LISTEN TO THE MESSAGE NOT THE MESSENGER. (Homily for Friday of the 2nd Week in Advent, Year C.)


Bible Study: Isaiah 48, 17 to 19. Matthew 11, 16 to 19.


In our first reading today, God speaks to the people of Israel saying: “if only you had listened to my words.” In other words, “if only you had paid attention to my commandments” this calamity might not have befallen you. As at the time the prophet Isaiah was delivering this message, the people of Israel were in captivity in the land of Babylon and God was telling them what led to their trouble.

And God is saying to us today, “If only you will listen to me and pay close attention to the observance of my commandments, then your prosperity will be like a river and your success like the waves of the sea.”

God’s commandments are not there to restrict our freedom and liberty rather they are there to help us get the best out of life. God did not give us instructions in other to punish us, instead he gave us instructions out of his deep seated love for us and because he knows what is best for us.

There is an element of rebellion within us, a degree of lack of trust in God. Like Adam and Eve, we tend to believe the serpent by thinking that God must be keeping something away from us by asking us not to eat of the tree. In our quest for life and all we can possibly grab, we disregard God yet he alone is the answer.

The message of the Prophet Isaiah thousands of years ago is not different from the message I preach to you today and it is not different from the message of all the prophets and preachers that have ever lived down to the very first prophet in the Bible, Moses. The message is simple: That God alone is the answer, that it is only in keeping his word that man can find life.

It doesn’t matter who is presenting this message. God can use anybody. The problem is that we like to look for excuses, we love to find short cuts and reasons why we should not obey God’s word and one common reason we give is the nature and personality of the messenger.

I am sure you may have heard people say things like “Who are you to tell me what do do?” when you try to correct them. Even we ourselves may have had to ask our preachers that question. We believe that whoever dares to preach must be a person without blemish, an epitome of perfection so to say. And it does make sense to say for instance, that only a person who does not steal should preach about not stealing or only a person who is morally upright should preach about morality.

But Jesus is saying to us today: “Listen to the message and do not get carried away with the messenger.” He compared himself with John the Baptist whose way of life was a distraction to many in that they say him as one whose lifestyle was far too inhuman to prescribe anything for them since John the Baptist was not eating and drinking like normal people. Even John’s clothes were not ordinary and his diet was not ordinary. The people felt that John was able to practice holiness because his living conditions were extreme. As some people today find it difficult to accept the preaching of a priest simply because they feel he is able to practice holiness because he is not married. Some will say, “Father, if you were married like us and living in our condition, you will understand better and you will not be asking us to live by such high standards you are prescribing.”

But Jesus came to live among human beings. He did not go to the desert, he did not wear a coat of camel hair. He did not feed on honey and wild birds. He ate normal food, he dressed like normal people, he combed his hair and took care of his looks. Still yet, people still found excuses not to listen to his message. They called him a glutton and a drunkard because perhaps he changed water into wine and his wine and come to think of it, his wine was even sweeter and more alcoholic than normal wine. He was seen with women and even allowed one to cover his feet with kisses and wipe them with her hair. He was seen in the houses of the men who were considered as notorious sinners. Jesus choose to live like this because he wanted his message to reach the people but still yet, they got distracted by his lifestyle and refused to listen.

Dear friends, that message has not changed. Close your eyes to the messenger, forget that you are reading this message on Whatsapp or Facebook right now. Don’t get distracted with the means with which it is coming to you or the personality of the one sending it to you. He or she may not be perfect according to your standard but just listen to God speaking and live accordingly.

“O that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your prosperity would have been like a river, and your success like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.” Isaiah 48:18-19 

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, help me to look beyond who my preacher is and learn to listen to you from his voice. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.


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