John 1:6-8, 19-28
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Christ's Incarnation is God taking the First Step
We know that John the Evangelist is the last one to write his Gospel. Based upon his eyewitness account, he responds to the elders of the Churches in the Byzantine world to confirm the Christian faith. He knew Jesus, lived with Him, and witnessed His resurrection with his human eyes.
John lived in a world where philosophy had a great impact on daily life, and polytheism was at its peak. Acts 17:23 refers to Athens, Greece with “I even found an altar with this inscription: “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’”
John the Evangelist uses terminology that speaks to many cultures and responds to their concepts about the Word of God—both the Greek and the Hebrew.
John chose the term "Logos,” for “word,“ which was used by different Greek streams of philosophy and Biblical references. Some examples are Deuteronomy 13:3 "words of that prophet," 27:3 "all the words of this law," 28:58, Numbers 24:4 and16 "the prophecy of one who hears the words of God."
John is telling us that God's Word is His very Substance and Essence. It’s God Himself in His full power and actions, incarnated to save us. It’s God becoming flesh to save what was lost by human flesh. “So the Word became a human being and lived among us, we saw His splendor (the splendor as of a father's only son), full of grace and truth" John 1:14-15.
Advent invites us to reflect on this mystery of faith. God is telling us how much He loves us and expects us to know Him in the person of Christ - who "came to bring us life, and far more life than before" John 10:10. Looking for true life much more than survival, let us welcome and meet the Incarnated Son of God. Be among those who “accept Him and be granted the power to become sons of God and truly in Him” John 1:12-13.
This Sunday, the third candle of Advent symbolizes Joy. Let us prepare ourselves to rejoice in His first coming, internalize this joy and share it with our families, church community, friends and much further. Amen.
