Posted by The WORD in other words (2016) by Fr Raymund Festin SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
2nd Sunday of Advent – A
John the Baptist cuts a most fascinating figure. He is undoubtedly unafraid and tough as depicted by Matthew the Evangelist. The words used to describe him bear this out–residence: desert; attire: camel’s hairwith buckskin belt; food: locusts and wild honey; occupation: Desert “umalohokan” (crier) and baptizer; favourite metaphors: ax, winnowing fan, unquenchable fire.
His favourite expletive? “You brood of vipers!” Wow! To call the Pharisees and Sadducees “brood of vipers” is simply audacious. They are the most powerful order of men in Judea. In those times, no one dared to go up against them, as they could make one’s life miserable. They could even put someone to death, as they did to Jesus, John’s cousin.
Did Jesus copy John’s colorful language in dealing with the Pharisees, the lawyers, and the chief priests? The former also called them “snakes” and “sons of snakes.” (Mt. 23: 33).
Although John the Baptist was a tough man who did not suffer fools gladly, he was a most humble person. “I am not worthy to carry his sandals,” he declared when he spoke of Jesus.
In the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, the lowly job of a slave is described as follows. “He buckles master’s shoes,unlooses his shoes, carries them before him to the bath.” Unloosing a master’s shoes is so servile a task that only a slave does it. Note that John admitted that he was not even worthy to do it for Jesus.
There is another biblical meaning of the act of wearing and untying sandals. The Old Testament makes references to this practice: he who wears the sandals has the right over the wife. Put another way, it is the Bridegroom who wears the sandals because he has the right over her.
Now, John the Baptist knew this. He knew that Jesus was the Bridegroom of Israel, not he. And that explains why he declared that “there is a man who comes after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
In this season of advent, let us emulate John in his humility. For a humble heart is the best place to receive the Lord when He comes on Christmas Day.
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