MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT

HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The person of John the Baptist is a fascinating one. He is the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. In the first chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, mysterious happenings surrounded his birth. It started from the announcement to Zechariah by the Angel Gabriel, the Old age of the Parents, the dumbness of the father, the divinely chosen name, and the recognition by the unborn John of the presence of the unborn Jesus. These circumstances re-echo some prominent figures in the Old Testament. The events that surrounded John the Baptist recall the story of Abraham, the father of faith and place side by side the personality of the child with Isaac, the son of Abraham. The formula of announcement and the divinely chosen name of John re-enacts the announcement of the birth of Isaac and his divinely chosen name (Gen 17:19). The old age of the parents of John reminds us of the old age of the parents of Isaac (cf. Gen 21:1-7).

Some other OT personalities come to mind. The announcements of the birth of Samson (Judges 13:1-25) who possessed the same ascetic lifestyle with John; and that of Samuel (Sam. 1:1-20) contain admixtures which express analogous narration with that of John the Baptist. The stories of these personalities express through symbolism of the plan of God in the economy of salvation. Abraham and Isaac were chosen to establish a new people of God with a different mission. Samson was born to raise a person who can console the Israelites against the intimidation of the Philistines. Samuel had the mission to correct the errors of the children of Eli and to inaugurate a model of priesthood through another line. John the Baptist himself was born to become the forerunner of Jesus and to fulfil the message of the prophet Isaiah to make the ways of the Lord straight. John is that messenger sent to prepare the way of the Lord (Mal. 3:1) and his voice is that voice in the wilderness crying out and calling the people to repentance (cf. The First Reading, Isaiah 40:3): prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.

A careful study of the Gospel Reading of today has led us into selecting five major guidelines from the life and message of John for our journey towards proper repentance and preparation of the way of our Lord.

1) The Wilderness

Isaiah wrote that a voice cries in the wilderness. He wrote this during the Babylonian exile. The people were in despair; so Isaiah spoke of a new exodus that reminds the people of how they were led out of Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land. So, also, God would lead them out to Jerusalem through the wilderness. So, the wilderness here signifies a passage for freedom. It signifies a place where the people of God pass through out of slavery, hunger, intimidation, suffering, and cries to freedom, plenty, love, glory and joy. However, the wilderness is very significant in the life of Israel. It was there that God tested the people, the people rebelled and sinned, and it was there that God saved them again and again. The wilderness was indeed a crucible where the people became a nation. It was a route to their nationhood. It was a place the people sinned and where they also got repentance to restore their relationship with God. It is in this that we see why the message of John was heard from the wilderness.

The wilderness played special role in the liberation of the people. And this provides an answer to those who are tempted to ask why John must cry out from the wilderness. Another answer is that John the Baptist was an embodiment of Elijah who associated with the wilderness (cf. 1 Kings 17:2-3) and the Scripture promised the return of Elijah (Mal. 4:5). John’s cry from the wilderness is a clarion call to go back to our root and to remember how God saves us as a people. So, it is a place of reminiscence that reminds us to never forget the wonders God has done in our lives. Make yourself to hear this cry sounding from the wilderness. Remember how good the Lord has been to you, and be quick to repent. In like manner, remember how good that person whom you have offended has been to you, and be ready to make amends this period.

2) The Congregation of John

The Gospel recorded that people came all the way from Judea and Jerusalem to receive the baptism of John which called for repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is significant. Remember, from the biblical history, before the coming of John, it has been more than three hundred years since a prophet was active in Israel. So, the people thought that the era of the prophets is gone. So, learning of John the Baptist, they flock to him. They have indeed longed for a prophet. The people of Jerusalem are clearly drawn in mass towards John who appeared unexpectedly. John’s location in the wilderness identifies him, not only with Israelite history, but also with the freshness that makes it possible for people to repent and to rid themselves of sins. Ironically indeed, the people who go out to the city for its excitement have again regained the real excitement through the life of a prophet. We need a prophet. Our era needs a prophet who can attract people and tell them the truth of their salvation.

Not only had that people gone to the wilderness to hear John. The wilderness was part of the attraction. Many a time, the challenges of Urban settlement make us dream of our rural areas. Drawn to the city by the promise of money and excitement, people find themselves yearning for that which they left behind –fraternal neighbourhood, realistic friendliness, and an unpretentious living. This is what we do this Christmas period. We live the noise and distraction of the city for our indigenous homes. But one question remains: What is it that attracts you to go back to your village for the celebration of Yuletide? I pray you find your attraction in the call for repentance and going back to the root to make peace with all your family members and to share with them.

3) The River Jordan

John was baptising in the river Jordan. Here, the river Jordan is the river of baptism. Baptism means to immerse, dip or plunge. So, the method of John’s baptism was immersion into the river Jordan. This immersion/baptism was done for repentance (a metanoia, change of direction) for the forgiveness of sins. There are two traditions which reflect this type of baptism: one was the ritual bathing of the Qumran community. This was done for spiritual purification. And John was alleged to have been a member of this community. The second was the cleansing of Proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism) by immersion into water. This was performed as a sort of initiation exercise. Clearly, John’s baptism was different. It was not only for Gentiles nor only for ritual bathing, but also for the forgiveness of sin.

The river Jordan is the place for this baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. It becomes a place where both Jews and Gentiles can come and be baptised; a place of the foundation of a new people bound together by the repentant spirit, and not by their ethnic divisions. This is a preparation for the reign of the one coming after John who is the king of all, and who knows no division. Where is our river Jordan today? Where is that place that we can be called to forget our ethnic and racial differences and focus on the important matter, which is repentance? That river Jordan can be your home. It can be the church. It can be your shop. It can even be in your office. It can even be in the means of transportation. You are charged today to become a founder of the river Jordan in many places you find yourself.

4) John’s Clothing and Food

John was clothed with a camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. This leads us to recall the description of Elijah (2Kings 1:8) as a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist, and Daniel (Dan 1:8-16) who rejected the royal meal and demanded for vegetables and water. John was an ascetic. He sacrificed the pleasures of clothing and food for his mission. What do you sacrifice for your mission? What will you give away to put smiles on the faces of some others this Christmas? What will be your contribution in making sure that the repentance does not end in you, but becomes contagious in the sense that people desire it because of the contact they have made with you?

5) The Message of John

John preached saying After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit. The people flocked around John but he redirected them to the one coming. John shows himself very humble by admitting that the one to come is more powerful than himself. The task of loosening someone’s sandals is considered so menial that anybody can do it. In Israel, only slaves do that for their masters. So, John establishes that the gap between a slave and a master is even closer when compared with the gap between him and the Christ. The point here is that Jesus the Christ, the King we await has an amazing importance and pride of place.

Jesus is the dispenser of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He would fulfil the oracle of Isaiah concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 32:15; 44:3). In John 1:33, it is on Him whom the Spirit descends during the baptism that would baptism with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a softener of hearts. He waters the heart for repentance. And so, the message of John leads us to the import of the messiah who is to come. The messiah would bring absolute reconciliation between us and God. His mission would bring about lasting peace. In his days, peace shall reign forever (cf. The Resp. Psalm, Ps. 72:7). As we prepare for the way of the Lord and making his paths straight, we pray for a spirit of endurance to remain repented during this season and even afterwards. Amen. God bless you.