Third Sunday of Advent (C) [Lk
3:10-18]
15.12.2024
John
the Baptist’s Exhortation to Various Groups
1. Theme in brief
What should we do to welcome Christ?
2.
Focus Statement
Through the prophetic preaching of
John the Baptist, the Lord invites each one of us in
one’s own state of life or profession to ask oneself, “what should I do” in
this Advent Season to prepare for Christ’s coming and humbly admit one’s own unworthiness
to welcome him.
3. Explanation of
the text
Today’s
gospel text contains the admonition of John the Baptist to the people who came
to him for baptism of repentance, and also his humility and high regard for the Messiah. He wanted those people to prove the genuineness of their repentance (1) by a spirit of sharing with those who did not have basic necessities of life (3:11); and (2)
by doing their jobs in their respective posts honestly and devotedly (3:12-14). Thus he advised them to get ready to face
the judgement
of the Mightier One who would come after him with “winnowing fan” in his hands to
judge and
separate the chaff from the wheat (3:17).
According
to the given text, three groups or categories of people came to John for
baptism, namely the public, tax-collectors and soldiers. All of them asked him
the same question, “What must we do” in order to repent (3:10,12,14)? In his reply he had a different
advice for each group; he tried to concretize what repentance meant to each person according to his/her state of
life or profession/ job/ occupation. Hidden in his direct and honest reply to
their question, we can observe John addressing the common
weaknesses or temptations for persons connected with those jobs/ professions
or states of life. John did not ask them to multiply religious rituals and
prayers, instead he preached about matters of social justice to be done to the deprived.
To
the above-mentioned question asked by the general public, John advised them to
share their extra clothing and food generously with the have-nots (3:11). When tax-collectors asked the same question he advised them
to refrain from corrupt
and exploitative practices (3:13). Tax-collectors in Jesus’ days were known for
exploitation, extortion
and defrauding or swindling. Their higher position enabled them to extort higher
amount of taxes than fixed by the government and swindle a good amount for themselves. Their very name was synonymous with
sinners. John admonished them not to fleece money from their own fellowmen and resist the temptation to be so greedy as to collect exorbitant
(additional) tax from their own people (3:13). When soldiers asked the same
question, he advised them not to do violence to anybody just because they had the power to handle weapons and
work for security of the State. Since they faced the temptation to bully or threaten people and
extract money from them by force, he advised them to refrain from aggressive behaviour (3:14). In other words, he asked
them not to use their brute force on others.
Next,
John pointed to the superiority or greatness of the One coming after him in the following manner:
(1) by not drawing
people to himself but to the Mightier One (the Messiah) and confessing his unworthiness even to untie the thong of his sandals – a work done by slaves
(3:16); (2) by stating that the baptism of the Coming One was superior to his
because he baptized only by water; the Other One would baptize by the Holy Spirit and fire (3:17); and (3) by
upholding the Mightier One’s authority to bring a judgment on those who refuse to change. John compared this authority, which
was solely possessed by the Mightier One coming after him, to the separation of wheat from
the chaff as farmers do with a winnowing fan (3:17). The symbolism of wheat refers to those who
repent and reform their lives, and chaff to those who stubbornly refuse to change or reform their lives. The
wheat would be gathered into his ‘barn’ (that represents the saved ones) and
the chaff would be burnt in fire (that represents the unsaved ones, 3:17).
Baptism
by fire refers to purging or purifying nature of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is like fire – surely a
reference to the descent of the Spirit in tongues of
fire on Pentecost day (Acts 2:2-3) – that burns with love in a
believer’s heart and cleanses him/her like fire removing the dross (a waste substance) from any metal.
4.
Application to life
As
per today’s gospel text, John the Baptist is not a soft-spoken person or a goody-goody. He is stern and demanding. He wants not repentance in theory or sentiments but in concrete
actions. His message is as valid for
today as in his days. As we prepare ourselves for Christmas, he gives a call to
examine our attitudes, conduct and
life-style that go against Christ’s values of love, fellowship, honesty and
justice. The essence of his preaching is that we should do our work not only
sincerely but also ethically. According
to him, repentance does not mean just feeling
regrets or remorse for the past but changing our wrong attitudes or negligees in
our own state of life and occupation that could result in concrete deeds of mercy.
Instead of advocating more sacrifices of lambs and more religious rituals, he
advocated genuine concern for the
needy and a spirit of sharing and honesty. Today also he urges us to be involved
in the life-issues of the disadvantaged
people by sharing our resources with them. He exhorts us not to abuse our power by engaging in corrupt practices; instead perform acts of kindness or deeds of mercy for the needy.
John’s
message challenges us to examine our conduct
in whatever profession/ occupation we do or in whatever state of life we are in.
Each one of us has to ask, “What should I do”
to prepare for Christ’s coming in the context of my own state of life or
profession? In concrete terms, “What should I do to really live an authentic
Christian life as a father or mother, as a son or daughter, as an employer or
employee, as a wage-earner, as a student, as a doctor or nurse, as a teacher,
as a lawyer, as a leader, as a priest or religious?” John the Baptist gives a
few examples, which need to be extended to all states of life and modern
professions. He invites us to examine the common
weaknesses or temptations connected with our jobs/ professions or
states of life.
