The Matthew Gospel readings for the second and third Sundays of Advent (in Cycle A) are closely linked. In both, Matthew presents us with two men, John the Baptist and Jesus. It is clear that the two men are close, because they praise one another. Last week in our Gospel, John said about Jesus: …the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. This week, Jesus praises John: Amen I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist.
Jesus’ mother Mary was the cousin of Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. We can imagine that these two second cousins knew one another well. They both felt calls from the Lord to preach. John’s preaching ministry was cut short when he was arrested. In today’s Gospel, from prison John sends his disciples to see Jesus, who has begun his own preaching ministry. It is sort of like John saying to his disciples, “Don’t just take my word for it, go see for yourselves that he is The One we’ve been looking for!” Jesus tells John’s disciples to notice how his deeds and words match what prophets have said the expected messiah will do. Having heard that, Matthew just says John’s disciples then left, but we can imagine that some of them became disciples of Jesus after the Baptist was beheaded by Herod.
At any rate, these two Gospels show us a human Jesus, who had a cousin he greatly admired, and one who admired him. It shows two men united in intense devotion to God and, rather being rivals, men supporting one another’s ministry. Their interpretations of their missions from God were not the same, but they flowed toward the same end, the peaceable kingdom of last week’s Isaiah reading, or in today’s Isaiah reading, a world where the desert blooms and all “will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God” (Is 35:2). We ourselves share in the same mission of John and Jesus, to make straight the paths for those we travel through life with, so that they can know and follow the Way, the Light, in a world that is often dark and ethically confusing. And we also are disciples who, like the disciples of John, have to ask of Jesus, “Are you the one?” and through faith answer yes, and follow Him.
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia
The post December 14, Third Sunday of Advent, The Cousins: a Sunday Scriptures blog first appeared on Sisters of the Precious Blood.