 27 are:

1.       Dn 7:13-14 - ‘I gazed into the vision of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.^k He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence (v. 13). On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants (v. 14). Footnote ^k says “Like the Hebrew ben adam, the Aram. Bar nasha used here, has the primary eaning ‘man’, cf. Ps 8:4. In Ezk. God addresses the prophet thus. But here in Dn the expression signifies a man who is mysteriously more than human. That it indicates an individual is attested by early Jewish apocryphal writings (Enoch, 2 Esd) inspired by this passage, as also by rabbinical tradition from the 2^nd to the 9^th centuries, and most particularly by Jesus, who applies it to himself, cf. Mt 8:20+. That it has a collective sense also is deduced from v. 18 (and v. 22) where the ‘son of man’ and the saints of the Most High’ seem more or less identified. But the collective (and equally messianic sense is an extension of the individual sense; the ‘son of man’ being leader, representative and exemplar of the saints of the Most High. It was with this in mind that St. Ephraim believed that the prophecy applied first to the Jews (the Maccabees), but beyond this, and perfectly, to Jesus.”

2.       Heb 10:17 - Only a little while now, a very little while, and the one that is coming will have come: he will not delay.

Verses 28 and 34 say: When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation^f is near at hand.’ Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, Footnote ^f says “Or ‘redemption’, a Pauline term, cf. Rm 3:24+.”

Parallel texts for verse 34 are:

1.       Lk 17:26-30 - As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man (v.26).^g People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all (v. 27). It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building (v. 28), but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all (v. 29). It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed (v. 30). Footnote ^g  says “i.e. at the time of his coming.”

2.       1 Th 5:3 - It is when people are saying, ‘How quiet and peaceful it is’ that the worst suddenly happens, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there will be no way for anybody to evade it.

Verses 35 and 36 say: like a trap. For it will come downh on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidenceⁱ before the Son of Man.’  Footnote  ^h  says “Var. ‘for it will come down on you like a snare’.”; and Footnote ⁱ  says “Lit. ‘and to stand erect.’”

Parallel text for verse 37 is Rv 6:17 that says: For the Great Day of his anger^l has come, and who can survive it?  Footnote ^l says “Var. ‘their anger’.”

The First Reading is from Jr 33:14-16. The title is The institution  of the future^j Footnote ^j  says “The passage, which is not authentic, describes the administration of the messianic community as in Zc 4:1-4; 6:13. In the messianic age the function of king and priest will be closely associated.”

Verses 14, 15 and 16 say:   See, the days are coming-it is Yahweh who speaks-when I am going to fulfill the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah: In those days and at that time, I will make a virtuous branch grow for David, who will practice honesty and integrity in the land In those days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the name^k he will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.^l Footnote  ^k  says “‘the name’ Theod. Vulg: omitted from Hebr.”; Footnote ^l  says “Vv. 15-16 are a repetition of 23:5-6, but the name ‘Yahweh-our-integrity’ is applied to Jerusalem, see Ezk 48:35, and cf. Is 1:26+.”

Parallel texts for verse 15 are:

1.       Jr23:5-6  - ‘See, the days are coming- it is Yahweh who speaks- when I will raise a virtuous Branch^a for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practicing honesty and integrity in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.^b Footnote ^a says “‘Branch’ was to become a messianic title, Zc 3:8; 6:12.”; Footnote ^b says “This symbolic name, cf. Is 1:26+, by which the Messiah is to be called, is contrasted with the name of Zechariah which means ‘Yahweh my integrity’.”

2.       Ps 132:17 - ‘Here, I will make a horn sprout for David, here, I will trim a lamp^f for my anointed… Footnote ^f says “Cf 1 K 11:36; 15:4; 2 K 8:19; 2 Ch 21:7. On the extinguished lamp, cf. Jr 25:10; Jb 18:5. The Messiah will be the light of the nations, Is. 42:6; Is 49:6; Lk 2:32.”

3.       Is 4:2 - That day, the branch of Yahweh shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth^c shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors. Footnote ^c says “The ‘branch’ and the ‘fruit of the earth’ mean either the Messiah or else the remnant of Israel  (see following note) compared to the tree springing again in Palestinian soil.”

The Second Reading is from 1 Th 3:12-4:2.

Verse 12 says: May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race^d as much as we love you. Footnote ^d  says “Brotherly love of one another in the Christian community is only the beginning of charity; it has to spread to love for the whole human race.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Th 5:15 - Make sure that people do not try to take revenge; you must all think of what is best for each other and for the community.

