Today’s verses of the Gospel (Jn 1:6-8, 19-28) for the Third Sunday of Advent focuses on John the Baptist. He is the type of Advent figures who teach us how to live this time and our lives wisely.
The name John (Hebrew Johanan) means “YHWH has shown mercy and grace”. Through John, God enters the history of humanity to show His mercy. The name Baptist refers to the act of baptism, which John performs in Bethany, on the other side of the River Jordan. As in the past the people of Israel entered the Promised Land, the Land of Milk and Honey, the Land of Freedom, through the waters of the Jordan, now John the Baptist as the Precursor of Jesus Christ prepares people for an encounter with the One who is Freedom, Love and Eternal Life incarnate.
John the Baptist comes from a Jewish family. His father Zechariah is a priest in the Jerusalem temple, and his mother Elizabeth is a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. He could have led a quiet and prosperous life, but discerning the voice of God’s call, he enters the Judean Desert to “become the voice of one crying out in the desert” in asceticism and humility. This expression taken from the prophet Isaiah becomes a description of his identity. It is interesting to note that the Qumran community living at the time of the birth of Christianity in the Judean Desert, in its rule called the Rule of Association, also defined their identity by evoking the words of the prophet Isaiah, who claimed that he is “the voice of one crying out in the desert”. John the Baptist teaches us that in order to fulfil God's will, one must be clear about one’s identity.
When questioned by his interlocutors, he makes it clear that he is not the Messiah, Elijah, or any of the prophets, but a witness to the Messiah with a deep union with God. He testifies that Jesus is the Light of the world and moreover recognises in Jesus the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. John calls for conversion and announces true freedom, i.e. liberation from the bondage of sin.
In all his humility, however, he is aware that his baptism is a kind of preparation of the people to meet the true Messiah, whose sandal strap he is not worthy to untie (Jn 1:27). John the Baptist's identity as a witness to Jesus, who is the true Light of the world, develops in a space of humility and complete trust in God. He is willing to humble himself so that Jesus can grow.
John the Baptist's witness is not limited to the present; it reaches out into the future to give an answer to his audience to all eschatological expectations. John the Baptist teaches us the importance and necessity of witness in our lives. A person's life is not a lonely island as it is immersed in the experience of other people. Through a humble and patient attitude of discipleship and listening, a person gradually becomes a witness for others. The closer they are able to cling to the Triune God, the more they experience His power and victory over sin and weakness. The attitude is built up on the humility of a listener, the curiosity of a disciple, and the sensitivity of a human being.
About the Author
Fr. Prof. Dr. Hab. Mirosław Wróbel, head of the Biblical Sciences Section, head of the Chair of Biblical Philology and Inter-Testament Literature at the Institute of Biblical Sciences, Faculty of Theology, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, head of the Biblical Formation Course, director and science editor of the Aramaic Bible project, Representative of Rector of the Catholic University of Lublin for Catholic-Jewish Relations and Research in the Holy Land, first Director of the Abraham J. Heschel Centre for Catholic-Jewish Relations at the Catholic University of Lublin.