|
|
|
|
|
He
Must Increase
While I Must Decrease
June 24, 2007
By Philip D. Ropp
|
It would seem fitting at
this, the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, to
consider just
who this enigmatic character clad in camel hair and feasting on locusts
and
honey really was. From today’s Gospel we
know that he was the son of a priest named Zechariah and his wife,
Elizabeth. We know that they were
righteous people, well
on in years and childless.
Luke tells us, and for good reason, that
Zechariah was of the priestly division of Abijah, which is the eighth
of the
twenty-four orders of the priesthood established by David. And
Elizabeth is descended from the
“daughters of Aaron,” which means that she is related to the priestly
family of
all Israel and can trace her heritage all the way back to the days of
Moses. The good reason that Luke tells
us this is because these two factors together legitimize any male
progeny of
theirs as the true heir to the high priesthood of all of Israel.
When we read in Luke that an angel has
appeared to Zechariah, and has told him that Elizabeth will bear him a
son, the
ramifications go far beyond an elderly couple producing a child to
comfort them
in their old age. The priesthood that Zechariah serves in the Temple
in Jerusalem
is
the illegitimate Hasmonean priesthood that was established in the days
of the Maccabees
and which Herod the Great usurped in his rise to power as the equally
illegitimate
King of the Jews. In the same way that
Jesus threatens Herod as the true and legitimate king of Israel, John
threatens him equally as
much as
the true high priest Israel.
It is for this reason that when Herod
orders the slaughter of the innocents it is John the Baptist that is
the target
every bit as much as Jesus. We learn
from the Protevangelion, an Apocryphal gospel ascribed to James
the
Lesser, that Zechariah meets his end when he is slain in the Temple by
Herod’s
men for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of the infant John, and
that
Elizabeth flees with her son “up unto the mountains” in search of a
place to
hide him.
The community at
Qumran was located in the
vast mountainous wilderness that surrounds the Dead
Sea. They were an ascetic and
devout sect that
believed themselves consecrated by God for the purpose of bringing the
Messiah
to power so that all of Israel
– all twelve tribes – might be reunited under the reign of a new and
divinely
anointed Davidic king. This is the role
that Jesus fulfills by being descended of the House of David through
the
families of both Mary and Joseph. To
ascend to the throne of Israel,
the king must be recognized and anointed by the legitimate high
priest. This is the role that John the Baptist
fulfills by being descended of the House of Aaron through the families
of both
Zechariah and Elizabeth. Once the
legitimate king is anointed, he assumes the authority to recognize and
appoint
the legitimate high priest to his rightful position as head of the
Temple and ruler
over the
religious life of the people.
In the Dead Sea
Scrolls we learn of the
belief that the era of the new Israel would be ushered in by what has
come to
be called the “dual messiahship:” that is two messiahs, one fulfilling
the
kingly role and the other fulfilling the priestly role. The Qumran
community believed itself to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 2:2 where we
read:
And
it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s
house
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above
the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people
shall go
and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of
the God of Jacob; and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion
shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Qumran
was seen by its inhabitants as this
new Jerusalem and new Zion,
established in the top of the mountains so as to survive the last days
that
they perceived their own time to be, and so fulfill this
prophecy. From out of their midst would come the true
high priest and through his proper administration of the law, the Word
of the
Lord, the Messianic King, would arise to lead Israel into a new golden
age that
would encompass and include all nations.
And so, when Elizabeth flees with John up
unto the mountains and seeks refuge in the wilderness, that area called
in
Hebrew the Negev which surrounds the Dead Sea, she puts the child into
the
hands of those that know exactly who he is and it is they that groom
and
educate him to fulfill the role that we see him play in the Gospels.
Yes, John the
Baptist is a prophet in the
tradition of the greatest in Israel’s
history. And he brings with him from the
wilderness the baptism of water for the repentance of sins, and this is
also
the anointing that is the enthronement rite of the true king of
Israel. When John arrives at the Jordan
he has
come not merely as a prophet but in the role of high priest. When
he baptizes Jesus he thus anoints him
king. Anointing is a religious rite. It is accompanied by a
coming of the
Spirit: we would say that it confers a grace. Luke, and for that
matter, the
other synoptic gospels and John, describe the Holy Spirit descending
upon the
newly baptized Jesus “like a dove.” A grace has been conferred.
In Luke
4: 21, Jesus reads to the congregation at Nazareth
from Isaiah 61:1-2: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed
me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go
free, and
to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.’ And he finishes this
passage
by claiming this anointing as his own: ‘Today this passage is fulfilled
in your
hearing.’
When John
is imprisoned and later executed
by Herod Antipas, it is left to Jesus, in the tradition of near eastern
monarchs, to assume the role of high priest as well as king. With
the death of John, Jesus assumes the
full mantle of the Messiah by assuming the title of both true priest
and true
king of Israel. As Melchisedech is both priest and king of Salem,
so is Jesus
both
priest and king of Israel and this is expressed in Psalm 110, which is
an
enthronement psalm for the kings of Israel which says in verse 4: “Thou
art a
priest forever in the order of Melchisedech.” And it is this theme of
this
complete and eternal kingship that would be expanded upon by the author
of the
Book of Hebrews to encompass all humanity for all time in the person of
Jesus
as the eternal Savior of the world.
John the
Baptist knew full well that in
making himself vulnerable to Herod he was offering up his life to
“Prepare the
way of the Lord, [and] make straight his paths.” For
the salvation of souls through the holy
mission of Jesus Christ he knew that he must make way for his Master
and so he
utters the prophetic words of John 3:30: “He must increase
while I must decrease.” And so he gives himself up as the first
sacrifice so as to
make possible
the greater sacrifice of the Lamb of God himself so that we might be
saved. And
this is why Jesus could say of him that “the least in the kingdom of
God
is greater than he,” for by John’s own willing sacrifice he made this
so. And
this is also why Jesus could say of him, “Among those born of women, no
one is
greater than John.”
|
Jer
1:4-10
In the days of King Josiah, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,
“I know not how to speak; I am too young.”
But the LORD answered me,
Say not, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Have no fear before them,
because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,
See, I place my words in your mouth!
This day I set you
over nations and over kingdoms,
to root up and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
Ps
71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17
R. (6) Since my mother’s womb, you have been my
strength.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. Since my mother’s womb, you have been my
strength.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. Since my mother’s womb, you have been my
strength.
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. Since my mother’s womb, you have been my
strength.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. Since my mother’s womb, you have been my
strength.
1
Pt 1:8-12
Beloved:
Although you have not seen Jesus Christ you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Concerning this salvation,
prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and investigated it,
investigating the time and circumstances
that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated
when he testified in advance
to the sufferings destined for Christ
and the glories to follow them.
It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you
with regard to the things that have now been announced to you
by those who preached the Good News to you
through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
things into which angels longed to look.
Lk
1:5-17
In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.
Once when he was serving
as priest in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
John will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn their hearts toward their children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”
|
|
|
