THE WORD
Is 41: 13–20 / Mt 11: 11–5
Jesus said to the crowds, “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Why was John great in Jesus’ eyes? Obviously he was a prophet; but above all, only John witnessed the emergence of Jesus – the promised Messiah. Then why did Jesus add that “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”? We can understand this with the note that “greater” here takes the tone of “privileged and honored.”
What then makes us more fortunate than John? It is because, although John prophesied the coming of the Messiah, prepared His way, witnessed Jesus’ glory during His baptism, and even pointed Him out as the Lamb of God, still John didn’t live long enough to witness the outpouring of God’s love on Calvary. John might have seen the tree and its flower-buds, but not the ripening of the fruit. For inasmuch as Christ prayed, taught and worked miracles, it was by His love on the cross that we were redeemed. This is what we have over John; we witness God’s love in its fullness, a love that we continue to celebrate and recall, every time we gather for the Eucharist. Let’s hope we never fail to treasure and live up to such privilege, fortune and honor.
The Gospel also reminds us that John’s mission can also be our calling. Ten years ago, while serving as a supervisor in a primary school, the principal told me: “Father, surprise! Six teachers have just been baptized after two years of instructions.” I was really amazed; they had never mentioned anything about it to me earlier. Later, as we reflected on this blessing, I asked, “Where did you first encounter the faith?” Everyone answered that they initially came to know Christ and the Church while attending the Catholic schools. And one even jokingly said, “I suppose my teacher then could never have imagined that the naughty boy in the class was actually listening and that the seed of faith was being effectively planted there.” From then on we had a better perspective in relating with our students. Like the prophets, the Lord needs us to scatter the seeds of faith. May we never tire of doing so, even if the harvest may not seem to happen soon enough.
- Fr. Midas, Tambot, SVD (Hongkong)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
