Saint Augustine described him this way: “John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word.” He is the forerunner, the last of the prophets to point to the coming of our Redemption. And his whole purpose in God’s plan is to prepare us for Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of the Lord.
Here’s the way Zechariah, his father, spoke of his son’s mission: “And you, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.”
The fulfillment of this prophecy came to be when, thirty years after his father spoke those words, the Baptist earned his name by calling people to repentance from their sins by baptizing them in the Jordan River in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.
And that’s where we meet John in today’s Gospel, baptizing the people and preaching the coming of the Christ. We hear him announce the one who is coming, who is mightier than he, and who will baptize not in water but in the Holy Spirit and Fire.
His passion was contagious, Saint Luke tells us, and “the people were filled with expectation” for the coming of the Lord.
And that is why he is such a good companion for Advent, because with us he longs for the coming of Christ and thus helps us to prepare our hearts as a sort of manger for the Lord.
But how do we do that? What should we do?
You heard the people ask John that same question in Gospel a few minutes ago, and he gave them three answers, three ways to prepare their hearts to recieve the Lord when he comes.
First, he tells the soldiers: Stop lying to people: “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone…” Jesus will go a step further, telling his disciples to forgive even those people who lie about you, who “revile us and utter every kind of slander about you.…” We are to forgive them even as we wish to be forgive, not just seven times, but seventy times seven times…as many times as they ask us to forgive them.
Then to the tax collectors he says stop stealing, “Stop collecting more than what is called for by the law.” Again, Jesus will go one step further and tell us to: Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
And finally to the crowd: John tells them to prepare for the Lord not just by lending them your posessions, but when you have two coats, give the second one away. And, as you guessed, Jesus goes even further, saying that if someone wants your shirt, give it to them, and go get your coat out of the cloest as well and give them that as well!
So how does the Baptist tell us to get ready for Christmas? Stop lying to people, forgive people, don’t steal from them, and give them whatever they need.
In other words, love, for God is love and the Son of God became a little child out of love for us and died on a cross that we might learn to love others as he has loved us. That’s how to prepare our hearts to recieve him this Christmas: by loving others, as he first loved us.
