Reflecting on John the Baptist's Nativity when the Nativity of the Lord is at Hand - December 23

On June 24, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the nativity of John the Baptist with these readings : Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-2,34a,5-6ab, 15ab, 17; 1 Peter 1:8-12; Luke 1:5-17.  But on December 23, two days before the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, we reflect on the birth of John the Baptist in connection to the birth of the incarnated Christ, Jesus.

As Yahweh’s hand was with Jeremiah in commissioning him to speak on His behalf (Jeremiah 1:4-10), His hand was also on John the Baptist (Luke 1:66). As He set Jeremiah apart before he was formed in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5), so He did with John the Baptist as he was able to recognize the incarnated Christ in Mary’s womb while he was still in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41) and leaped for joy in her womb (Luke 1:44). So, he was obviously filled with the Holy Spirit even from his birth (Luke 1:15).  Therefore, it is fitting to sing this responsorial Psalm refrain to reflect who John the Baptist was in celebrating his nativity:

Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength (Psalm 71:6).

As God made Jeremiah distinct even before he was formed in his mother’s womb, John the Baptist was already set apart by Him in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth.

From the Second Reading of the John the Baptist’s Nativity (1 Peter 1:8-12), reflects that John the Baptist, as the last known prophet under the old covenant, was, indeed, inspired by the Spirit of Christ. For John, he was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother’s womb because she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41), he was able to recognize the incarnated Christ in Mary’s womb and leaped for joy while he himself was in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41,44)(i.e. 1 Peter 1:8).

The Gospel Reading for the Nativity of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-17) described how the birth of John the Baptist  was foretold by the angel of the Lord to Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, after many years of Elizabeth’s barrenness.  In the Gospel Reading of December 19 (Luke 1:5-25), we read this and how Zechariah lost his ability to speak because he doubted that his barren wife of advanced age would bear a child.

On December 23, just two days before the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, the scripture readings for Mass (Malachi 3:1-4,23-24 (or 4:5-6 (NRSV)); Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10, 14; Luke 1:57-66) reflect the nativity of John the Baptist. But, on this day, we focus on the birth of John the Baptist and his purpose in connection to the birth of the incarnated Christ.

The First Reading (Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 (or 4:5-6(NRSV)) is about a prophecy of the coming of John the Baptist as the God-sent messenger to announce the coming of Christ (Messiah) and to prepare the way of his coming with an eschatological tone. In this, the coming of John the Baptist was metaphorically described as the return of Elijah, who was taken into heaven with a chariot of fire and horses of fire in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).

Malachi’s prophesy of the coming of John the Baptist(Malachi 3:1-5) in connection with the coming of Christ (Messiah) (Malachi 3:19-24) was made in response to the Israelites’ drifting away from God during the post-exilic period, including failures in priestly duties (Malachi 1:6-2:9) and people divorcing and remarrying to those who worship pagan deities (Malachi 2:10-16). The way Malachi wrote about the coming of John the Baptist and the coming of Christ certainly presses on the preparation for God’s judgement.

It is written about the coming of John the Baptist and the coming of Christ.

Now I am sending my messenger - he will prepare the way before me; And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire - see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand firm when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like fullers’ lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the Levites, Refining them like gold or silver, that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness (Malachi 3:1-3).

In fact, these words in the Book of Malachi were affirmed by the words of John the Baptist when he was preparing for the coming of Christ as his forerunner, the messenger sent before him:

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:11-12).

The one whose coming that John the Baptist was sent to prepare for is the one whom John calls “the one who is mightier than I” and consider himself as unworthy to carry his sandals, meaning that he is not even worthy to be a slave of the one who is mightier than he. This statement reflects the humility of John the Baptist. And it makes him fitting to be the forerunner messenger to herald the coming of Christ, the one who is mightier than he, and to prepare the way of his coming.

