December 18, 2024

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

Each year as I prepare for Advent, the first one I look to is Saint John the Baptist. All four of the Gospel evangelists tell us some of the story of John the Baptist. He was the cousin of Jesus and the very same age as the Lord. He was a powerful street preacher who came to announce to us all that this Jesus was our Savior, came to live among us and came to transform our world.

Today I would like to share with you the story of John the Baptist – the incidents that are described in the Gospel of John, Chapter 1. As John begins his Gospel story of Jesus, he wants us to know how John the Baptist prepared the world for the public ministry of Jesus.

John’s Gospel tells us, “A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light but came to testify to the light. The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”

The Gospel tells us that leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to listen to and interrogate John the Baptist. They asked him, “Who are you?” John admits, “I am not the Messiah.” They go on, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” Jesus answers, “I am not.” They continue, “Are you the prophet?” He says, “No.” “Who are you then?” John the Baptist answers, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert. Make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said.”

We are told that John baptized with water for the forgiveness of sins. As the people came to hear John and promise conversion of life – readiness to live in a new and better way – John would take them into the River Jordan and baptize them. John says, “I baptize with water but there is one among you whom you do not recognize – the one who is coming after me whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

We are then told that Jesus was actually there on a day among the crowd near John the Baptist. John recognized him  and said, “Behold the lamb of God.” This is so profound. The Hebrew Scriptures speak of God as the Savior who came to protect the Hebrew people in the time of Moses by placing the blood of a lamb over the house door. John the Baptist sees Jesus as our lamb who protects and saves us by the shedding of his blood.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 1 tells us that on the very next day, John the Baptist again sees Jesus among the crowd. He then points him out to two of his disciples saying , “Behold the Lamb of God.” Immediately, those two disciples begin to follow Jesus. The Lord notices them and asks, “What are you looking for?” They respond, “Rabbi, where are you staying.” Jesus answers, “Come and you will see.” Then we are told that they stay the rest of that day with Jesus. What a magnificent story. I believe that each time we come to Jesus in prayer, he invites us to spend the rest of time with him.

One of those two disciples was Andrew, who will become one of Jesus’ apostles. Andrew is the brother of Simon Peter. In this story, he goes to find his brother, Peter, and tells him, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew takes Peter to meet Jesus, and Peter becomes an apostle of Jesus. We know that John the Baptist is known to say of Jesus, “He must increase, I must decease.”