Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John (1, 6-8.19-28)

« There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came for witness, about the light so that all may might have faith through him. He himself was not the light : he was sent to give witness about the light.(1, 6-8)

And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to him  with the question ask him, "Who are you? He said quietly openly and straightforwardly "I am not the Christ. They said to him. "Are you Elijah? And he said "I am not. ". So they said to him -" Are you the Prophet ? And his answer was I'm not. Then they said to him, "Who are you then? We have to give some answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself ? He said "I am the voice of one crying in the waste land "make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet ".

Those had been sent came from the Pharisees and they put this question to him  saying : "Why then are you giving baptism if you are not the Christ or Elijah, or the Prophet ? John's answer was" I give baptism with  water. But there is one among you whom you have no knowledge; it is he who is coming after me, and I am not enough to undo his shoes these things took place at Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan, where John was giving baptism." (19-28)

I – Evangelical commentary:  A voice, John the Baptist

In the Prologue of the Gospel of John (1-18), the Baptist appears twice (v.6-8-supra and 15 : John gave witness about him, crying, This is he of whom I said, He who is coming after me is put over me because he was in existence before me.), and it is written about him that he was not the Light, but he was to bear witness to the Light, and that through him, all people may  come to faith. From the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John, we find the same progression: the first day, the Baptist testifies about himself, and says what he is not (v.19-28-supra). The second day, his testifies about Jesus (v.29-34 : The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, One is coming after me who is put over me because he was in existence before me. I myself had no knowledge of him, but I came giving baptism with water so that he might be seen openly by Israel.And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I had no knowledge who he was, but he who sent me to give baptism with water said to me, The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting, it is he who gives baptism with the Holy Spirit.This I saw myself and my witness is that he is the Son of God.), on the third day, finally, John the Baptist will send his own followers to follow Jesus (v.35 : The day after, John was there again with two of his disciples).

The Gospel that the Church presents to us today -after a few verses from the Prologue of Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John,(6-8) to remind us who is the Baptist- tells us about his very first testimony; it is therefore a point that calls us about a time of hope, and Advent time. The Baptist really presents himself as the Precursor of Jesus : not only because he was waiting for him, but also because he recognized him, and trough his witness he introduced Him to the believers.

As The Baptist allows himself to give baptism, purification specialists, priests and Levites are sent to him from Jerusalem. "Who are you" ? asked the emissaries, that means " What is your role ?" And Jean said : "I do not look like somebody you know."

At the Jesus time, a majority of Jews were waiting for a royal Messiah : the David' s Son. Others, were waiting for a direct intervention from God, without an earthly Messiah. And somme others, were expected the Son of Man as described by Daniel. Lastly, the Essenians of Qumran were waiting for the end of times, where simultaneously should come a prophet, a messiah-king and a messiah-priest. We can understand the perplexity of the Jerusalem authorities ! Indeed by given baptism John anticipated the End of Time; John's message announced the intervention of God; the crowds started to converge to him. Moreover, his ambit was not far from the Essenians center of the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem was always suspicious about them -a very closed Jewish community-. More and more, in Jerusalem, the most lucids and sinceres believers had only this question in their mouths: "Did you see John, the one who gives baptism", "did you meet John?" The Baptist intrigued by his lifestyle, by his asceticism, by the vigor of his word which called for converts. And hundreds of the faithful of Israel went to him, on the banks of the Jordan river, all those who had kept loyalty and freshness of mind and who did not want to miss this tremendous spiritual burst.

To the investigators John answers clearly: "I am not the Messiah, the messianic king that many are waiting for". And he adds : "I am not Elijah". As a matter of fact , it was expected that Elijah would come back  before the Day of the Lord, in order  to call people for be converts one more time. Yet, John wore the same coat as Elijah, spoke with the same hardness voice tone, and his purpose reminds the ancient prophet. But, John is categorical: he is not Elijah, and he is not intended to replace him. In fact, it is Jesus who, identifies John the Baptist as Elijah (Matthew's Gospel11,14 : "And if you are able to see it, this is Elijah who was to come".), and the early Christians theology did the same way. They considered that John the Baptist, carried out Elijah 's mission. But the investigators insist :"Are you the Prophet?". In their minds he is a prophet "such as Moses", whom the Jewish tradition proclaimed it, in Deuteronomy 18-15 : "The Lord your God will give you a prophet from among your people, like me; you will give ear to him;" John the Baptist, do not recognize himself in the this glorious role.

On his taste John the Baptist is simply a voice. 

Not one of the heroes expected by Israel, but only a voice in the desert, which cries (Is 40,3): "A voice of one crying, Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God « .

Why "in the waste land "? Because, at the time of Isaiah, for fifty years the people of God, lived in exile near the rivers of Babylon, so that the prophet's cry, carried a great hope : through the desert from Syria,God,  would bring his people back to the land of happiness and faith. All energies were mobilized for this coming back : in the desert, it was necessary, to make ready the way for the Saviour Lord and his liberated people.

