Readings: 1 John 2:22-28; Psalm 97; John 1:19-28
John the Baptist confirms one of the ways in which he is described in the other three gospels. He is 'a voice crying in the wilderness', as Isaiah foretold, with the message 'make a straight way for the Lord'. So far, so good.
But he says he is not Elijah and this is unsettling because not only is he described in that way in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but it is from the lips of Jesus that he is so described: Matthew 11:14; 17:12; Mark 9:13; Luke1:17.
Is it possible that John himself did not know everything about his role in the inauguration of the messianic era? It seems so.
It is a useful warning for listening to today's other reading, from the First Letter of John. We are told that we do not need anyone to teach us, that we have received an anointing (it is the Holy Spirit) who anoints us with truth and teaches us everything.
What can it mean? It cannot mean that we receive answers to questions like 'who will have the places of honour in heaven' or 'when will the Son of Man return'. We are told explicitly that such answers are not available. It must mean, though, that we have received all relevant knowledge, everything we need to know for our salvation, about ourselves and about Jesus, as well as an instinct for the truth that will keep us on the right road. Or lead us back to it when we stray.
Like John the Baptist we will die without knowing what our precise role has been in the story of the world's salvation. It seems that it is something we do not need to know. Like all those heroes and heroines of 2024 who did what they were trained to do and used their skills and compassion in the service of others, like the Baptist who defended justice and proclaimed the truth without seeing the bigger picture, the meaning of it all, but saw clearly what love and truth and justice required - so we are to continue on our journey, living in the truth, loving what is good, seeking to build relationships that are just.
What our name or title is in the end is something that will be revealed, by the Lord, in the fullness of time (Revelation 2:17). In the meantime we are called to grow in our knowledge of God, living and true, and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, to live according to Jesus's commandment of love, and so live already with the eternal life He promises us, already the children of God without knowing what we are to be in the future, when we see Him as He really is.
No comments:
Post a Comment