Third Sunday of Advent – Year A

“Are you really him? Was I wrong? Are you just a man?” That’s really what John the Baptist is asking Jesus in the Gospel today. “Are you really him? Was I wrong? Are you just a man?”

Seeing how every one of us, not just once in a while but perhaps more appropriately is constantly in the midst of being tried, tested, challenged, experiencing crises of faith of one kind or another. I would suggest this could be our patron Gospel. It’s one of my favorites in all the Bible.

So to understand what’s happening here, I would suggest we need to know three things: first of all, what’s John’s problem? Second, what’s Jesus’ answer? And third, how does this connect with you and me on a practical level on a daily basis?

First, what’s John’s problem? But in order to understand what’s John’s problem, we have to know who he is, where he is, and what’s the big deal?

So who is John the Baptist? Well, he’s Jesus’ cousin. He’s the last of the prophets, he’s the forerunner of the Messiah, he’s according to Jesus’ own words the holiest man ever born of woman. He’s the one who gets the blessing of saying, “there he is! That’s the Lamb.”

Where is he? He’s in prison. He’s been there since chapter four, this is chapter eleven in Matthew’s Gospel. Now, prison for John the Baptist isn’t like Davis Correctional. It’s a Middle Eastern prison, a first century Middle Eastern prison. It’s a hole dug deep in the ground. Picture no light. Little air. Little food. And no sanitation. And he’s chained there because he’s challenged Herod the King, who abuses his authority and wields it like power because John had dared to tell him that the relationship that he was in was an adulterous one and Herod, as a way of shutting John up, arrests him and throws him in prison and he’s about to be beheaded. He’s rotting. So what’s his problem?

Well, I would suggest two things: first, his cousin is doing nothing to help him. You’d think he would at least knock on Herod’s door. But there’s no knock. There’s no letter campaign. There’s no hunger strike. There’s none of that.

Perhaps, more importantly for John, not only is Jesus not doing anything to help John but Jesus isn’t doing anything that John thought he was going to do.

Here’s a test for our memories, I know that this will be challenging for us but can you remember the Gospel from all the way back to last Sunday? It’s when we first hear of John the Baptist. And if you remember, the Gospel last Sunday we see John out at the Jordan River preaching and as he’s preaching all of a sudden come the leaders of the religious people–the Sadducees and the Pharisees–and John looks at them and says, “you, what are you doing here you brood of vipers! You think you can just walk in here and repent? Don’t you know that the one who is coming after me, the one who I am announcing has an axe in his hand and he’s about to wield it on you!?”

But if you follow the eight chapters in between John’s teaching at the Jordan River and this Gospel, there’s no axe. The eight chapters simply tell us of Jesus’ constant healings, he’s teaching, his offering of his mercy, and his call to repentance. So note what it is that provokes John to ask the question in the Gospel. The question is provoked by “when John heard of the works of Jesus, he sends his disciples to the Lord to ask a question.” It might be better put this way: “when John heard what Jesus wasn’t doing, he sends his disciples.” Was I wrong? Are you really him? Are you just a man?

And so confused, bewildered, discouraged, challenged, dying, John sends his disciples with this question. How does Jesus respond? Jesus answers by helping John to understand from the Scriptures was told about him in the course of century after century after century by the prophets. Because what is Jesus doing? Well, he’s quoting Isaiah. Except he’s not just quoting Isaiah he’s doing Isaiah. The blind are seeing, the lame are walking, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised to life, and the poor have the Gospel proclaimed to them. And because John knows the Scriptures, John comes to understand that he was wrong. That he was misunderstanding what it was Jesus would come to do or the Messiah would come to do. So his faith grows, peace comes, and he dies at rest.

What’s that have to do with you and me? Well, I would suggest two things especially. First, the Scriptures are telling us over and over and over again to ask. To ask questions. In fact, the Scriptures are encouraging us over and over and over again to doubt.

