DID YOU NOTICE IN THIS GOSPEL READING THERE IS SOMETHING THAT JUST COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED THE WAY JOHN DESCRIBES IT? PROBABLY NOT, UNLESS YOU ARE A BIBLE GEEK, LIKE ME. THE POINT IS THAT PRIESTS AND LEVITES, WHO WERE THE BIG WHEELS IN THE JEWISH RELIGION, WOULD NEVER HAVE “BEEN SENT” BY THE PHARISEES. THE PHARISEES WERE LAY PEOPLE, WHO IN THE TIME OF JESUS REALLY DIDN'T HAVE THE KIND OF POWER THEY WERE TO ACQUIRE LATER, WHEN JOHN WROTE HIS GOSPEL – ALMOST SIXTY YEARS AFTER JESUS HAD BEEN PUT TO DEATH, AND ABOUT TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM HAD BEEN TOTALLY DESTROYED. AND WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE, THE CENTER OF JEWISH WORSHIP, THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES NO LONGER HAD A PLACE TO PERFORM THEIR DUTIES, AND THE PRIESTHOOD DIED OUT. THE PRIESTHOOD WAS HEREDITARY, AND JEWS BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE “COHEN” AS THEIR LAST NAME ARE DESCENDED FROM THE PRIESTLY CLASS, SINCE THAT WORD MEANS “PRIEST” IN HEBREW.
SO WHEN JOHN WAS WRITING HIS GOSPEL, HE WAS LIVING IN A TIME WHEN THE JEWISH RELIGION WAS RE-FORMING ITSELF; THE PHARISEES, WHO KNEW THE LAW BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS, BEGAN TO TAKE THE ROLE OF LEADERS AND THE TITLE OF “RABBI” OR TEACHER. MODERN JUDAISM BEGAN ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS CHRISTIANITY.
AND WHEN JOHN WAS WRITING HIS GOSPEL RABBINICAL JUDAISM WAS THE MAIN COMPETITOR TO CHRISTIANITY. AND THE RABBIS HAD DECISIVELY REJECTED ANY CLAIM THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS THE SON OF GOD, OR EVEN A PROPHET; AS THE RABBIS POINTED OUT, THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY SAYS, “CURSED IS THE ONE WHO IS HANGED ON A TREE” – JESUS WAS HANGED ON A TREE, SO HE COULDN'T BE THE MESSIAH, OR FOR THAT MATTER, ANYONE WHO CLAIMED TO BE IN GOD'S FAVOR.
THAT'S PROBABLY THE REASON JOHN'S GOSPEL IS SO HARD ON THE PHARISEES, WHOM HE EQUATES WITH “THE JEWS”. AND OF COURSE BECAUSE OF JOHN'S GOSPEL WE'VE HAD 2000 YEARS OF ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE PART OF CHRISTIANITY, AND IT STILL GOES ON TODAY.
BUT OBJECTIVELY THE PHARISEES WERE THE BEST OF THE JEWS; THEY LIVED THE LAW, NOT BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THIS WAS WHAT YOU HAD TO DO TO BE SAVED, BUT BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT THE JEWS HAD BEEN GIVEN THE LAW BY GOD AS A SPECIAL GRACE, AND TO CARRY OUT THE LAW AS WELL AS POSSIBLE WAS THEIR DUTY AND THEIR PRIVILEGE.
JOHN IS DIVINELY INSPIRED WHEN HE WRITES HIS GOSPEL, BUT HE IS AN OLD MAN, AND HE IS FRUSTRATED AND UPSET WITH THE JEWISH PEOPLE, WHO SEEM TO BE DELIBERATELY REJECTING WHAT IS SO EVIDENT TO JOHN. AND WHEN HE WRITES THIS PASSAGE THAT YOU HAVE JUST HEARD, HE IS THINKING OF THE PHARISEES WHEN HE SAYS, “THERE IS ONE AMONG YOU WHOM YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE.” JESUS WALKED AMONG THEM, TALKED TO THEM, ATE WITH THEM. THE PHARISEES KNEW JESUS PROBABLY BETTER THAN ANY OTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE. THEY WENT TO THE TROUBLE OF TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER HE WAS REALLY SENT FROM GOD OR JUST ANOTHER IMPOSTER. THEY TESTED HIM OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND SOME WERE CONVERTED – SIMON, NICODEMUS; PROBABLY MANY WHO AREN'T NAMED IN SCRIPTURE. SAINT PAUL ADMITS TO BEING A PHARISEE, AND A REALLY GOOD ONE AT THAT. BUT MOST CONCLUDED THAT JESUS WAS NOT THE ONE THEY HAD BEEN WAITING FOR, THE ONE WHO WOULD BE A REASON TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES.
