Third of Advent Year A
December 2007
‘I solemnly assure you, history has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptist.’
A bit strange when you consider that he lost his head to a spiteful woman at the age of thirty one. So what made him so great?
Sure, he was a prophet. Sure, he was the one who proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth to be the long awaited Redeemer. Sure, he was a close blood relative of Jesus. But I think what Jesus was referring to was his near total selflessness. This is what made him like God his Creator and thus the greatest.
God is Love and love is sharing, self giving, selflessness.
John the Baptist handed over his followers to Jesus. He declared Jesus to be the Messiah and encouraged, even insisted that his followers become the disciples of Jesus. The Apostles were originally the disciples of John the Baptist.
John threw his authority, his standing among the people (and John was hugely popular) and his followers behind Jesus.
As John replied, when some of his devoted disciples complained that he was losing the bulk of his followers to Jesus, ‘He must grow greater, I must grow less,’ he said. The inevitable happened as John well knew it would happen. The fall in the number of John’s followers enabled Herodias to persuade King Herod, her husband, that it was now safe to have John arrested and imprisoned. Eventually she succeeded in having him executed by beheading.
It is not cleanliness which is next to Godliness. It is selflessness which is next to Godliness. Selflessness is secretly giving ten percent of my yearly income to help those in need. Selflessness is being open and welcoming to immigrants to my area. Selflessness is quietly being at the service of wife, husband, children, siblings, at home, even when it is not appreciated or recognised.
That is how we become like God. That is how we become great in God’s sight. That is how we prepare for Christmas.