Evangelist-Apostle John’s Christological Defense against Antichrists and John the Baptist’s Testimony about Christ – Nineth Day of Christmastide (January 2)

The readings of the Nineth Day of Christmastide - January 2 (1 John 2:22-28; John 1:19-28) are about knowing who Christ is. While the Gospel Reading (John 1:19-28) describes John the Baptist’s testimony of Christ during the inquisition by priests and Levites from Jerusalem, the First Reading (1 John 2:22-28) is John’s warning against antichrists’ false teachings on Christ.

John wrote his two epistles because antichrists were causing problems in the nascent Church by denying the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22), not acknowledging Jesus (1 John 4:3), and dying the incarnation and humanity of Christ (2 John 1:7). Thus he wrote:

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour (1 John 2:18).

It was the later Apostolic era that John called “the last hour”, during which he wrote his epistles, perhaps sometime between 85AD and 99AD. Probably, the Church at that time thought that Christ would return rather soon after his ascension. Or, John expressed his time as the last hour, remembering Christ saying that he could return at any unexpected time (Matthew 24:36-44). Either way, John wrote his epistles to make sure that the faithful in the Church would not be deceived by antichrists. Namely, in John’s time, they are heretics, mainly those who are gnostic, including Docetists, who denied the incarnation and the humanity of Christ the Son (i.e. 2 John 1:7).

According to John, these antichrists were those who left the Church (1 John 2:19). To guard those who remain in faith against further draining from the Church, John had to write his epistles with authentic Christology against antichrists’ heresies, with assurance that those who kept faith and remained in the Church were already familiar with the truth of Christ because they were anointed by the Spirit of God (i.e. Isaiah 11:2) (1 John 2:20-21).

Now, John identifies not recognizing earthly Jesus as the Christ, and denying the Father and the Son, as two major Christological problems caused by antichrists (1 John 2:23-24).  These Christological problems pointed by John are in contradiction to what John wrote in his Gospel (John 1:1-18; 14:8-11).

Then, John encourages those who are faithful and remain in the Church to let what have heard from the beginning, namely, what we have heard from Christ in the Gospels, remain in us, as it means that we remain in the Son and in the Father, as well (1 John 2:24; cf. John 14:23; 15:7). And he reminds us that Christ promised to give eternal life to those who receive and keep his words and believe in him (1 John 2:25; cf. John 5:24; 6:63).

Again, John emphasizes our anointing with the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God – Isaiah 11:2) to stand against antichrists’ heretical and defective teachings (1 John 2:26-27) and calls us to remain in Christ (1 John 2:28).

For us, the Catholics, anointing with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, means being anointed with the oil of chrism in receiving the Sacrament of Baptism and, more importantly, in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, because this oil signifies the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1241), evoking the aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15). Because of this powerful anointing, we are not fooled by those heretic teachers, antichrists, who are not anointed. We only need the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos, who teaches everything we need, as the Christ has taught in the beginning (John 14:26), and teachers who have been anointed as the Apostles had been. This way, we maintain the authentic Christological understanding. And this is not just a knowledge but our Christological understanding is demonstrated in our deeds, especially, in our observance of his new commandment of love (1 John 2:3-11 – First Reading of the Fifth Day within Christmas Octave, December 29).

In the Gospel Reading (John 1:19-28), we first see John the Baptist clarifying that he was neither Christ nor Elijah nor any other prophet (John 1:19-21). Then, John identifies himself as the forerunner of the Christ, the voice crying out in the wilderness to make the way of his coming, citing Isaiah 40:3 (John 1:23). And he explains why he baptizes, but in this explanation, Joh the Baptist gives a powerful Christological testimony:

I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie (John 1:26-27).

So, what is John the Baptist’s  Christological view on Jesus in the above testimony, before he identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)?

The one among the Jews to come after him, and he is not even worthy to be his slave, whose job is to untie his masters sandal strap, is the Christ, whose coming that he prepares by baptizing repentant people with water. Through these words, John the Baptist exalts Christ and humbles himself. In the above testimony about Christ, John the Baptist also hints that many of the religious leaders, who questioned him, will not recognize him as the Christ.

In Matthew’s Gospel, John the Baptist gives more detailed testimony:

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me this 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).

Namely, John the Baptist is saying that he has been preparing for Christ’s coming by baptizing with water so that Christ can bring the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire – the Holy Spirit to send us on our respective apostolic missions on Pentecost and the fire with the winnowing fan at his hand for the judgement.

Why do we read these texts at this point of Christmastide (on the nineth day of Christmastide)?

It is to understand that the birth of the Jewish baby we have been celebrating since the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, is the Christ, who is the Son with the Father, has already come to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. But he has also come to give us eternal life through his words, which we take in and retain in us so that we remain in him and in the Father through him. Now we have better reason and appreciation for our Christmas celebration.