Draw Nearer
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
S. Matth. 11. 2
NOW when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
Which shall prepare thy way before thee.
My dear friends, you may have noticed on this third Sunday in Advent, a few minor differences. Flowers once again adorn the altar, rose-colored flowers. See that the Advent candle for this Sunday is rose-colored instead of purple. Notice the rose vestments in place of penitential purple. A different introit was sung as we began our service with the lighting of the Advent wreath. Note the upbeat joy and happiness as well in today's processional hymn. This third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, or Rejoice Sunday, draws us nearer to Christmas joy.
On the first Sunday in Advent, we were awakened to the hope of our salvation, which is nearer than when we first believed. Last week on Bible Sunday, we were exhorted to receive the Word, who has come into our souls by grace. The Advent collects and readings are making us mindful of the future Advent of our Lord, the day of his second coming to judge the world; so we are mindful of Christ's first Advent when he was born on Christmas morn and soberly await his second coming on the clouds.
You see, a life ordered by God's Word and the Prayer Book doesn't allow us to live in false realities; it doesn't let us tip the scales of Advent one way or the other, either too far into the joy of our salvation or too far into the return of Christ and the impending day of divine judgment. Instead, ours is a sober joy and penitential preparedness because we need to be ready for the bridegroom’s return. Prepared: a spotless bride awaiting the Advent of her beloved. Joy and sobriety.
But on this Gaudete Sunday, Mother church provides a short reprieve from the penitential nature of Advent to embrace joy and festivity, not because Christmas is here (that occurs on December 25th!) but because today, we look forward to the fullness of Christmas 'Joy' awaiting each one of us. Then, we will rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin in a lowly manger. When God the Son took humanity upon himself to redeem a world in darkness. Then we will rejoice in Jesus, the very Joy of Christmas. There is no other.
And yet, there seems to be a strange contradiction in today's Gospel between rejoicing and Matthew's account of John the Baptist. We find in the Gospel account a serious and distressed portrait of the Baptist confined within the four walls of a prison cell. John is in captivity, isolated, experiencing a long and dreary winter alone. Mired in trials and perplexities, John struggles greatly: "Is Jesus the One that was promised to come? Or is there another?" John is questioning and doubting everything.
Now, we must keep in mind who John is. He's not just any man, but the man sent to Israel as the prophet of the most high God! A man conceived and formed in the womb for the very purpose of God, the greater Jeremiah, one who before he was formed in the womb, the Lord knew, and before he was born was consecrated by the Lord; Divinely appointed a prophet (Jer 1:4). Who from within the womb of his mother Elizabeth, rejoiced and worshipped the incarnate Word hid in the Temple of Mary's womb. At the river's bank, he witnessed the Holy Spirit rest, like a dove, upon the Christ, heard from heaven above the affirming words of the Father: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:17). And now, the forerunner is imprisoned, shrouded in darkness and doubt. "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?"
John is receiving reports of Jesus' activities and his interactions with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus isn't doing what John might have imagined. Why is the One he identified as the Messiah not making himself known? Where's the "Elijah-like wrath" that the One to Come is supposed to bring upon the corruptness of Israel, even the whole world? Why hasn't the kingdom of heaven already come in its fullness, vindication for Israel, and justice for the people of God? What is going on here? He is in the dark shadows of doubt and confusion.
We find in John a type of the world that once "sat in darkness and in the shadow of death." A world to which the True Light, "the dayspring from on high," has surely and most gloriously come; he has visited us! He is a type of Israel, his own people, those to whom the Incarnate Word has come and dwelt among, and yet they did not recognize, nor did they know him (Jn 1:10).
He is the Christian in whom the light has shined in the heart to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6), those who by grace and through faith have received the Word deep into the soul: seen; beheld; believed; and yet, at times, doubt. "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" Perhaps the most human, raw, and real words found in Holy Scripture.
Perhaps, today, you find yourself in darkness and confusion or bound in the prison cell of doubt, feeling alone, isolated, and wondering if this man, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the True Word of God. The Promised One of Israel, the Great Physician who alone can heal all things, the conqueror of death and giver of life. But take note: John's very question alerts us to real reality: that the Lamb of God is even now in our midst, though he doesn't appear to be or when doubt clouds our vision.