Now I realize that a number of us came from a generation where we were told never ask with regards to questions of faith. That’s absurd! It’s simply absurd. One of the things that makes us unique as human beings is that we ask questions. Your dog doesn’t ask you a question. It just begs. Your cat doesn’t ask a questions, it just hides. We ask questions! Why? Because we want to know! We want to learn; it’s how you learn. If you raised your hand in calculous and say, “I don’t understand how that’s done.” No one would say, “shhhh! It’s just the way it is!” No, they would help you to understand at least if they were a good teacher. ow can it be we can be encouraged to ask questions on everything about life except for what’s life all about? We have to ask. To doubt is not the opposite of faith. Unbelief is the opposite of faith. The refusal to believe is the opposite of faith. So the Scriptures are encouraging us again and again to do this. There are too many examples to show you in the Old Testament of this. This is just one example in the New Testament. Think of Mary at the scene of the Annunciation as another example. Remember Gabriel comes to her and says, “you’re going to have a child.” Remember Mary’s response? She doesn’t say, “Ok!” She says, “How? I’m not having sex. How am I gonna have a child?”

So we’re encouraged but when we ask questions, we have to keep a few things in mind. First, when we have questions, the first person we should go to is Jesus. That’s what John does. John’s confused, bewildered, discouraged, perhaps despairing. So he goes to Jesus. He goes to them through intermediaries of his disciples but he goes to Jesus. So can you and I. We simply call that prayer.

When we’re discouraged, not if, when we’re discouraged. When we’re challenged. When we’re in the crises, the first place is to him and when we’re there, we pound. We pound on his heart. And say, “Lord I don’t understand. I don’t get it. I’m confused. Help me.”

The second place we should go is to Scripture. John understands Jesus’ answer because John knows the Scriptures. Here’s the challenge. Most of us, and you know this, don’t. We don’t know the word of God. What’s so devastating about that? If we don’t know the word of God, we will make up at least two things: first, we will make up who we think God is and that won’t be God. Second, we will make up what we think he’s promised us. And it won’t be what he promised us. So for example, most of us think, I’m pretty sure somewhere in here it just says if we believe in him and we trust in him and we give our lives to him then he will protect us from any and all harm. It’s in here somewhere. I’m sure I heard that.

It's not in here. In fact, he says the opposite. If you’re looking for a way to grow in your understanding of Scripture I recommend the “Bible in a Year Podcast.” It’s a podcast where a priest reads the Scriptures from both the New and Old Testament in small chunks and reflects on the passages. Each episode is about 20 minutes long and if you listen to all 365 of them, you’ve listened to the whole Bible!

But I would challenge you more to read and not just listen. The priest on the podcast reads from a bible that is divided just like that, including the reflections, and you get to pray with the Scriptures too. And would you like to guess what the grand prize will be for the fourth round of Advent Trivia Night next week? The Bible in a Year! A really nice edition too. So come to that if you want a chance to win that and maybe learn something about the season of Advent while you’re at it.

Third, when we have questions, go to wise people. If my side is hurting or my body aches in some way, I don’t call a CPA. I call a doctor. If I want to hire a football coach, I don’t hire someone who is an expert in shuffleboard. You go to people who know what they’re talking about. So we have to do that with the word of God, with faith, with understanding.

There are experts in many fields, there are no experts in the Christian life. None of us are experts. We go to wise people. What is a wise person? Usually, it’s someone who is older and often it’s someone who has suffered greatly. And who has emerged on the other side with a deeper faith.

I heard of story of a German-Italian man who for years struggled with how it could be, why it would be that God would become a man? And not just a man but a helpless baby, why didn’t he come as a king or some mighty soldier? How could it be that God who made everything be lying in a trough. And one day, as he was wrestling with this, he came upon another man, not a priest, just another older man and the man asked him what are you wrestling with? And the man explained to him and the old man looked at him and says, “ah, because love does things like that.” And that made sense to him. And that changed everything for him.

Fourth, and this is directed especially at those who may be struggling with things happening in the Church right now, or more pointedly, with regards to whatever Pope Francis is doing or not doing. When we ask questions, ask them honestly.

Mary’s question, John the Baptist’s question, actually asked for information. Leave them open to the possibility to a good answer that could cause them to shift their views. Honest doubts then are open to belief. If you’re really asking for information and good arguments, then you might just get some. St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

Come pray with us at St. Michael Catholic Church located at 1004 W. Gentry in Henryetta.

Sunday Mass begins at 11 a.m. with the Sacrament of Reconciliation at 10:15 a.m.