IT IS GOOD NEWS, BUT THERE IS ALSO BAD NEWS
Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR
Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent
Holy Names Church
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
December 13, 2009
Last Sunday being the Second Sunday of Advent, we read about the emergence of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the River Jordan in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, who he described as “One mightier than I”. Like other Hebrew prophets, John lived an austere life; he challenged sinful rulers, calling everyone to repentance and promising God’s justice. John anticipated a messianic figure who would be greater than himself. He is regarded as the forerunner of Jesus. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and the first of the New Testament prophets.
Last Sunday we read the emergence of this desert preacher, an austere and a rigid prophet. The Gospel of Luke 3 tells us that John went throughout the whole region of Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In his proclamation the voice of one crying in the wilderness as he calls himself shouts:
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
The people who heard this proclamation were profoundly terrified. In their fear, they ran to John. The gospel of Luke 3: 7 says “Crowds of people came out to John to be baptized by him.” The gospel seems to be saying that John the Baptist brought good news to the people. But his utterance to the people that came out to be baptized doesn’t sound good news at all. Just listen to what John said:
“You brood of vipers! Who told you that you should escape from the punishment God is about to send? I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The preaching of John was supposed to be good news. He preached, the people responded. He called them brood of vipers. A viper is a dangerous snake. Vipers are known for their wickedness. By calling them vipers, John was accusing them of their wickedness.
Good news! What is good news? What is the good news about Jesus coming to earth to judge and punish sinners? Is it good news that people who have many possessions, with lots of money, or those whose jobs just happen to be collecting tax, or soldiers who have been less compassionate, or the police men or women who collect bribes, or a shepherd who does not lay down his life for the sheep will have to stand before Jesus, the Counselor and face his wrath?
John the Baptist should have passed his message to the people in a joking manner. He should have made a joke out of it. He should have told them: “I have good news and bad news for you; the good news is that the Messiah is coming, and the bad news is that he is not going to like what he finds.” Jesus is not going to like the sorts of wickedness and brutality humans bring to one another. He is not going to like the intensity of hatred among God’s people. He is not going to like it that we are too judgmental and harshly critical of others who don’t act like us, who don’t look like us, who don’t worship like us, or speak like us etc. The King will not like the mindless killings going on around the world. He is not going to like the corruption, greed and insincerity of the political leaders. Jesus is not going to like the objectification of human beings. He is not going to like the way we treat each other. He is not going to like the pride, envy and jealousy that exist among his people. He is not going to enjoy the sight- in the midst of plenty, so many are starving. In the midst of plenty, so many are homeless; in the midst of the best doctors, nurses and hospitals, so many die because they cannot afford to receive treatment for the diseases that killed them. The Lord will not enjoy the sight of so many lives being wasted around the world; so much human and material resources that should have been used to enhance humanity are being used to solve the problem of religious extremism.
John the Baptist was the link between the Old Testament and the New. He was the last OT prophet and the first of the NT. He preached to an audience who lived with the image of a God who is wrathful and punitive, who demanded righteousness or else. And when people failed in their righteousness, they had to make animal and other material sacrifices to make God happy so to say. Their concept of God is a Deity who can be appeased with material sacrifices. The goal of these sacrifices is not for forgiveness but appeasement.
Beloved, the good news is Jesus is coming; he is coming to save us as our Savior. The bad news is that he is going to judge us if we refuse to reject wickedness. It was good news for the long expected Messiah to come; it was bad news to hear that he would point out the darkness in our lives. Though he will judge us but the wonderful news is he will not judge us guilty, not that we are not guilty, but he will offer us grace as a gift; he will offer us unmerited grace and freedom, and anyone who accepts this gift will leave forever. That’s the ultimate Good News of Jesus’ coming.
But in today’s story there is something that is usually forgotten in all of John’s fire and brimstone, that is the sincerity of the people who heard his message and wanted to change their ways: “What then should we do?” they asked. In his answer to their question, John did not issue a litany of impossible do’s and don’ts. He gave simple and practical prescriptions. This is what he said:
“Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” To the tax collectors he said “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” To the soldiers he said “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
The tax collectors and the soldiers were despised people in the Jewish culture; they were seen as outcasts. Tax collectors took advantage of people, collecting much more than were required by Caesar, and then keeping the difference to themselves. Soldiers were Roman citizens with little regard for the Jewish people, and would often unfairly accuse individuals of a crime and then be bribed to recant the accusation. So John’s prescription was “don’t collect more tax than you ought to; don’t swindle people.” These are simple changes in lifestyle; change in attitude. But it gave the people of John’s time hope. They do not need to fear for the coming of the Messiah if their hearts were in the right place. The simple prescription was “Love God and serve humanity”. St. Augustine puts it differently, “Love God and do whatever you want.”
“What shall we do?” was the question of the tax collectors and the soldiers. It is still a good question today. Do we find sometime to ask this question ourselves? How many of us are asking this question? If you do, the answer is:
If you have two coats, give one away. If you have enough food than you can eat, share with those who have little or none. If you are a business man or woman, be honest in your business; if you are a teacher, teach well; make extra effort to make sure that every of your students learns; if you are a student, don’t waste the money paid for your studies, study well; if you are a soldier or a police, be compassionate; if you a truck driver, drive the speed limit; if you are a parent, be tender and fair; if you are a child, honor your parents; if you are a husband or a wife, love your spouse by being faithful; if you are a priest or a religious, be kind and friendly; if you are an employer of labor, pay your workers a just wage; if you are an employee, be diligent in your work and be satisfied with your wage; if you supervise others, be humble and fair in dealing with them; if you are a politician, fight for the common good; if you are a doctor or a nurse, strive to save life; treat your patients with compassion and love; if you are a white person, receive the black person as a brother or a sister; if you are a black person, receive the white person as a brother and sisters; ultimately, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, be real. Love God and serve humanity; love God and do whatever you want. And do not forget that Jesus has forgiven you. You are no longer an enemy, he calls you friend. That is the good news; that’s what we need to hear. Jesus is our friend.
Although there is a bad news, but the good news outweigh the bad news. Jesus is the good news.
