Not many celebrations in the liturgical calendar are so important that they interrupt the normal cycle of Sundays. However, this Sunday, June 24, is one of them. This weekend we observe the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. There are three liturgical celebrations of birthdays, Dec. 25 (the Nativity of Jesus) Sept. 8 (birth of Mary), and the birth of John the Baptist. This feast is a very ancient one – perhaps the oldest feast observed on both the Western and Eastern Christian calendars, as attested by homily for this feast by St. Augustine in the early fifth century. We also celebrate the feasts of the martyrdom of Jesus (Good Friday; John the Baptist on Aug. 29) and the Assumption of Mary (Aug. 15).
While John is an important figure in the early ministry of Jesus, John stands as a bridge – along with Mary – between the Old and the New Testaments. The way the books of the prophets are arranged the final verse of the Book of Malachi points to the herald who will announce the coming of the day of the Lord. The Gospels then open with the announcement of the coming of the messiah by John who stands as that herald foreseen by Malachi.
As with many of the great figures of the Old Testament, John’s birth is, though natural, still unusual. At the core of the Gospel passage for the feast day itself is the act of the naming of the child. One’s name reflected his or her role or status within society, a relationship with an ancestor, perhaps noting where one is from, or what one did as a profession. It was not unlikely for a person to be known by several names during their lifetimes.
The fact of the naming of John is as important because in Hebrew, “Yochanan” meaning “YHWH, is gracious” comes not from his parents, but from God through the angelic announcement of his birth. While certain great figures of the past – Abraham and Jacob – and even of the New Testament such as Peter – undergo a change in name, it is John who, along with Jesus, who are called specifically by name even before they are born.
John’s call is not for himself. God always calls us to service for the community. John’s significance is that he always and only points us to Jesus. His preaching, his use of a baptismal ritual, the rhythm of his life, all leads us to anticipate, and then to recognize, the messiah when he comes into our midst.
Many of those who first followed John – Andrew, James, and John for example – then became disciples of Jesus. They were able to recognize Jesus specifically because John pointed to Jesus.
We might wonder why Jesus needed an advancement man – usually called the “precursor” – for as Messiah and Son of God, Jesus could fully announce himself to the world. While the ancient Scriptures do, in a subtle and underlying way, announce the plan of salvation as manifest in the Paschal events, it requires certain clarity of focus and disposition to discover such.
John the Baptist, then, stands before us today as the last prophet and martyr of the Old Testament. He shows us the work of the prophets in summary, and points us not just to Jesus, but subsequently to the work of the apostles and the foundation of the Church. We recognize in John the promise of the coming Kingdom of God, a kingdom which we still await in its fulfillment, but is already active and present among us.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.