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| Recommended readings: Path Through Scripture by Fr. Mark Link (Paperback 1995--$14.50), Understanding the Bible: A Basic Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Fr. George T. Montague, S.M.,(Paperback 1997 $15.96) An Introduction to New Testament Christology by Fr. Raymond E. Brown. Time magazine hailed Raymond Brown as "the leading U.S. Catholic authority on the Bible." In this accessible work written for all Bible students, Brown presents an intelligible introduction to the way Jesus was understood in His lifetime and in the lifetimes of His original followers. | ||
As we begin the new millennium, there are many places in the world in turmoil. The Jewish world into which John and Jesus were born was also a land in turmoil. Laboring under the thumb of the Roman Empire, the common folk looked for supernatural deliverance. The very harshness of the times was consistent with the prophetic promises of a messianic deliverer. It was not surprising then that many people perceived that John the Baptizer was the Messiah. He spoke with the zeal of a prophet. He warned that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He made stringent demands of the people. And he stirred up widespread resentment of the Roman Empire. Probably for the latter reason, the religious and political leaders of the day tried to get a "fix" on just who John thought he was and what he thought he was doing. They sent emissaries to ask John: "Tell us who you are." John wasn't the least bit coy with his interrogators. He told them the truth without equivocation. He denied that he was the Messiah. He denied that he was Elijah, who according to tradition must prepare the way for the Messiah. He denied that he was the Prophet of the last days often associated with the Messiah's coming. When pushed for something positive, he simply said he was a voice crying in the wilderness, making straight the way of the Lord. Put in modern terms,- John was a man who tells it like it is. We can admire such candor in a day when evasion and exaggeration have become the norm of public discourse. Apparently John the Baptizer was under no illusions about his place in history. He knew that he was not the promised Messiah, although many of his followers and his enemies credited him with that title. He knew that he was the forerunner of the Messiah. He understood his role and accepted it gracefully and gratefully. But for all of his understanding of his place in the divine scheme of things, he really was not that clear about who or what the Messiah would be. For that reason, when Jesus appeared one day among the crowds of people seeking baptism at the hands of John, he did not recognize him as the Messiah. He took Jesus down into the waters of the Jordan River and administered the baptism of repentance to him like he had done to thousands of his fellow countrymen. As he said after the event, "I did not know him" (John 1:31), but the "one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.'"We often find ourselves in the same place that John found himself. Christ comes to us seeking our assistance but we do not recognize him. We expect some further sign. Jesus dealt with that problem during his own lifetime in telling the parable of the last judgment. He warned his listeners that only those who had served him would find their place in the Kingdom of God. He went on to explain that he came to people in the form of the hungry and thirsty, of the naked and homeless, of the despised and forgotten. In serving them, we serve him. How many times have we turned our back on the needy of the earth, not seeing the face of Christ in their faces? Christ is not revealed to us in signs of heavenly visions or inner feelings so much as through the commonplace things of this world. If we pay more attention to what is going on around us, we will recognize Christ in every face. Condensed from Gold Label Publications, Dallas Texas |
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