2.       Rm 12:17 - Never repay evil with evil but let everyone see that you are interested only in the highest ideals.

3.       Ga 6:10 - While we have the chance,^b we must do good^c to all^d and especially to our brothers in the faith. Footnote ^b says “Possibly alluding to the time that still remains before the parousia, cf. 2 Co 6:2+.”; Footnote ^c says “‘we must do good’; var. ‘we do good’.; and Footnote ^d says “The good act of a Christian is done out of love, and so is concerned with others, 5:14: in this way he gives witness in public, cf. Rm 12:17-18, and as he is specially noticed by Christians. Rm 14:15, he helps to ‘build up’ the Church, Rm 14:18-19.”

4.       2 Th 1:3 - We feel we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for one another never stops increasing…

5.       Tt 3:2 - …not to go slandering other people or picking quarrels, but to be courteous and always polite to all kinds of people.

Verse 13 says: And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.^e Footnote ^e  says “Add. “Amen’. Holiness, 4:3+, begins with brotherly love but will not be perfect till the parousia. In this context ‘saints’ can refer to the chosen, the saved or the angels, Ac 9:13+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Th 5:13 - May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body,^e for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Footnote ^e says “Paul seem to have developed no coherent system of anthropology: this is the only place he mentions a tripartite division of body (cf. Rm 7:24+), soul (cf. 1 Co 15:44+) and spirit (which can be taken in two ways: as the divine presence in a human being, giving him new life in union with Christ, Rm 5:5+, or more probably as the innermost depths of te human being open and awake to the Spirit, cf. Rm 1:9+).”

2.       Zc 14:5 - And the Vale of Hinnom will be filled up from Goah to Jasol;^c it will be blocked as it wase^d by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh your God will come, and all the holy ones with him.^e Footnote ^c says “Text corr.”; Footnote ^d says ‘It will be blocked as it was’ Greek; ‘you will flee as you fled’ Hebr.; and Footnote ^e says ‘your (thy) God’ corr; ‘my God’ Hebr. ‘with him’ Greek; ‘with thee’ Hebr.”

3.       1 Co 1:8 - And he will keep you steady and without blame^d until the last day, the day^e of our Lord Jesus Christ. Footnote ^d  says “Cf. Ph 1:10; 2:15f; Ep 1:4; Col 1:22; 1 Th 3:13; 5:23; Jude 24.”; Footnote ^e  says “This ‘day of the Lord’, 5:5; 2 Co 1:14, 1 Th 5:2; 2 Th 2:2; cf. 2 P. 3:10, called also the ‘day of Christ’, Ph 1:6,10; 2:16, or simply the ‘day’, 2 Th 1:10; 2 Tm 1:12, 18; 4:8; cf. Mt 7:22; 24:36; Lk 10:12; 21:14, or ‘the day of the Son of Man’, Lk 17:24, cf. v. 26, or ‘the day of God’, 2 P 3:12, or ‘the day of visitation’, 1 P 2:12, or ‘the great day’, Jude 6; Rv 6:17; 16:14, or ‘the last day’, Jn 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; 12:48, is the fulfillment in the eschatological era, ushered in by Christ, of the ‘day of Yahweh’ foretold by the prophets, Am 5:18+. The fulfillment begins with the first coming of Christ, Lk 17:20-24, and the punishment of Jerusalem, Mt 24:1+; and this final stage in the history of salvation, cf. Ac 1:7+, will be completed by the glorious second coming, 1 Co. 1:7+; 15:23+; 1 Tm 6:14+, of the Sovereign Judge, Rm 2:6+; Jm 5:6-9. A cosmic upheaval and renewal will accompany it (cf. Am 8:9+), Mt 24:29p+; Heb 12:26f; 2 P 3:10-13; Rv 20:11; 21:1; cf. Mt 19:20; Rm 8:20-22. This day of light is coming, Rm 13:12; Heb 10:25; Jm 5:8; 1 P 4:7; cf. 1 Th 5:5,8, but exactly when is uncertain, 1 Th 5:1+, meanwhile we must prepare for it. 2 Co. 5:2+.”

