2nd Sunday of Advent C. Dec. 8, 2024
Baruch 5: 1-9; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6
Theme: Prepare the Way of the Lord,
and you Shall See the Salvation of God
Advent
season is when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ at
Christmas, at the end of time, and for his daily coming into our lives. As part
of our preparation, the liturgy of last Sunday called us to be always vigilant
and pray so that we get the strength to escape the imminent tribulations and
stand before the Son of Man (see Luke 21: 36). From today’s Scripture readings,
our preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus consists of preparing the way
of the Lord. This is a call for repentance.
Our
Gospel passage is situated at the beginning of the section about the
preparation for Jesus’ public ministry (3:1 – 4:13), serving as an introduction
to this section. Luke places this section between the Infancy accounts (2:1-52)
and Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee (4:14 – 9:50).[1]
Luke’s pattern of setting John the Baptist before Jesus has a purpose. He
intends to clarify the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus because
the evidence in all four Gospels shows tension and misunderstanding between the
followers of John the Baptist and those of Jesus regarding the divine identity
of their masters (John the Baptist and Jesus). Luke attempts to bring a
solution by emphasizing John’s prophetic role in our text, hence the quotation
from Isaiah (40:3-5).[2]
This
text is in the form of an Old Testament prophetic call. Luke first introduces
John the Baptist by providing a historical setting for his story (vv. 1-2).
Then, he includes two essential details about John’s mission. The first detail
speaks of John the Baptist as a traveling preacher. The second detail is the
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, which is included in John
the Baptist’s preaching, along with the quote from the prophet Isaiah (vv.
3-6).
Let
us start with the first part of our Gospel story (vv.1-2). These two verses
contain the dates and names of historical personages in Jesus's time, which must
be explained to understand this Gospel passage better. Tiberius Caesar: He
became emperor after the death of Augustus in A.D. 14 and reigned until A.D.
37, which was throughout Jesus's lifetime.[3] The
fifteenth year of his reign is probably around A.D. 27 to 29, depending on
the method used to calculate his first regnal year. If A.D. 14 were his first
regnal year, then the fifteenth year of his reign would be A.D. 28.[4]
Pontius Pilate was the prefect of Judea (A.D. 26 to 36). According to
the historian Josephus, Pontius Pilate was a greedy and ruthless prefect with
little regard for the local Jewish population and their religious practices
(see Luke 13:1).[5]
Herod was tetrarch of Galilee: This Herod is Herod Antipas, the son of
Herod the Great, who reigned from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. Herod Antipas ruled over
Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39. His official title, “Tetrarch,”
literally means “ruler of a quarter.” But this title was used to designate any
subordinate prince.[6]
Philip: This is another son of Herod the Great and the brother of Herod
Antipas. He was also the tetrarch, the ruler of the region of Ituraea and
Trachonitis, the territory to the north and east of the Sea of Galilee from 4
B.C. to A.D. 34.[7]
Lysanias: Luke says that he was the tetrarch of Abilene. This is a
territory northwest of Damascus. However, nothing is known about him.[8]
After
naming the civil rulers in v. 1, Luke now mentions the religious leadership of
Palestine in v.2. Annas and Caiaphas: He served as the high priest from
A.D. 6 to 15. He was deposed by the Romans in A.D. 16 (A.D. 15) and replaced by
his son Eleazar for one year. Then, various members of his family succeeded
until, eventually, Caiaphas, Anna’s son-in-law. Caiaphas served as a high
priest from A.D. 18-36. Luke mentions both Annas and Caiaphas perhaps because
one was high priest for life, even when deposed, or because Annas remained most
influential in the religio-political scene to the point that many considered
him the real power broker.[9]
John, the son of Zachariah: This is John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin.
Zachariah and Elizabeth were his parents. Luke is the only New Testament writer
who associates John the Baptist's preaching with a call from God.
Vv.
3-6. He went through [the] whole region of the Jordan: There is a
question among the Synoptic Gospels regarding the exact place where John the
Baptist began his public ministry. Mark simply says: “in the desert” (Mk 1:4).
Matthew adds a minor detail, “in the desert of Judea” (Mt 3:1). Note that Judea
is the jurisdiction of Pontius Pilate. Further on, both Mark and Matthew say
that the crowds come from Judea and Jerusalem. This is a region accessible to
Herod Antipas’ territory. However, for Luke, John the Baptist began his ministry
in the “desert… [the] whole region of the Jordan” (vv. 2-3). This suggests it
is along the Jordan River, including the Judean side of the river, which is
Roman territory.[10] In vv. 4-6, Luke quotes Isaiah 40:3-5. He
interprets the role of John the Baptist not only as the one who preaches
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins but also as the fulfillment
of Isaiah’s prophecy. John the Baptist is established here as a precursor.[11]
All flesh shall see the salvation of God: Luke emphasizes his theme of the
universality of salvation.