As for Christ, John the Baptist describes him as the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire and will judge us: harvesting those who are worthy to be with him and throw away those who are not into the unquenchable fire. This prophesy is twofold, as it is pointing the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 1:3-5, 8; 2:1-11; cf. John 14:16, 26; 16:7) and it is projected into the eschatological judgement (Revelation 20:11-15).

It is written further:

Now I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day; He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction (Malachi 3:23-24 (or 4:5-6(NRSV)).

With these words above, it is metaphorically indicated that God is sending John the Baptist before Christ in the spirit of Elijah. Then, Christ will be sent to mend and restore families, as reflected in these words, “He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers” (Malachi 3:24a). This way, both parents and their children are one in Christ (i.e. John 17:21-23). But, for those who do not listen to Christ and do not bring families together in him, he warns:

Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household (Matthew 10:34-36).

And this is just one aspect of the judgement that Christ will bring by striking the land with utter destruction.

According to Christ, before he would come to restore what have been broken, John the Baptist in the spirit of the returned Elijah will begin his restorative work:

Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands (Matthew 17:11-12).

Now, it is clear that John the Baptist was born to serve the one mightier than him. As Mary was born to serve God as his handmaid (Luke 1:38) by being the mother of the Son of God (bearing God - Theotokos) and raising him, John the Baptist came into existence to prepare for the coming of Christ and his ministry of restoration (cf. Isaiah 61:4-9; Psalm 147:2-3). And, as Jesus says, John himself takes some part of his restorative work (Matthew 17:11) by bringing people to repent and be baptized to be with Christ by his coming (Matthew 3:1-11).

As the coming of the incarnated Christ is as imminent in two days, the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:57-66) describes that John the Baptist was born to signal the dawn of Christ’s coming was at hand. In fact, John the Baptist came for the transition from the period of the old covenant to the period of the new covenant. And the one who establish the new covenant is the incarnated Christ, who is coming after John the Baptist.

The birth of John the Baptist completely removed the shame of childlessness of Elizabeth (Luke 1:24, 58; cf. Isaiah 61:7; Zephaniah 3:18) and restore Zechariah’s ability to speak (Luke 1:64; cf. Jeremiah 30:17). He was made unable to speak because he did not believe that his aged barren wife, Elizabeth would ever bear a child, though he was told so by the angel of the Lord (Luke 1:18-20). The removal of Elizabeth’s shame and the restoration of Zechariah’s speech at the time of the birth of John the Baptist suggest that John’s restorative work (Matthew 17:11) already began at his birth.

Though the neighbors and relatives had thought Zechariah and Elizabeth would name their son, “Zechariah”, after his father, they were surprised to learn that the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth was named “John”, as there was no one among the relatives with such a name (Luke 1:59-63). This aspect of the birth of John the Baptist also indicates that it was the beginning of a new era, moving from the old covenant period to the new covenant period. The name “John” means “God is gracious”, etymologically reflecting יה (yah), a shorten form of יְהוָֹה(Yahweh), and חנן (hanan), which means “gracious”. Indeed, God was gracious to Zechariah and Elizabeth to give this couple a child.

With all these about the birth of John the Baptist, “fear”( φόβος/phobos) came upon the neighbors and spread to the rest of the Judean hill country (Luke 1:65). In this context, φόβος/phobos means “reverence”. Therefore, people who came to know about the birth of John the Baptist revered this event as God’s work and took this matter to their hearts, and wondered what he would become, because they sensed that God’s hand was with John (Luke 1:66). Unbeknownst to them, he sure became the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy of the messenger before Christ to make the way of his coming in the spirit of Elijah (Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 (or 4:5-6(NRSV)). God sent John the Baptist because He is gracious to let him prepare for the coming of His only begotten Son, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, which means “God saves”. 

John the Baptist was born to point to the path of salvation, which is Christ (John 14:6), as reflected in the responsorial Psalm (25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14). So the refrain, “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand”(Luke 21:28), cheerfully reminds us that the coming of Christ, who saves and redeems us, is imminent, upon the coming of John the Baptist.