4.       1 Co 15:23 - But all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first fruits and then, after the coming^f of Christ, those who belong to him. Footnote ^f says “Parousia (presence), a Greek word adopted by early Christians to indicate the glorious coming of Christ on his ‘day’, 1 Co 1:8+, at the end of time, Mt 24:3+; cf. also 1 Th 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:32; 2 Th 2:1; Jm 5:7,8; 2 P 1:16; 3:4,12; 1 Jn 2:28. In 2 Th 2:8,9 the same word is used to indicate the coming of the Lawless One. Cf. the similar terms ‘revelation’. 1 Co 1:7+, and ‘appearing’, 1 Tm 6:14+.”

Chapter 4, verses 1 and 2 say: Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus^a to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it.^b You have not forgotten the instruction we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus. Footnote ^a says “Paul speaks ‘in’ (v. 1) ‘by’ or ‘in the name of Christ, cf 4:15; 2 Th 3:6,12. His doctrine on moral behavior which is based on the earliest Christian teaching invests ordinary day-to-day life with a new depth: it has the seal of Christ on it, Col 3:18+.”; and Footnote ^b  says “Om. ‘and as you are already living it’.“

Parallel texts are:

1.       2 Th 3:6 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we urge you, brothers, to keep away from any of the brothers who refuses to work or to live according to the tradition we passed on to you.

2.       1 Th 2:13 - Another reason why we constantly  thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message^d and not some human thinking; and it is still^e a living power among you who believe it.  Footnote ^d  says “A brief summary of the apostolic tradition: message is first ‘received’, 4:1; 2 Th 3:6; 1 Co 15:1; Ga 1:9; Ph 4:9; Col. 2:6; or ‘heard’, Rm 10:17+; Ep 1:13; Ac 15:7, etc. It then penetrates the mind or heart, Rm 10:8-10, where, if it is welcomed,, 1:6; 2 Th 2:10; 2 Co 11:4; Ac 8:16, etc. Mk 4:20, it proves that the hearer acknowledges that God has been speaking through his missionary, 4:1f; 2 Co 3:5; 15:3.”; and Footnote ^e  says “Or ‘has become’; God acts through his message that has been welcomed by the believer, cf. 1:8, 2 Th 3:1.”

3.       Rm 12:1-2 - Thinks of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings,^a by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God (v. 1). Do not model yourselves on the behavior of te world around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do (v. 2).  Footnote ^a says “Or ‘in a spiritual way’, as opposed to the ritual sacrifices of Jews or pagans, cf. Ho 6:6. Cf. Rm 1:9.”

4.       1 Co 11:2 - You have done well in remembering me so constantly and in maintaining the traditions^a  just as I passed them on to you. Footnote ^a says “i.e. the teachings of Christ and the apostles.”

CHRIST THE KING -34th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Homily for the 34^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Based on (Gospel), (First Reading) and (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

CHRIST THE KING

‘Fight to the death for truth, and the Lord God will war on your side.’ (Si 4:28)

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The Gospel for this 34^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) is taken from  Jn 18:33-37.  

Verses 33, 34 and 35 say:  So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do you ask this of your own accord, or have spoken to you about me?” Pilate answered, ‘Am I not a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’

Parallel texts for verse 33 are:

1.       Jn 19:14 - It was Passover Preparation Day^e about the sixth hour^f. Footnote ^e  says “In the course of this day, the Passover supper was made ready (it was eaten after sunset, cf. Ex 12:6+) and everything necessary prepared so that the feast could be celebrated without violating the rest prescribed by the Law”; and  Footnote ^f says “About noon, the time by which all leaven had to be removed from the house; during the Passover unleavened bread (‘azymes’) was to be eaten, cf. Ex 12:15f. It is possible that the evangelist wishes to call attention to this coincidence; cf. 1 Co 5:7.

2.       Jn 19:22 - Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written!’

Verse 36 says: Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 1:10 - He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him.^g Footnote ^g says “The ‘world’ variously means: the cosmos or this earth, the human race, those hostile to God who hate Christ and his disciples, cf. 7:7; 15:18,19; 17:14. This last sense coincides with the contemporary Jewish distinction between ‘this world’, 8:23 and passim, dominated by Satan, 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1 Jn 5:19; and ‘the world to come’ which possibly corresponds to John’s ‘eternal life’, 12:25. The disciples are to remain in this world for the present, though not of it, 17:11,14f.”

2.       Jn 6:15 - Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped^b back to the hills by himself. Footnote ^b  says “Var. ‘withdrew’.”

