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     Scripture scholars debate the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist.  In the Gospel According to Luke, if John was Jesus' cousin and "recognized" Jesus when they were both in the womb when Mary went to visit, why is he sending two disciples to ask Jesus if he is the "one who is to come?"   The other gospels put the recognition at the time of Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River.  It's one of those "How much did he know and when did he know it?" situations that fuel theological debate.  But the question remains not just for theologians but for all generations, including our own.  Is Jesus the one who WAS to come and WILL come again?

     Jesus sends the two disciples back to John to tell what they have "seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them..."  We who live now can reflect on more than 2,000 years of history and on our own lifetime of faith.  What have we seen and heard that would convince us that Jesus is indeed the one whom God has sent?  The contrast between the baby in the manger in our nativity scene and the body on the cross that hangs somewhere in our homes could not be more stark!!  Yet they are the same person.  From the shepherds in Luke's gospel [Luke 2:20] to the two disciples in today's passage from Luke to our own times, we are sent to proclaim what we have "seen and heard, just has it has been told to us."  AMEN