First reading, Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11: This section of Isaiah comes from the turbulent period when the Jews were trying to re-establish themselves in their homeland after living a few generations of exile in Babylon.  The prophet says that God has anointed him with the Spirit and sent him to bring good news to those in need of it.  The good news consists of the healing of the broken-hearted and the liberation of prisoners.  Then the prophet expresses Israel's joy at the coming of God's salvation.  He compares it to wearing exceptionally beautiful clothes, as a bride and groom do at the wedding.  He also compares it to the earth's bringing forth new vegetation in the spring.  He says, "I rejoice heartily in the Lord; in my God is the joy of my soul."  This hope for the coming of salvation found its fulfillment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  By inaugurating his public ministry at Nazareth, Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of this passage from Isaiah (Luke 4:16-21) because he was anointed by the Spirit of God to bring good news to the poor.  We rejoice at the fulfillment of the prophecy about Jesus in this passage.

SOURCE: Fr. Tony's Homilies / Used with permission

Second Reading, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: Paul was fond of the Thessalonians because they had received his gospel enthusiastically, and their example had helped others too to embrace the faith.  But he was convinced that they needed continued moral instruction which he gives them in today’s reading.  The reading contains Paul's practical suggestions for anyone trying to be a follower of God: "Do not stifle the spirit.  Do not despise prophecies.  Test everything; retain what is good.  Avoid any semblance of evil." He also asks them to "rejoice always and pray without ceasing.”  They have to give thanks in all circumstances because that is the will of God for them in Christ Jesus.  We, who believe in Jesus and have been united with him in his death and resurrection, should be in a constant state of rejoicing; giving thanks to God for all that he has done for us in Jesus.  The joy we experience, however, is not the fullness of joy waiting for us at Jesus’ second coming.  Hence Paul concludes his instruction with the prayer: "May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

SOURCE: Fr. Tony's Homilies / Used with permission

The context: The last 50 years of biblical studies of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls reveal the fact that John was probably a member of the Judean Qumran wilderness community, the Essenes, a group of people who had left Jerusalem a century before Jesus' birth because of a conflict with the temple authorities.  They waited there, a few miles from Jericho, for the Messiah to come and rectify the horrible injustice they had experienced.  They occupied themselves with Scripture and purification, continually studying, copying and commenting on God's word.  They also went through frequent baptismal rituals to symbolize their total dedication to God's will to live a life of spiritual purity.  John's ministry seems to fit into what we know about Qumran and the Dead Sea Scroll community.  He preached a baptism of repentance, announced the imminent coming of God and gathered followers who, though not "official" Qumran members, followed some of its teachings.

The biblical importance of today’s text: Bible scholars generally agree that the prologue (1:1-18) in John’s gospel is a hymn, the overall purpose of which is to highlight the historical and theological significance of Jesus' origins as "Word," "true light" and the "only Son."  Verses 6-8(9) introduce John the Baptist in a manner that clearly distinguishes him from Jesus – “John himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light." Some scholars maintain that the author of the gospel may be making such a forceful differentiation in order to counter a sect claiming that John the Baptist is the light and the Messiah, and not simply the one testifying to light.  In John's gospel, however, recurring references to the Baptist suggest that Jesus and John preached and baptized concurrently for some time (see John 3:22-30; 10:40-42).  But in all he does and says, the Baptist always witnesses to Jesus and his messianic identity (John 1:6-8(9).   John 1:19-28 is an Advent text that calls us to remember the origins and purposes of Jesus with the kind of devotion that challenges us to be witnesses to Jesus.  John the Baptist demonstrates what it means to be a witness to the true light coming into the world.

The why of Sanhedrin intervention: Why did the religious authorities in Jerusalem show concern for a marginal figure like John, who was attracting crowds to the wilderness and baptizing repentant sinners in the Jordan?  The main reason was that although John was the son of a devout rural priest, Zechariah, he did not behave like a priest.  By his dress and diet, the Baptizer distanced himself from Jerusalem priests and presented himself more like one of the older prophets who declared the will of God for the Jews.  Hence the Sanhedrin may well have felt it their duty to check up on John in case he was a false prophet.  The Jerusalem priests also wanted to know whether John was an “action prophet,” attempting to lead a liberation movement against the Roman rule.  After questioning John, the delegation from the Jerusalem authorities concluded that John was only a harmless “oracular prophet” who did not claim to be the Messiah.  Another reason why the Sanhedrin kept a close eye on John was to find out why he baptized the Jews.  Baptism at the hands of men was not for Israelites, but rather for proselytes from other faiths.  If he had been the Messiah, or even Elijah or the prophet, John had the right to baptize.  The Jerusalem delegation finally came to the conclusion that John's baptismal rite was only a symbolic action, a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," a rite symbolizing purification and cleansing, a return to God before the promised Messiah arrived in their midst.  Thus, they decided that there was no need of any disciplinary action on John. 

John’s humility: The evangelist John presents John the Baptist as the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, "a voice in the desert" calling for Israelites to prepare a way for the coming of Jesus.  John in his gospel takes special care to stress the fact that Jesus surpasses John the Baptist.  The Baptizer declares: "I am baptizing only with water; but there is One among you--you don't recognize him--and I am not worthy to untie the straps of his shoes.” There was a Rabbinic saying which stated that a disciple might do for his master anything that a servant did, except only to untie his sandals.  That was too menial a service for even a disciple to render.  So John said: "One is coming whose slave I am not fit to be." John's mission was only to “prepare the way.”  Any greatness he possessed came from the greatness of the one whose coming he foretold.  John is thus the great example of the man prepared to obliterate himself for Jesus.  He only pointed the way to Christ. 

Witnessing to Jesus: John’s as well as  our mission: The idea that the Baptizer came as a witness to testify to the light (Jesus), is found only in the gospel of John.  According John, Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12).  Just as the dawn of each new day brings joy, the coming of Jesus, the light of the world, causes us to rejoice.  We, the church, are called to witness to Christ by word and deed, in good times and bad—when it suits us and when it doesn't.  Ironically, the witness of the church has often been more faithful under persecution than under prosperity.  We need to be messengers who point out Christ to others, just as John did.  

SOURCE: Fr. Tony's Homilies / Used with permission