FLASH FORWARD 2000 YEARS. WE LOOK AT THOSE PHARISEES THROUGH JOHN'S EYES AND WONDER, HOW COULD THEY BE SO BLIND? BUT HOW MANY OF US ARE PHARISEES? HOW MANY OF US HAVE CHANGED OUR LIVES, HAVE CONTINUED TO CHANGE OUR LIVES, BECAUSE JESUS IS AMONG US? BECAUSE HE IS. HE PROMISED THAT HE WOULD BE WITH US, THAT HE WOULD COME AND MAKE HIS DWELLING WITH US, THAT HE WOULD BE THERE WHEN TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN HIS NAME.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD?” SAINT PAUL TELLS US: REJOICE, PRAY, GIVE THANKS, DO NOT DESPISE PROPHETIC UTTERANCES, TEST ALL THINGS AND KEEP WHAT IS GOOD, AND REFRAIN FROM EVERY KIND OF EVIL. IF YOU AND I REALLY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS AMONG US, THAT GOD HAS BECOME MAN SO THAT MAN CAN BECOME LIKE GOD, WE WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH PAUL'S PRESCRIPTION. HOW COULD WE NOT REJOICE? HOW COULD WE NOT GIVE THANKS? AND IF JESUS IS AMONG US, HOW COULD WE NOT NOTICE HIM, SPEAK TO HIM, LISTEN TO WHAT HE HAS TO SAY – AND THAT IS ALL THAT PRAYER IS.
AND PROPHECY: IT DOESN'T MEAN PREDICTING THE FUTURE. PROPHECY IS WHEN PEOPLE TELL IT LIKE IT IS. SAINT PAUL SAYS THAT WE SHOULD TEST THE VOICES THAT SWIRL AROUND US, THAT TELLS US WHAT TO BELIEVE AND WHAT TO HATE – AND HE TELLS US THAT WE CAN TRUST OURSELVES TO TELL WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IS NOT. AND HE TELLS US TO REFRAIN FROM EVERY KIND OF EVIL. EVIL IS ALWAYS THE RESULT OF MISREADING WHAT IS REAL. MOST OF THE TIME IT COMES ABOUT BECAUSE WE FALSELY BELIEVE THAT OUR CONCERNS, OUR DESIRES, OUR AMBITIONS TAKE PRECEDENCE. SOMETIMES EVIL COMES ABOUT BECAUSE WE ARE TIMID OR AFRAID. WE MAY FEAR SOMEONE'S ANGER OR DISAPPROVAL; WE MAY FEAR BEING THE OBJECT OF RIDICULE. OR EVIL COMES ABOUT BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK THE TRUTH TO SOMEONE ELSE. AND THERE ARE MORE EVILS OUT THERE, AND THE BEST WAY TO AVOID EVIL IS TO RECOGNIZE REALITY, TO RECOGNIZE THAT GOD'S WILL IS ALL THAT MATTERS AND TO ACT ACCORDINGLY.
PAUL TELLS US HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF OUR LORD, HOW TO MAKE STRAIGHT HIS PATHS. LONG AGO PAUL AND JOHN THE BAPTIST GAVE THE SAME MESSAGE TO THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, WHO DELIGHTED IN KEEPING EVERY ONE OF THE LAWS GOD HAD GIVEN THEM – NOT JUST LAWS ABOUT WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT TO WEAR, BUT LAWS ABOUT HOW TO TREAT WIDOWS AND ORPHANS, HOW DEAL WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE GENTILES, HOW TO PRAY, HOW TO WORSHIP, AND HOW TO STRUGGLE WITH YOURSELF IN ORDER TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON. THE PHARISEES WERE GOOD PEOPLE, JUST LIKE YOU AND I ARE, HOPEFULLY. BUT THEY DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE ONE WHO WAS AMONG THEM, AND THEY DIDN'T PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH. LET US NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE; LET US RECOGNIZE THAT HE IS WITH US, HE IS COMING TO US, AND HE CALLS ON US TO REJOICE.
