Bible
Study: Isaiah 54, 1 to 10 and Luke 7, 24 to 30.
In today’s
Gospel passage, Jesus praises John the Baptist for his shining qualities as a
prophet per excellence. John the Baptist did not only speak for the Truth, he
himself bore witness to the truth by sacrificing his very life for the truth.
John the Baptist announced Christ right from the womb of his Mother, Elizabeth.
He leapt in the womb when as a foetus, he sensed the presence of Christ in the
womb of the Virgin Mary.
St.
Augustine called John the Baptist the voice while Christ is the word. Without the
voice, there couldn’t have been a word, yet the word is more important than the
voice which is only an instrument that presents the word to the world. John the
Baptist did not just preach repentance, his very lifestyle spoke volumes. He deprived
himself of the comforts and luxuries of this life just to be able to capture
the attention of the people to his message.
Jesus
called John the Baptist a true prophet. How do we define a prophet? A person
who speaks truth. John the Baptist unlike the other Old Testament prophet did
not only talk about a truth that was to happen in the future, the truth of
which he spoke came to pass before his very eyes. Hence Jesus says he was more
than a prophet.
However,
something quite striking is that Jesus went further to add that “he who is least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist.” What does this
mean? That heaven is so different from this world and the standards of
judgement or ranking are not like what we see here on earth. This reminds of me
of what Jesus said in Luke 18,16: “Let the children come to me, and do not
hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Could it be that in
heaven, children have a greater ranking than us?
Again for
Jesus to say that John the Baptist is not as great as the least person in
heaven, it clearly indicates that heaven is not an easy place to attain. If despite
the goodness of John the Baptist, despite the fact that he even gave up his
life as a martyr for the truth, he is still very small in heaven, it means I must
struggle hard. It means I must do my very best to live a good life even better
than that of John the Baptist. No wonder Jesus asserted in Luke 13,24: “Strive
to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will
not be able.” I must strive to overcome any challenge or difficulty that comes
my way, I must never leave any stone unturned or assume anything; I must aim
for perfection.
Matthew 5,
48 says: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Heaven is not a place for those who are not ready to give their very best. If at
all I must aim for heaven, then I must aim high lest I fall below my aspiration
just as I need to aim for the highest grade while preparing for an exam. And perfection
is the key to attaining heaven.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, help me to give my very best. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu.
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