3.       Jn 8:23 - Jesus went on: ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

4.       Jn 12:32 - And when I am lifted up from the earth,^j I shall draw all men ^k to myself.’^l  Footnote ^j  says “Om. ‘from the earth’. Allusion to the ‘lifting of’ Christ on the cross (v. 33) and to his ‘lifting up’ to heaven, 3:13,14; 8:28; cf. 6:62, on the day of his resurrection, 20:17+; the two events are two aspects of the same mystery, 13:1+. When Christ is raised to the Father’s right hand in glory, 12:23; 17:5+, he will send the Spirit, 7:39,through whom his reign will spread over the world, 16:14; cf. 3:35+.”; Footnote ^k  says “Var. ‘every man’ or ‘all things’”; and Footnote ^l  says “The crucified Jesus will be set before the eyes of the world as its savior, cf. 19:37. This is the answer to the Greeks’ request to ‘see’ Jesus, cf. 6:40+”.

5.       Jn 18:10-11 - Simon Peter, who carried a sword, drew it and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servants’ name was Malchus (v. 10). Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back on its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?’

Verse 37 says: ‘So you are a king then? said Pilate. “It is you say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, and I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all  who are on the side of the truth listens to my voice.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 3:35 - The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him.^r  Footnote ^r  says  “God has communicated his power over life to the Son, 1:4; 5:21; 10:18+, and now the Son gives life to whom he will, 5:26; his gift of the Spirit, 3:5-6; 1:33+; 15:26; establishes ‘all flesh’ in incorruption, 1:14+; 11:25; 17:2,3. Thus, by the Father’s decree, all things are ‘in the hand’ (or power) of the Son, 3:35; 10:28,29; 13:3; 17:2; cf. 6:37-39; Mt. 11:27; 28:18; on this is based the sovereignty, 12:13-15; 18:36-37; that he will solemnly assume on the day of his ‘lifting up’, 12;32+, 19:19; Ac 2:33; Ep 4:8; and on that day, the ‘Prince of this world’ will forfeit his kingdom, 12:31+.”

2.       Jn 3:11 - I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence.^e Footnote ^e  says “Jesus does not speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.”

3.       Si 4:28 - Fight to the death for truth,^j and the Lord God will war on your side. Footnote ^j says “‘truth’ Greek; ‘justice’ Hebr and Lat.”

4.      Jn 10:26 - But you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.ⁿ Footnote ⁿ says “Faith in Jesus implies an inner sympathy  with him: man must be ‘from above’’ 8:23, ‘of God’, 8:47. ‘of the truth’, 18:37, of his flock, 10:14. Faith presupposes a mind open to truth, 3:17-21; Cf. Ac 13:48+; Rm 8:29f.”

5.      1 Jn 3:19 - Only by this can we be certain^g that we are children of the truth ^h and be able to quieten our conscience in his presence… Footnote ^g says “Lit. ‘we shall be certain’; var. (Vulg.) ‘we are certain’;  and Footnote ^h says “In the O.T. ‘truth’ (contrasting with unrighteousness and evil) the rightness of a life morally well lived in accordance with the will of Yahweh, in fidelity to Yahweh. This is the way John uses the word. As there is a double commandment to fidelity and love, 3:23, people are said to ‘belong to truth’ if they believe,2:21,22, and love, 3:19, they are said to live ‘in union with (walk according to) truth’ 2 Jn 4-6, 3 Jn 3-6, to ‘do the truth’, Jn 3:21 (to perform or act it, as opposed to committing sin, doing wrong) cf. Jn 18:37; 4:24.”

The First Reading is from Dn 7:13-14.

Verse 13 says: ‘I gazed into the vision of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.^k He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence… Footnote ^k – Like the Hebrew ben adam, the Aram. Bar nasha used here, has the primary meaning ‘man’, cf. Ps 8:4. In Ezk. God addresses the prophet thus. But here in Dn the expression signifies a man who is mysteriously more than human. That it indicates an individual is attested by early Jewish apocryphal writings (Enoch, 2 Esd) inspired by this passage, as also by rabbinical tradition from the 2^nd to the 9^th centuries, and most particularly by Jesus, who applies it to himself, cf. Mt 8:20+. That it has a collective sense also is deduced from v. 18 (and v. 22) where the ‘son of man’ and the saints of the Most High’ seem more or less identified. But the collective (and equally messianic sense is an extension of the individual sense; the ‘son of man’ being leader, representative and exemplar of the saints of the Most High. It was with this in mind that St. Ephraim believed that the prophecy applied first to the Jews (the Maccabees), but beyond this, and perfectly, to Jesus.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Dn 10:16 - The someone looking like a son of man come and touched my lips. I opened my mouth to speak, and I said to the person standing in front of me, ‘My lord, anguish overcomes me at this vision, and what strength I had deserts me.’