First
of all, if our repentance is genuine it should result in concrete actions like sharing our food and
clothing with those who are deprived of these things. As Jesus was born in
extremely poor conditions, we are reminded that preparation for Christmas
involves a concern for the poor and the less fortunate ones. As food and clothing are basic necessities of life, those
who have more than enough of these things are to welcome Jesus by sharing these
and their other resources with the have-nots. If many people are poor in the
world, it is because of the greed of others who have more than enough resources
but refuse to share. Our world is a world of contrasts:
When so many people including children go to bed everyday with hungry stomachs
in some parts of the world, so much food is wasted
in lavish parties and banquets in some other parts; when so many starve in one region, so much food is thrown away (sometimes even into the sea) in
another. Our world can be a better place if we decide to share something of
what we have.
Each one of us is invited to share
what one can spare, what is extra,
and what is more than one actually needs as preparation for Christmas. If we open our lockers, cupboards, storerooms, cabinets and fridges
we may find things lying there unused for days/ months/ years. We neither use
them nor give to others in need. If we have food
more than enough for oneself and for family we are called to share cheerfully with
the poor and the needy. When this type of sharing is done in faith and out of
love, it proves that our repentance is genuine; that we have learned to
overcome our selfishness. As Christmas is drawing near it would be a
wonderful thing to discuss and decide in our families/ religious communities
what we can share with the poor. When there are plenty of vegetables and fruits
in the garden of religious houses/communities, they too are called to share
something of that with the poor neighbours, instead of sharing only with their
own communities or allowing them to go wasted. Since many modern nuclear
families like to have only one or two children, such children may fail to learn
the values of self-sacrifice and sharing of
what they have because they do not have more brothers and sisters to share
their things and space. When parents shower all the love, protection and
gifts on one or two children only, such children may turn out to be more selfish,
greedy
and proud. Advent
could be an appropriate time for such parents to start strongly inculcating the
value of giving and sharing in their children, if they are not doing it.
John
did not ask service-holders of his days such as tax-collectors and soldiers to
quit their job or not to collect taxes for the Government or not to fight for
their king, but to be honest and upright while performing their duties and
fulfilling their responsibilities. Tax-collectors mentioned in today’s gospel could
include all the professionals and politicians of our times. For persons who
hold administrative and managerial posts both in civil society and the Church, in
which they have to handle huge sums of money, there are strong temptations to swindle or misappropriate public
funds or church funds. Today, though there are anti-corruption laws in several
democratic countries, those in power know the tricks to find loopholes in the
laws or the system and manage to escape from being caught. If somebody wants to
swindle church funds, there are enough loopholes in the church’s system to do
it with impunity. When we are tempted to do so, listening to John the Baptist may
mean refraining from misappropriation
of public funds, defrauding, faking of accounts, taking bribes, misusing power,
doing injustice, exploiting the ignorance of the ordinary people and to respect
human rights.
Soldiers
mentioned in today’s gospel could include all the police, defence forces, civil
servants, tribal chiefs and traditional council of village elders or leaders.
For them to practice John the Baptist’s guidelines would mean refraining from extortion, mock or fake encounters, bullying, intimidating,
blackmailing, false accusation and partiality in judgements. It also would mean
resisting temptation to use their power and position for personal gain by exploiting, threatening and frightening
people, especially those who are ignorant of laws and regulations. John asked
the soldiers to be satisfied with their wages (3:14). Of course, this should
not be taken to mean that all workers should silently suffer unjust wages or
should not go on a strike at all in such cases. But John the Baptist might
challenge them to re-think whether they should resort to violent strikes and rioting in which public property is
destroyed immensely and the public are put into tremendous inconveniences.
Frequent strikes, picketing, blockades and violent protests in some regions of the world are causing
colossal wastage of precious duty hours, loss of public property and damage to
the economy.
Humility of John
inspires us not to project ourselves as the messiahs or saviours when we preach,
or exercise leadership roles and administration. Sometimes we hear people in
leadership roles saying: “Let us see how they will run the show without me!”
Sometimes we are tempted to think or make others to think that we are
‘baptizing’ people in our own name, not in the name of the Holy Trinity. Like
John the Baptist, we should always consider ourselves as those who ‘baptize’
merely with ‘water’. After his example,
we are called not to project ourselves as the messiah before our followers or
disciples and make them totally depend on us. There is a temptation for
famous preachers, teachers, spiritual guides or counsellors and healers to
subtly advocate a personality cult advocated
by film or sport stars and politicians.
Humility to admit
our powerlessness and unworthiness, as exemplified by John the Baptist, is
conducive to welcoming Christ into our hearts. As parents, teachers, civil servants,
employers, social/ political/ religious leaders we should not give the
impression that we are the messiahs or saviours – having magical answers to all
problems of life and giving impression that we know everything, or thinking
that nothing will move without us. We forget that we are only instruments in God’s hands to help others
grow.
5.
Response to God's Word
What are the common weaknesses and sins in our state of life as
married couples, parents, teachers, leaders, pastors and consecrated men and women?
What are the most common weaknesses, temptations and failure in our profession/
occupation/ daily work? Let us pray for baptism with fire of the Holy Spirit so that we may be purified and
renewed. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit so that he may come and help us to
distinguish between real love (‘wheat’) and selfishness (‘chaff’) and burn off
all our impurities and aberrations with his fire of love.
6.
A prayer
Lord Jesus, as we are preparing to
celebrate your birth, give us the generosity to share what we have with the
needy. Grant that we may welcome you by doing our works honestly and devotedly
in our own respective occupations and professions. Open our eyes to see our
failures and shortcomings in our own state of life. Amen.
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