There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light (John 1:6-8).
We don’t often think of John the Baptist when thinking of Christmas. As far as I know, there are no Christmas hymns dedicated to him, he does not appear in the manger scene, and he does not appear in any Christmas play that I’ve seen. But in the observance of Advent, the person and message of John the Baptist is significant in our preparation for the celebration of Christmas.
John is “a man sent from God.” The last words of the Old Testament prophets were, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5 NASB). Malachi preached during the post-exilic period of Israel. It is common to refer to the time between Malachi and Matthew as “the silent years.” While I would not refer to them as the silent years (there was a lot going on!) it is true that for generations there was no prophetic voice. The appearance of John the Baptist stirred the hopeful imagination of the people that their day of deliverance was at hand. The Jewish leaders of Jerusalem send a party to inquire of John, “Are you Elijah… are you the Prophet?” (John 1:21). Although John denied it, Jesus later affirmed that John did come in the spirit of Elijah (Matthew 11:14); John is the forerunner of whom Malachi prophesied. As the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:23), John personifies the collective voices of Israel’s prophets from Moses to Malachi. John is the last of the Old Testament prophets.
John is also the first of the New Testament apostles. He is a man sent (Greek: apostello) from God. His message is “Repent, for there is One coming who will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). John’s message prepares us for Christmas and Pentecost! In the testimony of the Gospels, John is the forerunner of the Christ. In Mark (possibly the first Gospel to be written and the memoirs of Peter), the gospel begins with the appearance of John the Baptist. In the Gospel of John, after establishing the eternal pre-eminence of the Word, the Evangelist introduces the reader to the forerunner before we read that the “Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Luke presents the birth story of John the Baptist before that of Jesus. Although Matthew tells the story of the annunciation and birth of Jesus first, the ministry of John prepares the people for the ministry of Jesus Christ. The testimony of the four Evangelists is unanimous in presenting the ministry of John the Baptist as essential to the story of Jesus.
John the Baptist is a witness (Greek: marturia) to the Light. The word witness signifies more than offering a testimony. It often carries with it the consequence of becoming a martyr. That is precisely John’s fate (Matthew 14). As the forerunner, John was “the lamp that was burning and was shining” (John 5:35). He was very careful that he did not cast a shadow upon the Light of the world, but that he burn with the glory of Christ. Maybe the reason that we tend to forget the significance of John is due to his firm conviction that “He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In this regard, just as John represents the prophetic voices of Israel, he also represents the apostolic voices of the Church.
So, let’s put John’s ministry in the context of the Advent/Christmas season. How can the Church be a faithful witness, preparing the world for the Christ event? What should we do to make “Jesus the reason for the season?” First, just as John the Baptist offered his life as a faithful witness to Christ, we must offer our lives for the sake of the Gospel. For most of us that will not include martyrdom, but it does mean offering ourselves and our possessions as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). We witness of Christ by demonstrating the love of God and the generosity of Christ throughout the year. I’m afraid that the way we have come to celebrate Christmas in the United States offends God. Too often, each family spends thousands of dollars for Christmas gifts to give to people who have need of nothing. The apostle John declared that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16) and later tells us how that message is to be exemplified: “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 NASB).
We are faithful witnesses to the Gospel of Christ by our confession of faith. Christmas is about theology. It’s about explaining to the world the nature of the Incarnation – how Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. This confession of faith is expressed in the Nicene Creed. Although there are instances of Christmas being celebrated as early as the second century, it was not until the fourth century that the observance of Christ became wide spread in the life and liturgy of the Church. It is no coincidence that the widespread observance of Christmas coincided with the affirmation of the Nicene Creed. One of the legends associated with St. Nicholas of Myra is that he accosted Arius during the Council of Nicaea. (That’s my Santa Claus!) A properly celebrated Christmas is a confession of the Christian faith.
John the Baptist was a witness to the Light. The Church is to exemplify John’s witness. So then, what is the purpose of the Advent/Christmas season? “So that all might believe through him!” (John 1:7).