2.       Mt 8:20 - Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man^h has nowhere to lay his head.’ Footnote ^h says “With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the  gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly  opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.”

3.       Mt 24:30 - And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven;^o then too all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.^p  Footnote^o – For the Fathers this ‘sign’ was Christ’s cross but possibly it is Christ himself proving by the triumph of his kingdom on earth that he has truly risen and is in glory; and  Footnote ^p says “In these words Daniel foretold the establishment of the messianic kingdom by a Son of Man coming on the clouds. The cloud is the usual accompaniment of both OT and NT theophanies: Ex. 13:22+; 19:16+; 34:5+; Lv 16:2; 1 K 8:10-11; Ps 18:11; 97:2; 104:3; Is 19:1; Jr. 4:13Ezk 1:4; 10:3f; 2 M 2:8. For NT, cf. Mt 17:5; Ac 1:9,11; 1 Th 4:17; Rv 1:7; 14:14.”

4.       Mt 26:64 - ‘The words are your own,’ answered Jesus. ‘Moreover, I tell you that from this time onward you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven^u. Footnote ^u  says “‘The Power’ is equivalent to ‘Yahweh’. At the critical moment Jesus abandons his policy of the ‘messianic secret’, cf. Mk 1:34+, and unequivocally acknowledges - as he had already acknowledged to his intimates, Mt 16:16 - that he is the Messiah. But he goes further and reveals himself, not as the human Messiah of traditional expectation but as the Lord of Ps 110, cf. Mt 22:41f, and the mysterious personage of heavenly origin whom Daniel had seen in vision, cf Mt 8:20+. Henceforth the Jews will not see him except in his glory which will be manifested first in the victory of the resurrection and subsequently in the victory of the Church. Cf 23:39 and 24:30.”

5.       Mk 13:26 - And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory;

6.       Mk 14:62 - ‘I am,’ said Jesus ‘and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’

7.       Lk 21:27 - And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory

8.       Rv 1:7 - It is he is coming on the clouds, everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen.

9.       Rv 14:14 - Now in my vision I saw a white cloud and, sitting on it, one like a son of man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

Verse 14 says: On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 9:6 - But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins –he said to the paralytic-‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home.’

2.       Lk 1:33…he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.^q  Footnote ^q  says “The angel’s words recall several O.T. passages referring to the Messiah.”

3.       Rv 11:15 - Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and voices could be heard shouting in heaven, calling, ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.’

The Second Reading is from  Rv 1:5-8.

Verses 5 and 6 says: and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth.ⁱ He loves us and washed away^j our sins with his blood and made us a line of kings, priests to serve^k his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.… Footnote ⁱ  says “The Messiah is the ‘witness’ to the promise that was made to David, 2 S 7:1+; Ps 89, Is 55:3-4; Zc 12:8, both in his person and in his work; as he fulfills this promise he is the efficacious word, God’s yes, Rv 3:14; 19:11,13; 2 Co 1:20. Not only is he heir to David, Rb 5:5, 22:16, but his resurrection he is the ‘First -born’, Col 1:18, who will reign over the universe when his enemies have been destroyed, Dn 7:14; Rv 19:16”; Footnote ^j  says “Var. ‘released us from’”; and Footnote  ^k  says “Lit. ‘He made us a kingdom and priests for those who turn to the Messiah and whose sins he forgives, vv. 5 and 7, will be a family of king-priests, Ex 19:6+; kings because they will rule over all the nations, Dn 7:22,27; Is 54:11-17; Zc 12:1-3; cf. Rv 2:26; 5:10; 20:6; 22:5; priests because in union with Jesus the messianic priest they will consecrate the universe to God in a sacrifice of praise.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 5:4 - What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead?

2.       Ex 19:6 - ‘I will count you a kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation.^f These are the words you are to speak to the sons of Israel.’ Footnote ^f  says “The Covenant makes Israel God’s sacred possession Jr 2:2, a consecrated people, Dt 7:6; 26:19 that is to say holy (for the same Hebr. word means ‘sacred’, ‘consecrated’, ‘holy’) as its God is holy, Lv 19:2, cf. 11:44f; 20:7,26. It is also a nation of priests, cf. Is 61:6, because what is sacred is by that very fact related to the ritual worship. The promise is to have its complete fulfillment in ‘the Israel of God, the Church; the faithful are called ‘saints’, Ac 9:13+, and in union with Christ the Priest they offer God a sacrifice of praise, 1 P 2:5,9; Rv 1:6; 5:10; 20:6.”