And how does the Lord react to John's skepticism and worry? He responds and makes himself known. Jesus doesn't hide or evade. Instead, graciously answers, "Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them." See how Jesus chooses to assuage John's doubts through his Word and deeds. The Lord comforts John with the Word, quoting the same prophecy of the prophet Isaiah as a word of confirmation that He, Jesus, is indeed the One and only Messiah of God, promised to all of mankind through all the miracles and wonderful things He had done. Jesus is the Christ, the One revealed in the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God manifested and confirmed by fulfilling the old prophecies. The Word is God, as evidenced by his miracles.
And with the Word, we are comforted as well. We, too, find solace and confirmation in the Holy Scriptures (particularly the Psalms), in the Liturgy and prayers of the church, and in the sacrament of the Word Preached to God's people. The Word of God is like a soothing balm, oil for wounds. You see, the prophetic Word of God goes out to fulfill Isaiah's Divine commission to go forth and "comfort, comfort my people, says the Lord" (Is 40:11). And hear the Psalmist, "the humble hear and be glad" (Ps 34:2).
Again, Jesus pointed to his Word and deeds because they showed him to be the Messiah, the One John and the whole world were looking for. But friends, mark how the Lord points back to what he's already done! Listen to what he tells the messengers sent by John," 'The blind have received their sight; the lame are walking, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf can hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have received the comfort of the Gospel…' He doesn't attempt to nullify their uncertainty by doing a new miracle. No, he says, "just look at what I've already done!" And if we would only stop and take the necessary time, we would find a vast history of the Lord working miraculously in our lives. He has already shown himself to be the Lord. Remember the miracle of salvation that came to you by hearing the salvific Word: How Christ converted your heart of stone into flesh.
Day by day, he returns sinners back into the loving arms of the Father; he turns the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers: mothers to daughters, husbands to wives, and wives to their husbands; miraculously mending even the most fractured of friendships; healing wounds of every kind, both body and the soul. He has proven time and time again, in miracles big and small, that he is the One we are looking for; there is no other. And friends, let us take comfort in this: what the Lord has done in the past is a sure sign of what he will do in the future! For he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Friends, the Baptist wavered, but the Lord remained steadfast and restored His wavering friend. And he will do the same for you. Jesus Christ will answer your doubts and discouragements- will come to you in the darkest night of the soul- to soothe a wavering heart and to assure that we have not believed in vain but have rightly placed our trust, our loves, even our very lives in the Divine hands of Jesus Christ, son of man and son of God.
We, like John, must seek out Christ! He sought answers in his time of despair and doubt, and the Lord responded. We must resist the temptation to crawl into solitude and sorrow but realize Christ has come. And this changes everything, for he is with us, and we must seek answers from Him through prayer and meditation on His Word, embracing times of holy solitude and through faithful worship, drawing ever so near to Him by partaking of the Holy Communion. And finding ourselves in him, patiently waiting for His answer, enduring with hope until He speaks and acts.
The Lord is indeed coming, but we must wait patiently for His arrival. And what of suffering while we wait? St. John the Baptist himself had to endure and suffer in prison. Is this not what we heard today from the Gospel passage, how he sent a message to the Lord Jesus from prison? Though truly dedicated and committed, St. John was still human. He most certainly felt the despair and the pain and bitterness of suffering in prison as he lingered in his confusion and worry.
Some of us may face challenges and trials somewhere on this journey of faith to varying degrees and difficulties. But we must not give up our faith and resolve to seek an answer from the Lord. Like St. John the Baptist, we must remain firm and faithful, sometimes, until the point of our death. But no enemy shall overtake the faithful, not even death, for your enemies, writes Jeremiah, "shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee."
"Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? No. The One who has come to you, who is with you even now, is the God of your salvation. "Rejoice!" The Word shall comfort any and all who have rightly received and believed in Him. God is with you, and a river of grace, loveliness, and joy flows from his presence. He who is to come is already here, near to us, close at hand. And one day, he will come again to fully and finally vindicate the righteous and make all things new." Amen+
