John 1:6-8.19-28
God sent John the Baptist as a
witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is the true Light. John himself was not the
Light; he was only a witness to identify it. The Jewish leaders sent priests
and assistant priests from Jerusalem to ask John whether he claimed to be the
Messiah. He denied it flatly. “I am not the Christ,” he said. “Well then, who
are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the
Prophet?” “No.” “Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer to those
who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?”
He replied, “I am a voice from the barren wilderness, shouting as Isaiah prophesied, ‘Get ready for the coming of the Lord!’”
Then those who were sent by the Pharisees asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?” John told them, “I merely baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you have never met, who will soon begin his ministry among you, and I am not even fit to be his slave.” This incident took place at Bethany, a village on the other side of the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
He replied, “I am a voice from the barren wilderness, shouting as Isaiah prophesied, ‘Get ready for the coming of the Lord!’”
Then those who were sent by the Pharisees asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?” John told them, “I merely baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you have never met, who will soon begin his ministry among you, and I am not even fit to be his slave.” This incident took place at Bethany, a village on the other side of the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
Food for thought!
I am not the Christ; I am not
Elijah; I am not the Phrophet! Then who are you?
I invite you to think about your name. Yes, I mean what you were given as a baby, especially at Baptism. Are you Joseph, Mary, John, Annet, or what? In today's gospel reading, the Jewish leaders sent priests and assistant priests from Jerusalem to ask John about his name, whether he was the Messiah, the Elijah or the Phrophet. And John denied it flatly. Why?
John denied it all because he was not any of those people; he was not the Christ, was not Elijah and was not the Prophet. He was himeself. Just as you and me are not Joseph, not Mary, not John...! Because we were given names of Joseph or Mary didn't make us into a Joseph or a Mary. I can't compare with the original Joseph, the husband of Mary or the Joseph of the Old Testament; you cannot compare with Mary, the mother of Jesus, or any of the Marys in the Bible. None of us can compare with the original owner of our name. We hold holy names of holy people who lived holy lives.
If we are not any of those people whose names we hold, who are we? This is the question they asked John: “Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?” Please, look at what John said in reply: “I am a voice from the barren wilderness, shouting as Isaiah prophesied, ‘Get ready for the coming of the Lord!’”
John is what he is doing: a voice shouting in the wilderness, saying to the people, Get ready for Jesus! That is what John is. The same to us; we are what we are doing; and we are doing what we are. If what we are doing is good, we are good; if what we do is evil we are bad people. In other words, we are not good simply because we carry a good or holy man's name; we are good and holy because we do good and holy acts.
Matthew 7:17-20
Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit. A variety that produces delicious fruit never produces an inedible kind. And a tree producing an inedible kind can’t produce what is good. So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped down and thrown on the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit produced.
I invite you to think about your name. Yes, I mean what you were given as a baby, especially at Baptism. Are you Joseph, Mary, John, Annet, or what? In today's gospel reading, the Jewish leaders sent priests and assistant priests from Jerusalem to ask John about his name, whether he was the Messiah, the Elijah or the Phrophet. And John denied it flatly. Why?
John denied it all because he was not any of those people; he was not the Christ, was not Elijah and was not the Prophet. He was himeself. Just as you and me are not Joseph, not Mary, not John...! Because we were given names of Joseph or Mary didn't make us into a Joseph or a Mary. I can't compare with the original Joseph, the husband of Mary or the Joseph of the Old Testament; you cannot compare with Mary, the mother of Jesus, or any of the Marys in the Bible. None of us can compare with the original owner of our name. We hold holy names of holy people who lived holy lives.
If we are not any of those people whose names we hold, who are we? This is the question they asked John: “Then who are you? Tell us, so we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?” Please, look at what John said in reply: “I am a voice from the barren wilderness, shouting as Isaiah prophesied, ‘Get ready for the coming of the Lord!’”
John is what he is doing: a voice shouting in the wilderness, saying to the people, Get ready for Jesus! That is what John is. The same to us; we are what we are doing; and we are doing what we are. If what we are doing is good, we are good; if what we do is evil we are bad people. In other words, we are not good simply because we carry a good or holy man's name; we are good and holy because we do good and holy acts.
Matthew 7:17-20
Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit. A variety that produces delicious fruit never produces an inedible kind. And a tree producing an inedible kind can’t produce what is good. So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped down and thrown on the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit produced.
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