Second Sunday of Advent – 08th December 2024
The Jewish People of the Old Testament had been promised that the Messiah, the Chosen One of God would come to deliver and save them from oppression and slavery. They were told through the Prophets, God’s messengers, that God would always be with them. Sadly, over the generations, they had lost faith and hope in this message. They in fact, had turned away from God and forgotten that God indeed has saved them and was always guiding and leading them.
By the time of Jesus, the people had almost completely forgotten the promise, the Covenant that God had made with them. They were now being ruled and governed by the Romans and they longed for a new ruler, one of their own who would overthrow the Romans and create a new Jewish empire. God had never forgotten them; the Messiah was coming, but not the sort of Messiah they wanted. God had an altogether different plan for them.
This Sunday in the gospel we meet and hear from the great messenger and Prophet; John the Baptist. Before Jesus arrives, John is the last of the Prophets of the Old Testament. The Prophets had a very important role in the lives of God’s People. They came to remind the people that God had neither abandoned or forgotten them. They came to challenge the people because of the way they were living and treating each other; often unfairly and unjustly. Lastly, they came with a message of hope for the future; God’s Chosen One, the Messiah, would come eventually in God’s time and in God’s way, not theirs. So, John the Baptist comes to challenge and to encourage the people. He came preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.