It is the third Sunday in Advent, and the waiting is growing difficult. For children, it feels like Christmas might never come. For those facing the season carrying grief, sickness, or suffering, it may feel as though hope will never return. In today’s gospel, we find that John the Baptist had also been waiting, waiting for the Messiah to perform the mighty acts John had prophesied (Matt 3). But instead of watching the wheat and the chaff be winnowed, John had instead been thrown into prison, and the Messiah had made no move to topple Herod and rescue him (Wright, 125). In this dismal state, is it any wonder that John began doubt whether Jesus truly was “the one who is to come”?

Jesus’ response is to remind John of the words of a different prophet, Isaiah, who looked forward to the time of mercy that would follow judgment (Wright, 126). In this happy age, “the eyes of the blind [will] be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared…the lame [will] leap like a stag…the tongue of the dumb will sing.” In quoting these words, Jesus gently corrects John’s misunderstanding of the Messiah’s mission. Jesus has come, not just to separate the wicked from the righteous, but to restore what has been corrupted by sin, to “say to those whose hearts are frightened:…Here is your God.” Like John, Jesus preaches a gospel of repentance, but his message is greater than John’s because the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6) and to heal what has been broken.

Waiting is always difficult. Not for nothing does St. James tell us to look to the example of the prophets as models of patience during trials (Jas. 5:10). When we are struggling to cling to hope, it is helpful to remind ourselves what we are waiting for. “What did you go out to the desert to see?” Jesus asks the crowds of John. The same question can be asked of us: what are we expecting of our Messiah?

Reflection by parishioner Kathryn Wilmotte

Reference: Wright, N.T. (2004). Matthew for Everyone: Part 1: Chapters 1-15. Westminster John Knox Press.