What
does this Gospel passage teach us today? Our Gospel is the story of John the
Baptist preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins to
prepare his people for the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. People needed
to repent to start a new era, the kingdom of God, which Jesus established when
he commenced his ministry. Likewise, the Church calls us to repent to begin a
new era with the birth of our Lord Jesus at Christmas. According to John the
Baptist, repentance of sins implies some works we must do before Christmas. Quoting
the prophet Isaiah, he asks us to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus, who will
be born in our hearts and families. The assignment consists of making Jesus’ paths
and all the winding roads straight, lowering every mountain and hill, filling
out every valley, and making rough ways smooth (Luke 3:4-6). This is precisely what the prophet
Baruch asked us to do in our first reading.
In
our first reading, prophet Baruch called his contemporaries, personified as the
“lady Jerusalem,” to prepare themselves for God's promised glory. Note that
Baruch was a scribe for the prophet Jeremiah. They both witnessed Jerusalem's
ruin and the chosen people's exile in Babylon in the late sixth century BC. In
our first reading passage, Baruch comforts his fellow Israelites by calling
them to prepare themselves for the day when God will bring them back to their
land, leading them in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice
(v. 9). Their self-preparation consists, first, of throwing off their garments
of grief and putting on the garment of the splendor of glory and the cloak of
justice from God (vv. 1-4). Second, Baruch calls them to make low every lofty
mountain and the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground (v. 7).
This is a call for repentance of their sins.
Both
the Gospel and the first reading do not discuss the roads or avenues in our
neighborhoods or the highways and freeways in our cities. Instead, they discuss
the spiritual way, which stands for our relationships with God and our brothers
and sisters. This spiritual way leads the Baby Jesus to be born in our hearts
and families on Christmas when God decides to take our human flesh and come to
live with and among us. On Christmas (also on Jesus’ second coming at the end
of time and his daily comings in our hearts and lives), the New-Born Emmanual will
lead us in joy by the light of his glory, mercy, and justice (Baruch 5:9). So,
as part of our preparation for this glorious day, the Church exhorts us to repent
from sins because sins damage the “way of God” (our relationship with God and
our brothers and sisters) and transform them into spiritual mountains, hills,
valleys, and rough ways, preventing, then, the Baby Jesus from being born in
our hearts and families. For instance, pride and greed transform our
spiritual road into a “valley.” Lust and envy transform them into
“mountains and hills,” preventing us from coming to Church to pray to God and
serve him. Gluttony and wrath make our spiritual roads “winding.”
And sloth damages our relationships with God by making our spiritual
lives become “rough ways.” Those sins are the seven mortal or deadly sins that
lead to further sins.
Let
us prepare the way of the Lord. Let us prepare our relationships with Jesus and
our brothers and sisters. In our second reading, Saint Paul reassures us of
God’s support in our works of repentance. He says that God, who began a good
work in us, will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians
1:6). He also prayed for us that our love may increase ever more and more in
knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that we
may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (on Christmas, at the end of
time, and Jesus’ daily coming into our hearts and lives (Philippians 1:9-10). Saint Paul tells us that Jesus is the source
of the fruits of righteousness (Philippians 1:11). So let us ask him, in this
liturgy of the Mass, to assist us in our works of repentance. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
[1]
See the outline of the Gospel of Luke suggested by Michael Patella, “Luke” in The
Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised
Edition, ed. By John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, Donald
Senior CP. (Great Britain: T&T Clark Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2022), 1298.
[2]
Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the
Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1308.
[3]
Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the
Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1308.
[4]
NABRE, note to Luke 3:1.
[5]
NABRE, note to Luke 3:1.
[6]
NABRE, note to Luke 3:1.
[7]
NABRE, note to Luke 3:1.
[8]
Michael F. Pattella, The Gospel According to Luke: New Collegeville Bible
Commentary, Volume 3 (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2005), 23.
See also NABRE, note to Luke 3:1.
[9]
Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the
Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1308. See also NABRE,
note to Luke 3:1.
[10]
Michael F. Patella, The Gospel According to Luke: New Collegeville Bible
Commentary, Volume 3, 25.
[11]
Michael F. Patella, The Gospel According to Luke, 25.