Word to the Wise
Friday, January 2, 2009 - Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen - bishops and doctors of the Church
[1 John 2:22-28 and John 1:19-28]John answered them, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."
Back in the heyday of B&W television quiz programs, there was one that had the punchline, "Will the real __________________please stand up!" That line has become an American classic for any situation where there is some confusion of identities. The priests and Levites who came from Jerusalem could be forgiven for their confusion about John the Baptist. After several guesses, perhaps with exasperation, they say "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?" John's response is quoted above. The gospels show in a number of ways that recognizing Jesus, and not John, as the Messiah was one of the problems faced by the early Church. The "baptism of John" continued as a practice in some communities! Even in the days of Basil and Gregory (4th century AD), there was still confusion about the exact identity of Jesus. In Jesus' own time it was hard for people to believe that someone who was the son of a carpenter in Nazareth could be the promised Messiah! This is why Luke and Matthew were at pains to establish the Davidic ancestry of Jesus! We who live with the benefit of centuries of reflection and teaching about Jesus Christ may still be asking some of the same questions that our ancestors did. In many ways we respond to Jesus' own question: "Who do people say that I am?" In other ways, we may ask with some exasperation, "Will the real Jesus Christ please stand up?" We do have the reliable teaching of the Church to provide us with a sure foundation, but the act of recognition is still our individual act of faith. AMEN
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