The Way Prepared—Lectionary Reflection for Advent 3A (Matthew 11)
Matthew 11:2-11 New Revised Standard Version Updated
Edition
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,who will prepare your way before you.’
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Are you
the one or is there another who is coming? That was the question an imprisoned
John the Baptist sent to Jesus. In the reading for the second Sunday of Advent
from Matthew 3, John is introduced as the one sent by God to prepare the way
for the one who would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:1-12). As
such the one who was coming would supersede his ministry. John had done
everything he could to prepare the way for Jesus. In a passage that is being
reserved for later, John even baptized Jesus in the Jordan (Matt. 3:13-17). But
now, John hears about the ministry of the Messiah but wonders if he’s the one
who is to come. Or should they wait for another? It’s a good question, to which
Jesus sends an answer. Look at the evidence and then decide.
Matthew
introduced John in chapter 3 as the one who baptizes with water and preaches a
message of repentance to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.
Matthew then tells the reader of the Gospel that Jesus withdrew to Galilee
after his time of temptation in the wilderness, after hearing that John had
been arrested (Matt. 4:12). To this point, Matthew hasn’t told us who had John
arrested and by why. That information doesn’t come until chapter 14, where
we’re told that when Herod heard about Jesus, the king worried Jesus was John
who had come back from the dead. As for John’s death, the Baptist had gotten
into trouble because he condemned Herod’s relationship with Herodias, who was
his brother Philip’s wife. Thus, it was Herodias’ fault that he had been
arrested and executed after using her daughter to dance before the king and
then asking for John’s head on a plate (Matt. 14:1-12). That is the bulk of
John’s story in Matthew’s Gospel. At this point in the story (Matt. 11), John
is still alive and wants to know if, perhaps facing death, he had fulfilled his
mission of preparing the way for the kingdom of heaven to be revealed on earth.
Understandably, he would want some kind of confirmation of his ministry’s
effectiveness. Don’t we all?
Jesus received John’s disciples and
sent an answer back to John, pointing to the nature of his ministry. He wanted
John to know how God was at work in the land. Here is how he responded to
John’s question: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the
blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news
brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no
offense at me.” (Mt. 11:4-6). Yes, there are signs everywhere that God’s realm
is breaking into the world.
In making this response, Jesus
draws on promises found in several passages in Isaiah, including Isaiah
35:5-6, 29:18, 42:6-7, 42:18, and 61:1. While
Matthew doesn’t mention it (Luke does in chapter 4), Jesus is essentially claiming
the mantle of the Spirit. When it comes to Jesus’ embrace of the Spirit
anointing in Isaiah 61, it is interesting that Jesus doesn’t mention that those
who are in prison will be liberated (as in Luke 4). Perhaps this serves as a
reminder that John isn’t getting liberated. His fate is sealed, but there
are signs everywhere that the realm of God is present. Jesus wants to
assure John that he is the one whom John had prepared the way for. So, despite
appearances (his imprisonment), he shouldn’t give up hope. Whether that
provided comfort to John or not, we’re not told. Whether he felt comforted by
this news, Jesus let him know that he had succeeded in his work of preparation.
God was indeed at work in the land in the ministry of Jesus.
After Jesus answered the query from
John’s disciples on behalf of their teacher, Jesus turns to the crowd and
commends John. In doing this, Jesus uses three images to describe John. He asks
the crowd what they expected to see when they went down into the wilderness to
see John. 1) Did they expect to find a “reed shaken by the wind”? That is,
a person of weakness. 2) Did they expect to find someone dressed in the soft
robes worn by the wealthy? That is, did they expect him to be dressed for a
visit to a royal palace? No, they went to hear the man who was dressed in
animal skins and ate locusts. 3) Finally, did they expect to find a
prophet of God? If so, that is what they encountered in John. Now, prophets
were not known for their quiet demeanor. They weren’t weaklings or dressed
in soft robes. Prophets, from Elijah to Jeremiah, were all outsiders who
disrupted things. Such was the case with John, who was not only a prophet but
more than a prophet.
Regarding John’s identity as one
who is more than a prophet, Jesus draws from Malachi and Exodus to offer
support for John’s calling. As stated in Malachi: “See, I am sending my
messenger to prepare the way before me” (Mal. 3:1; Exod. 23:20). As Alan
Culpepper notes, “the appearance of a prophet and the fulfillment of the words
of the prophet were, accordingly, signs of the eschatological era.” ... “What
began with the camel-hair-cloaked prophet baptizing in the wilderness was
therefore not only the return of prophecy to Israel but also the beginning of
the eschatological events” [Matthew (NTL), p. 216].
So, John is more than a prophet, as he is, for Matthew, the one Malachi spoke
of. He is the messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah. The full
verse, speaks of the Lord who will come to the temple, “the messenger of the covenant
in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming says the LORD of Hosts.” Despite
John’s greatness and holiness, that is no one born of a woman (that is a human
being) is greater than him, he is still less than the least one in the kingdom
of heaven. That is, in this age, he is the greatest of human beings, but
even the least of those in the coming age is greater than he is in this age.
Thus, Matthew’s Jesus emphasizes the eschatological nature of his own ministry,
as well as that of John. This fits well with the message of Advent.
Jesus and John are clearly joined together in the Gospels. One begins the
process and the other finishes it. Matthew says nothing about John’s birth
or his relationship with Jesus. Luke on the other hand styles the two as
cousins, though they come from different tribes and lineages. Whatever is on
the mind of Luke when it comes to the relationship of the two men, Matthew
focuses on the roles both play in inaugurating the coming realm of God, which
would appear to be imminent. While John did his job in preparing the way for
the one who will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit, now it is time for him
to recede and let Jesus take center stage. It can be difficult to be the
forerunner, the way-maker, but such is his calling. As for Jesus, he has his
own calling. It is he through whom these signs of the inbreaking of God’s realm
take place. And Jesus has his calling, though, like John, Jesus will also face
human judgment. However, that is still in the future. Until that time, Jesus
will continue with his ministry that expresses signs that God’s realm is not
just coming, but is, at least in part, already present. As for us, this can be
seen as an invitation to participate with Jesus in this kingdom work.
As we
contemplate this Advent message, with Christmas ever closer, we can sing:
Blessed be the God of Israel, who comes to set us free,
Who visits and redeems us, and grants us liberty.
The prophets spoke of mercy, of freedom and release;
God shall fulfill the promise to bring our people peace.
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