Word to the Wise
Friday, December 9, 2011 - 2nd Week of Advent - Fri
[Isa 48:17-19 and Matt 11:16-19,271]For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works.
Jesus is speaking about the "generation" that faced him in his audience. The Gospel of Matthew aims those words at the generation which would read the words. The problem is the same. Those who rejected John the Baptist also rejected Jesus. He is the "wisdom" that has come and those who claimed to be "wise" turn out to be ignorant. The response of the "children in the market place" show a typical cynical response to all religious figures: "Bah! Humbug!"
At least there is some reaction there. Indifference to the religious significance of the Advent and Christmas celebration amazes me. To go through all that our culture goes through at this time of the year simply to celebrate the "spirit of giving," or to "boost the economy" just doesn't make sense. At the end of the season, we put away the ornaments AND the manger scene. I'm beginning to wonder if it might not be a good idea to leave that manger scene out all year. We don't take down our crucifixes after Easter, do we?
That manger scene is a reminder to the children of our generation that Wisdom has come and we are challenged to listen and then proclaim to the "children in the market place" that they are missing something very important. AMEN