Breaking the Word

2^nd Sunday Advent – 5^th December 2021 — Gospel: Luke 3,1-6

Fulfillment of Prophetic Calling

The Gospel of Luke proclaims: God does not remain distant from the world. God’s reign enters in time and space on the stage of world history. To highlight this, Luke enlists the contrasting earthly powers: an emperor, a governor, three tetrarchs, and two high priests. These chronological references are not merely historical but theological. Indeed, the world to which God sends the Messiah is a world held captive by earthly domination and influence. But, for Luke, the word of God does not come to any of those influential men of power, nor to the political territories over which they have command. It comes instead to a lone man, a prophet, out in the wilderness: John, son of Zechariah.  He will be the one who will prepare the way of the One who is to come.

In introducing John as God’s prophet (Lk 3,1-2), Luke draws a pattern that is common for identifying Old Testament prophets (Eze 1,2-3; Jer 1,1-2; Hos 1,1; Isa 1,1). John is time-framed with the rulers “in the fifteenth year of reign of Emperor Tiberius”, affirming his prophetic call, “the word of God came to John,” with family affinity, “son of Zechariah”, and a location, “in the wilderness.” Thus, John the Baptist stands as a threshold figure, a prophet standing between the Hebrew prophets of old (Isaiah) and the promised prophet to come (Jesus).

John hails from priestly descent on both sides of the family (Lk 1,5-6). His father, Zechariah, is a priest in Jerusalem temple. His mother, Elizabeth, descends from the line of priests originating with Aaron. However, being filled with the Holy Spirit before his birth (Lk 1,15), John was born to be a prophet (Lk 1,76). Instead of serving in Jerusalem Temple, the holiest place, he is out on the edge of the Jordan region. In the wilderness, the purpose of John’s prophetic calling is not only to prepare the way of the Lord (Lk 3,4), but to prepare the people to receive the Lord (Lk 1,16-17) through repentance for the forgiveness of sin (Lk 3,3). Far from the centres of worldly power, whether political, priestly or religious, John fulfils his calling to “go before” the Lord (Lk 1,17.76), “to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins” (Lk 1,77), so that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Lk 3,6).

1^st week of Advent, Saturday – 04^th December 2021 — Gospel: Mt 9,35-10,1.5-8

Commissioned to Build His Kingdom

The summary of Jesus’ authoritative words and his authoritative deeds (9,35) prepare Jesus’ disciples to increasingly share in His mission (Mt 10). Jesus’ words proclaimed the kingdom and his deeds actualized the kingdom. The time for gathering God’s people into that kingdom has arrived, but there is a shortage of labourers. This need to mobilize workers for the harvest leads Jesus to commission the twelve disciples. The instructions to the twelve are twofold: the ministry of the Word demonstrated by the ministry of the deed. The disciples must proclaim the message that Jesus announced: “The kingdom of heaven has come near”; and they must do the deeds that Jesus performed: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons”. In this the apostles’ mission is directed to the “the lost sheep” of Israel in Jesus’ time and to “all the nations” after His resurrection.