3.       1 P 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

4.       Rm 16:27 - He alone is wisdom.^m Give glory therefore to him through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.ⁿ  Footnote ^m  says “Cf 11:33-36; 1 Co 1:24; 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:3; 10:7; 17:5,7”; and Footnote ⁿ  says “CF Ga 1:5; Ep 3:21; Ph 4:20; 1 Tm 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tm 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1 P 4:11; 2 P 3:18; Jude 25; Rv 1:6.

Verse  7  says: It is  he is coming on the clouds, everyone  will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Dn 7:13 - ‘I gazed into the vision of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.^k He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence.

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2.       Zc 12:10,14 - But over the house of David and the citizens of Jerusalem I will pour a spirit  of kindness and prayer. They will look on the one whom they have pierced;^e they will mourn for him as for an only son, and weep for him as people weep for a first-born child (v. 10). All the clans that remain, clan by clan, with their wives by themselves (v. 14). Footnote ^e says  “‘the one’ Theodotion, Jn. 19:37; ‘me’ Hebr. The death of the Pierced One occurs in an eschatological context (cf. Rv. 1:7), ch. The raising of the siege of Jerusalem, the national mourning, vv. 10-14, the opening of the fountain of salvation, 13:1. The messianic age thus depends on a passion and a mysterious death comparable to the sufferings of the servant in Is. 52:13-53:12. Jn. 19:37 sees is this passage the figure of the passion of Christ, the ‘only son’ and the ‘first-born’, cf. Jh.  1:18,; Col. 1:15, whose pierced body will be ‘looked on’ with the saving eye of faith, cf. Jn 3:14+; Nb. 21:8-9. And whose opened side is a fountain of salvation, Jn. 19:34; 7:38.”

3.       Mt 24:30 - And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven;^o then too all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.^p Footnote ^o says  “For the Fathers this ‘sign’ was Christ’s cross but possibly it is Christ himself proving by the triumph of his kingdom on earth that he has truly risen and is in glory.”; and   Footnote ^p  says “In these words Daniel foretold the establishment of the messianic kingdom by a Son of Man coming on the clouds. The cloud is the usual accompaniment of both OT and NT theophanies: Ex. 13:22+; 19:16+; 34:5+; Lv 16:2; 1 K 8:10-11; Ps 18:11; 97:2; 104:3; Is 19:1; Jr. 4:13Ezk 1:4; 10:3f; 2 M 2:8. For NT, cf. Mt 17:5; Ac 1:9,11; 1 Th 4:17; Rv 1:7; 14:14.”

4.       Jn 19:37 - And again in another place scripture says: They will look on the one whom they have pierced.^v Footnote  ^v says “‘They will look’, in the Johannine sense of ‘see and understood’, cf. 3:14+. For Jn, the Roman soldier symbolizes the pagans who will be converted cf. 12:20-21,32, and notes. Similarly, Mt. 27:54+ and Mk 15:39+. Cf. also Lk 23:47,48; Mt 24:30; Rv 1:7.”

Verse 8 says “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”^l says the Lord God, “who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Footnote ^l  says “The beginning and end, originator and goal of all things: Is 41:4; 44:6; Rv 21:6; 22:13, ‘the Almighty’: ‘pantokrator’ lit. ‘the  All-Ruler’, a stock rendering of ‘Lord of Hosts’(‘Yahweh Sabaoth’).”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rv 1:4 - Address and greeting^g From John, to the seven churches of Asia: grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come,^h from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne.  Footnote ^g  says “This section makes use of many OT allusions to suggest the King-Messiah’s glorious return, solemn enthronement and future reign over God’s people in fulfillment of the promise made to David. This is basically what the whole book is about”; and Footnote ^h says “Common title in Jewish literature, developed from the name revealed to Moses: ‘I am who am,’ Ex 3:14+.”

2.       Rv 21:6- And he said, ‘It is already done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is thirsty…^f Footnote ^f  says “In the OT fresh, drinking water is a symbol of life, and as such is to be a feature of the messianic age. in the NT, it is a symbol of the Spirit, cf Jn 4:1+.”

3.       Rv 22:13- I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.