Tag Archives: John the Baptist

The Power

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Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. The gospel reading is taken from Luke and describes the scene when the child is born and, against the custom of the day, receives not his father’s name, but the name “John” as earlier commanded by the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:13. Scripture is clear that John was to be the herald of Messiah. The angel Gabriel also announced to Zechariah that his son, “…will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” Continue reading →

Denouncing the Prophet

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Today is the Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. The gospel reading, from Mark, is the familiar account of Herod’s step-daughter asking for the head of John the Baptist. “Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

One wonder’s how this event would be treated in today’s communications milieu. Continue reading →

Spirit and Son of God

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. In yesterday’s post we looked at some of the verses that speak to John the Baptist as witness to the Messiah. In today’s post we will continue that line of thought as he gives a summary reason for his ministry of Baptism at the River Jordan. Where Mark’s gospel asserts it was “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4), John simply offers “I came baptizing with water … that he might be made known to Israel.” (John 1:31)  Continue reading →

Be made known

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. In yesterday’s post we considered the expression “Lamb of God.” In today’s post we look at the verses that speak to John the Baptist as witness. One of the distinct features of the Fourth Gospel is the Evangelists’ use of martyreo (“bear witness”). The verb occurs once in Matthew, once in Luke, none in Mark, and 31 times in John including the five use in the first chapter (vv. 7, 8, 15, 32, 34). This should not be surprising as we were already told in the Prologue that “He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” (1:7) Continue reading →

The Lamb of God

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. In yesterday’s post we looked a little deeper into the scriptural context of John’s gospel. In today’s post we begin to look in depth at the text that follows after John’s interrogation by priests, Levites and Pharisees, the evangelist tells us, The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ Continue reading →

The Next Day

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time in Lectionary Cycle A during which the Gospel of Matthew is the primary source of Sunday gospel readings. Having made that point, our gospel for today is taken from the Gospel of John. It is a well chosen gospel that follows our celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord in which the epiphenia  or revelation of Jesus was the primary theme – one shared with our Sunday gospel. Continue reading →