Matthew 11:2-11: (NRSV)

Messengers from John the Baptist

² When John heard in prison what the Messiah^* was doing, he sent word by his^* disciples ³and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ ⁴Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers^* are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. ⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

Jesus Praises John the Baptist

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸What then did you go out to see? Someone^* dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. ⁹What then did you go out to see? A prophet?^* Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way before you.” 
¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

The new Revised Common Lectionary that we follow has two Sundays in Advent dedicated to John the Baptist. I rather miss Bible Sunday’s demise, because despite the horrible reputation some fundamentalist have unjustly given the Bible, it still remains the most wonderful treasure trove ever written. But there is no disputing the importance of John the Baptist and what a wonderful testimony of grace where Jesus makes the comment that ‘... the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he ...’ I know that, in my own strength, my testimony does not come anywhere near that of John, but then, our relationship with God is not based on who we are and what we have done, but on who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Indeed, it is a matter of personal choice and commitment and so many in Britain today miss out on so much because they fail to do so, or even see the need to do so! Instead, they continue to worship at the altars of materialism, status, wealth etc. even though these gods have so dismally failed them.

John was a prophet and how we need prophets today. But what a difficult task they have because they never say what people want to hear. The truth always penetrates to the quick and people rebel. John’s message led to his death. The messages of modern prophets like Oscar Romero led also to their deaths.

In this Adventide the world is crying out for a prophet.

John was unable to see evil without rebuking it. This is much easier when the evil is obvious. When we ministered in South Africa, the horrors or Apartheid were clear for everyone to see and so it was our duty to rebuke it at every turn. I know we were both unpopular in the process (I know that some people probably wanted to throw me into the bay!) In Britain it seems much more difficult for the evil is far less obvious. As we have reflected earlier, the Gospel tends to have a hollow ring when people are unaware of their sin. By far the majority of people we come across are indeed ‘good’ people in the eyes of the world. But in the eyes of God, human righteousness is like filthy rags (as the prophet Isaiah explains).

Our prophetic utterances therefore need to be so different. They need to be much less fierce and forthright, but rather the utterance of love saying that there is a different way, yes, even a better way; it is the way of selfless love as revealed by Jesus.

Jesus replies to the disciples of John. He tells them not to tell John what he was saying, “Tell him what I am doing!” The Good News is that this same Jesus is still doing the same sort of things today. Barclay explains that those who are blind to the truth about themselves, others and God are enabled to see; those whose feet are not strong enough to remain on the right path are strengthened; those who are tainted by the disease of sin are cleansed; those who have been deaf to the voice of conscience and of God begin to listen; those who were dead and powerless in sin are raised to newness and loveliness of life and ‘... in him the poorest person inherits and possesses the riches of the love of God.’

In addition to the good news comes also with a warning: ‘⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

Barclay suggests that this verse was addressed particularly to John because he seemed only to have grasped part of the truth: John preached a gospel of divine holiness with divine destruction; Jesus preached the gospel of divine holiness with divine love. So Jesus might have been saying: “Maybe I am not doing the things you expected of me, but the powers of evil are being defeated, not by immense power, but by unanswerable love.” Sometimes people are offended by Jesus because his ideas of what ‘religion’ ought to be. Barclay concludes: ‘We will always be offended at Jesus, if we think that we know best.’

What an accolade John was given by our Lord in verse 11: “¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” So what then did he lack?

Barclay offers the following thoughts.

He had never seen the Cross and so the full revelation of Jesus and the fullness of the love of God. He might have known the holiness of God and God’s justice, but there would always have been something missing. This becomes apparent when we compare the messages of John and Jesus. It is difficult to define John’s message in terms of ‘good news’, his message was more a threat and judgement. Jesus and the Cross reveal the whole picture and includes the most vital ingredient, the height, and breadth and depth of the love of God. Barclay writes: “It is the most amazing thing that it is possible for the humblest Christian to know more about God than the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. It enables us to know more of the heart of God of God in a way than Isaiah or Jeremiah ...”

In theory I agree with what Barclay is saying, but my recent experience would add that this is possible in theory. It is amazing how few people study the Scriptures at all because so few people ever read. I have heard some frightening statistics of how little the Bible is read even by those in the Church. Yes, one can know the depth of the love of God but one needs to confront the Cross with all its love through the Scriptures and how they apply to where we are as the Holy Spirit moves us. We confront the Cross of Christ when we come by faith to the written Word where we encounter the Living Word.

It was John’s destiny to point people to a greatness into which he himself did not enter; he was a mere signpost.

It would appear that he could be the first patron saint of educators together with Thomas Aquinas, John Bosco and John Baptist de la Salle, for this seems to me to be what we are about, for our vocations are to prepare others for doing great things. I fear sometimes that the excellent schools that we have the privilege of being part of, all too easily fall into the trap of preparing people for the best positions in public life and commerce, and that true greatness does not always seem to be an aspiration of many. Quite appropriately our Schools celebrate those who have ‘done well’ and who have become judges or Chairmen of international companies or leaders in politics or the military, but I think we need also to challenge our students to strive for true greatness.

Of course this begs the question: “What is true greatness?”

Few people are aware of the importance or Vernon Johns preparing the way for Martin Luther King’s work in the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, but while he did not receive the great accolades of King, he was still truly great. Barclay is of the opinion that, “... it is very seldom that any great reformer is the first man to labour and to toil for the reform with which his name is connected in history.” He tells of a lovely story of the time when street lamps were gas powered and how one of the lamp lighters did his work with great dignity only to discover that the lighter was blind. “... he was bringing light which he himself would never see ...”

I have had a terrible weekend, feeling bereft at the death of Madiba, our beloved Nelson Mandela. But some of what is attributed to him actually belongs to Desmond Tutu – Madiba’s John the Baptist, and Desmond, being the gracious Christian that he is, will never complain.

And so, I take encouragement that we are about an important task, that as teachers we point others to a goal, even if we never reach the goal ourselves.

I look forward in hope of hearing how any of my pupils have done great things with their lives, but not in the way the world thinks, but those who join me as teachers, ministers of the Gospel, those who have, above all else, sought to be faithful to what God has called them to be and to do. This, for me, is true greatness.