Baptism in the River Jordan

Homily for the Second Sunday in Advent

The second Sunday of Advent is always about John the Baptist. Each of the four Gospels introduce John the Baptist in the very first chapter. John is the bridge between the old and the new covenant and between the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures. He appears on the scene in the desert, baptizing people in the Jordan River. To us this might sound like an interesting side fact, but to the Jews of that time, this location would have held great significance.

Harken back to the story of Moses leading the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. Moses led them out into the desert and to the foot of Mount Sinai where he mediated a covenant between God and the children of Israel. From the very beginning, things did not go too smoothly. While Moses was atop the mountain speaking with God, the people in the camp below panicked when Moses seemed to be gone far too long. They forced Aaron to fashion an idol of a golden calf, and they fell down in worship before it. Moses witnessed this as he descended the mountain into the camp. He was so angered by this betrayal that he flung the tablets of the law down on a rock, shattering them.

God was ready to destroy those sinners. Moses had to do some very quick thinking and some eloquent speaking to talk God out of this decision. He cunningly told God that forgiveness was the way of God. God relented and sent Moses back to the people and told him to lead the people to the Promised Land. They spent 40 years in the desert repenting for their sin of betrayal. At this point in the story, the Jordan River comes into play. In order to enter the Promised Land, the people had to cross over the Jordan River. This geographical fact also had a very symbolic meaning. By crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites left the desert behind and entered into the land of milk and honey. They left behind the sin they had committed in the desert and entered the land that God had promised would be their homeland. When John the Baptist appears in the desert and begins to baptize people in the Jordan River, they were reminded of this history. The Jordan River was a place that separated sin and penance on one side and reward and blessing on the other side.

Another interesting feature of John the Baptist is his choice of clothing. His attire and his diet would remind his audience of the great prophet, Elijah. It was Elijah who had defeated the pagan God Baal. When God and Elijah triumphed over the 450 prophets of Baal, he established that the Lord God was the only God. At the end of his life, Elijah was taken up into heaven on a fiery chariot in a whirlwind. The children of Israel came to believe that Elijah would return and announce the coming of the Messiah. By his clothing and his diet, John the Baptist reminded them of this crucial part of their faith. They came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John who preached repentance for their sins. John the Baptist became the voice of one in the desert who cried out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  John also announces that one mightier than he would come after him who would baptize them yet again with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. While his baptism was a baptism of repentance, the Messiah would bring a baptism of faith.

Perhaps we feel that we don’t really need to be reminded that sin can have terrible consequences in our lives. As we read the history of Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures, we see how sin tears them away from their faith in the one, true God. Just as sin had destroyed the faith of the Israelites, sin is doing the same thing in our own world. Consequently, the message of St. John the Baptist calling upon us to repent is just as relevant in our own time as it was for the children of Israel. God is patient and merciful toward the Israelites, and God has gone to incredible lengths to extend the gift of faith to us as well. John is just as relevant in our time as he was in his own time. We need to examine our own hearts and to decide whether there is room in our hearts for Jesus as we prepare to celebrate his birth once again.