I'm just a voice repeats John the Baptist. Not the final Word, but a voice, an alarm, a cry that surprises, that affects and makes us turn back. It is from this mission that John the Baptist lives. It is this hope that he wants to shout : time has come for this walk with God. It is now, that God comes to head and lead his people, through the « waste land » of life and its trials, to the land  without borders, the land of fidelity and happiness. But this time, in the Jesus time, people are slaves in their own country, prisonners of their own sin, and it is God alone who walks and comes. The one who will take the lead of the convoy of converts, John will be able to name it : "I did not know him" but "He sent me to give baptism with the water, and He is the one who told me : you will see the Spirit come down and stay on One,It is He who will give baptism in the Holy Spirit."  The Baptist already fades away before the Messenger of God: "I am not enough to undo his shoes « ( Cf.Supra). And the next day, seeing Jesus coming  to him, John declares to those around him :"This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

In our contemporary world, crushed by so many slaveries , the witness of Jesus, does not claim a mission of prestige. He is only a voice, but a voice that can still be heard because it is the voice of the desert, a voice that tirelessly repeats in this time of crisis.« A voice of one crying. Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God » (Is 40,3). Yes, God is coming, He is already there in his Son, and all the mission of  John the Baptist, confirmed in the Spirit, is to bear witness to this Messiah, - hidden in the heart of our history - and to repeat, with  humility but also with the insistence inherent from the Precursor : "there is one among you whom you have no knowledge"(Cf.Supra). John gave baptism with water from the Jordan river ; it was a simple awakening ritual  to be convert seriously to the faith. But Jesus comes to immerse people in the Holy Spirit, which is the effective force of God. All those who come back, streaming, from this dive into the Holy Spirit, are created again ,  in the image of God and strengthened for following Him through His freedom land.

II – Meditation : Be quiet with St.Joseph 

If we have the ability to be a voice as John the Baptist, in order  to proclaim the Word of God, St.Joseph helps us tot avoid chat and to make our actions speak for us when it is better to keep quiet. Indeed no word has been kept from Joseph. And yet, few examples resonate as much in our heart, as this life totally dedicated to God.

Four times, God calls Joseph, but always in dreams and through an Angel, therefore God warned Joseph always mysteriously and divinely  in dreams: "But when he was giving thought to these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, have no fear of taking Mary as your wife; because that which is in her body is of the Holy Spirit." (Mt 1,20). 

And also : "when they had gone, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, saying : Get up and take the young child and his mother, and go into Egypt, and do not go from there till I give you word; for Herod will be searching for the young child to put him to death. " (Mt 2,13); 

And also : "Get up and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: because they who were attempting to take the young child's life are dead." (2,20);

And also : "And he got up, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel."

Until the very heart of the first century, a high idea of dreams was often kept, above all when God took the initiative. It is in this way, that in many cases God made known to people his will and intervened without violating consciences. Mystery that this dream sent from God and that Joseph, upon his awakening, ratified and accomplished in a complete freedom and submission.

With Joseph's silence, we are confronted with a double paradox : what seems to us a simple silence is in realty inhabited by a secret dialogue with God, and this silence is louder than any word. Joseph only addresses God, and Holy Scriptures has left us only this face to face without any human words, which could answer to all our questions.

This apparent Joseph muteness make us enter into his listening, and thus into the essential things that motivated him: the God's Will.

With God, Joseph does not go back to the past time :  he is just interested by the God's design gradually revealed during the dreams. He lives day to day and that is enough for him.

Over and over again as necessary, he will rise to realize God's projects, so often unpredictables and sometimes confused. His total answer lies in the promptness of "yes" because "it is a lasting and deep happiness to constantly serve the Creator of all good" (Liturgy-seventennth sunday in ordinary time).

He is this "good and faithful servant" whom the Master has assigned to his house in Nazareth.

Joseph is forgetful of himself. Never does he choose his own will, even if he has to face expensives and importants deals. Joseph forbids himself to lead two lifes, the one that corresponds to his projects and the one dedicated to the God's projects. And his heart is light, his heart is free, because he get the bliss of the servant who watches over the service of his master. He fully identifies himself with his mission, without seeking holiness elsewhere than in the present God's will. And what is his happiness ? Ensure the mission of Jesus and Marie. He did not come to be served, neither by Marie nor by Jesus, but he is come to serve, to love, to give everything of himself daily, as he is, -and- as God wants him to be.

He devotes all his projects to God, even his emotional life. He agrees and happy with his lot : his life unfolds very humblely, limited, but he discovered the greatness of the hidden service, and it is enough for him to live in the intimacy of Jesus and of his Mother. His great joy is to earn their trust and use his arms to make them happy. All his strength comes from the loyalty of his faith, all his wealth is in his inner sight  all his freedom is rooted in a joyful gift, never regretted, never taken back , and it is this that especially pleases the Father: "Let every man do after the purpose of his heart ; not giving with grief, or by force : for God takes pleasure in a ready giver." (Paulus -2 Co 9,7) May it encourage us in this 3rd week of Advent time !

Jean Lévêque, ocd, Province of Paris

III - Prayer of the week

Joseph, the great believer, you, the man of silence, teach us to welcome everything from God: what He says for love, what He wants for love. Help us, far from dreams, to let ourselves be loved. Beyond our doubts and our hope, show us the goodness of the God who calls us and the expected glory, at the end of the road.

Stronger than words, it is the "yes" of your heart that delights your God and signs your greatness. By the gift of yourself to the Child, to his Mother, by your loving obedience and your smile, by the secret kept on the ways of the Lord, you give us the example of the true servant: happy the one who believes without ever have seen.

IV - Practice tracks for this week

• To make place : How to draw right in our steppe a road for our God ? (Is 40,3 Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God). What valley to fill, what mountain of pride to lower? How to live from Him and find happiness in Him ? This Advent offers me an opportunity to hope with joy; what would good to prefer my sadness ?

• To listen to His Word: The voice of the prophet, the hard voice of the Baptist have now given way to the gentle and patient voice of our Shepherd : what covers the Jesus 's voice inside me ? I try to take more time to discover the Word of Him that I do not really know yet.

• To trust the Lord: The strength to go back to Him is He who will give it; the joy to be back  it is Him who will bring it. We can trust Him. With God, the past never compromises the future; What we have been before, cannot be a mortgage for our future will.