When you cook something in the oven, you preheat the oven first. Then, when the oven is heated enough, you put what you cook in the oven. Salvation work is like this. Salvation is like cooking in the oven.
First, God made Elizabeth conceive John the Baptist after years of infertility (Luke 1:5-17). And she gave birth to John (Luke 1:57) to prepare the coming of the Christ (Luke 3:1-18). John the Baptist’s preparatory ministry for the coming of the Christ is like preheating the oven.
Then, when Elizabeth was in 6th month pregnancy with John, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35-36), God made Mary the Blessed Virgin conceive with the Christ, incarnated in the human flesh, Jesus (Luke 1:31-33,35). And she gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7). When he was 33 (Luke 3:23), John the Baptist already made everything ready for him to start his public ministry. It was like the oven was preheated well and ready to have what is to be cooked inside.
The First Reading (Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24) reminds that the coming of John the Baptist as the precursor of the Christ (Messiah) and the coming of Christ were prophesized by Malachi around 500-450 BC. He is recognized as the last post-exilic prophet in the Old Testament.
In Malachi’s prophecy, John the Baptist is not only the forerunner of the Christ, the messenger who prepares the way of the Christ’s coming (Malachi 3:1) but also as Elijah (Malachi 3:23; cf. Matt 17:11-13//Mark 6:14-15). In fact, John is in Elijah’s spirit and power (Luke 1:17).
As the Christ’s forerunning messenger, in the spirit and power of Elijah, John the Baptist announces the imminence of Christ’s Kingdom (Matthew 3:2) and calls for repentance to make the straight and smooth way of the Christ’s coming, as the voice crying out in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3; Luke 3:4). This preparatory ministry for the coming of Christ and his Kingdom is also to close divisions among people (Malachi 3:24; Luke 1:17). So, John preached for conversion and baptized those who were with contrition to prepare them for the coming of the Christ, while rebuking who do not listen to him and respond to his message (Luke 3:3-16a). Then, he humbly makes it clear that he is not the Christ and the Christ will come to bring the baptism of fire, namely, his judgement (Luke 3:16b-17). This is also prophesized by Malachi (Malachi 3:2-3,23b, 24b) to ensure that we are pleasing to God for our purity (i.e. Malachi 3:3-4).
This means that John the Baptist prepares people not only for the Christ’s imminent coming to begin his public ministry but for his return to judge at the end of the age (Revelation 20:11-15; 2 Timothy 4:1; cf. Romans 14:10). This is figuratively prophesized by Malachi, describing Christ’s return to the Temple (Malachi 3:1).
The Gospel Reading (Luke 1:57-66) describes the birth of John the Baptist and how John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, as well as, the neighbors, responded to his birth.
They certainly rejoiced over the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:58; cf. 14). But, they also recognized God’s hand was with John and wondered what he would become, finding his birth was not a usual one (Luke 1:65-66). In fact, Zechariah already knew that his son, John, was predestined to serve God as a Nazirite before his birth, in order to prepare for the coming of Christ, as told by the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:15-17). Zechariah’s foreknowledge about John’s special purpose for the salvation is reflected in his canticle, which is known as “Benedictus” (Luke 1:68-79), which is read in the Gospel Reading of December 24 (Luke 1:67-79).
John the Baptist was born for the pre-salvation work - to preheat the "salvation oven" for Christ to come to start the salvific ministry.
It is December 23. It means that God’s salvation “oven” is getting hot enough for Christ to come very soon.
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