Fast Fridays: 30 Minutes for God: Difference between revisions
→Friday, Oct 11: "none greater than John the Baptist"
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The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”</blockquote>Okay! Let's start with those last two verses, 18 & 19: John came "neither eating nor drinking" and the Son of Man comes "eating and drinking," for which both are condemned ("they said"). "They" didn't dance when the flute was played, and "they" didn't mourn when the dirge was sung -- missed signals, and "they" still don't get why John didn't eat or drink and the Son of Man does. The footnote to the USSCB NASB translation on [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?16 verse 16] says that the meaning of this parable is "is much disputed." | The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”</blockquote>Okay! Let's start with those last two verses, 18 & 19: John came "neither eating nor drinking" and the Son of Man comes "eating and drinking," for which both are condemned ("they said"). "They" didn't dance when the flute was played, and "they" didn't mourn when the dirge was sung -- missed signals, and "they" still don't get why John didn't eat or drink and the Son of Man does. The footnote to the USSCB NASB translation on [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?16 verse 16] says that the meaning of this parable is "is much disputed." | ||
I don't find | I don't find it difficult, especially in the context of "this generation" -- which includes us, not just those of Jesus' day. We're all confused and misdirected and Christ is misinterpreted, ignored, and the wrong dances are danced, the wrong dirges or mourned or not mourned at all. Ears aren't listening. | ||
Wait! I think that's the point: the Baptizer, or the Forerunner, came to announce the Kingdom to those who might be willing to hear him. Isn't that what baptism itself is for -- to open our hearts, our minds, and our souls to Christ?<ref>And per [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12:30 Mk 12:30], with all our strength.</ref> John, then, didn't just baptize the Jews, he baptized us, should we be willing to listen, with the joyous announcement, prefiguring baptism by the Holy Spirit. | Wait! I think that's the point: the Baptizer, or the Forerunner, came to announce the Kingdom to those who might be willing to hear him. Isn't that what baptism itself is for -- to open our hearts, our minds, and our souls to Christ?<ref>And per [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12:30 Mk 12:30], with all our strength.</ref> John, then, didn't just baptize the Jews, he baptized us, should we be willing to listen, with the joyous announcement, prefiguring baptism by the Holy Spirit. | ||
John baptized a lot of people -- everyone knew him, all the way through to the court of Herod and into the histories of the late | John baptized a lot of people -- everyone knew him, all the way through to the court of Herod, the chief priests<ref>[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/21:23 Mt 21;23]</ref>, and into the histories of the late first century Jewish historian, Josephus.<ref>his "Antiquities of the Jews," Josephus wrote more about John than Jesus, but think audience: he wrote under Domitian, who horribly persecuted Christians. Later manuscripts have Josephus mentioning Jesus as the "Messiah", but these were likely added to the original text.</ref> Take away the Baptizer, Jesus has no context, no introduction, no "forerunner." But would that be necessary? | ||
Firstly, whatever the larger purpose, the Lord planned out the role of the Forerunner from his miraculous conception in the barren Elizabeth.<ref>[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?7 Lk 1:7]</ref> In [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?26 Luke 1:26], <blockquote>In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, </blockquote> | |||
The sixth month was that of John's conception, which Luke uses to measure the Archangel's announcement to Mary. And, of course, John "leaped in the womb" as Mary's walked in to his mother Elizabeth's house ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?41 Lk 1:41]). | The sixth month was that of John's conception, which Luke uses to measure the Archangel's announcement to Mary. And, of course, John "leaped in the womb" as Mary's walked in to his mother Elizabeth's house ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?41 Lk 1:41]). From the beginning, then, John announces the arrival of the Christ, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?2 Mk 1:2]),<blockquote>“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.<ref>The footnote in the USCCB NASB to Mk 1:2 states that this prophesy is actually an amalgamation of other scriptural texts, all of which point to the announcement of the coming of Christ.</ref></blockquote>Jesus later teaches Peter, James and John that John the Baptist was the second coming of Elijah | ||
An interesting passage is that of [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?4 Mt 11:4-5], in which Jesus tells John's disciples, whom John had sent to Jesus from his imprisonment by Herod, <blockquote>“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.</blockquote> | |||
<blockquote>He told them, “Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”</blockquote>and like the Son of Man, John will suffer at the hands of the unfaithful authorities. (Btw, Elijah was persecuted by Jezebel ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/19?2 1Kg 19:2]), and John by | |||
[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?12 Mt 11:12]<blockquote>From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,* and the violent are taking it by force.</blockquote> | |||
Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB | |||
----There yet exists a cult of John the Baptism. These are known as | ----There yet exists a cult of John the Baptism. These are known as | ||
---- | ---- | ||