What does it take to be Great in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Homily for 3^rd Sunday of Advent Year A 2013-2014

Isaiah 35:1-6; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

Introduction

Until recently, I didn’t know what a backhanded compliment was.  Then a few weeks ago, on my birthday, a friend said to me: “You look good, for your age.”  And a few days later another friend said, “You're smarter than you look.”  Of course my friends were only joking and I hope to get them back at some point.

In today’s gospel, Jesus also seems to give John the Baptist a backhanded compliment.  He praises him, calling John the greatest of all men; but immediately Jesus says that even the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John. Why does Jesus pour cold water on the greatness of John?

Scripture and Theology

It is true that “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist,” as Jesus says.  For John the Baptist is a prophet, a great prophet, more than a prophet.  In fact Jesus suggests that John is even greater than Moses, who led the people out of Egypt; for John is the last of the prophets, who comes to prepare the way for the Messiah.  There will be no more prophets after him, because when the Messiah comes, he will reveal everything about God to the people.  That is why John holds this very special place in salvation history. 

·        We can see John’s special place in the gospels, where the conception and birth of John the Baptist Jesus, like that of Jesus is told.  They are both miraculous births; in John’s case his mother is beyond child-bearing age; in the case of Jesus, his mother is a virgin, one who by definition cannot give birth.  God intervenes in the birth of these cousins for a purpose: John is born so as to prepare the way, and Jesus to be the Messiah.

·        We know that the first meeting between Jesus and John the Baptist happened when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came down to Jerusalem to take care of her elder cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.  We read in the gospel of Luke that John the Baptist leapt with joy while still in the womb, when Mary showed up; for even then he recognized the arrival of the Messiah.  In fact there is a tradition among the early Fathers of the Church like St. Augustine, that at this first meeting between John and Jesus, John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin.

·        Even the Church gives John the Baptist a very special place in its calendar of saints, second only to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We celebrate as a feast, not only John’s death on August 29^th, but we also celebrate his birth on June 24^th.  This double honour is accorded only to Blessed Mother.

And so, it should be clear why Jesus so highly praises John the Baptist.  He has been given a special role in God’s plan of salvation, a role he carries out faithfully, even unto giving up his life.

Why then, after making all this fuss about the greatness of John, does Jesus say: “yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he?”

The answer has to do with timing.  As the person preparing for the coming of the Messiah, John did not have the privilege of hearing the saving message of Jesus himself.  John is like Moses who led the people of Israel from Egypt, through the Red Sea and the Sinai desert, but died just before they crossed into the Promised Land.  John the Baptist too does all the preparation, even baptising Jesus, but does not hear and see the work of Jesus.  Those who will come after him and will hear the Messiah’s teaching and see his great works, even the least among this group, Jesus says, will be greater than John.

You probably remember Jesus saying something similar about his family.  When he was informed that his mother and brothers had come to see him, Jesus instead pointed to his followers and said: “Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”  What counts as true greatness, therefore, is not what place or status you have, not even being the last Prophet; but rather what counts for true greatness is how faithfully you listen to the gospel and put it into action.

Christian Life

This week Pope Francis was named Person of the Year, by Time magazine.  You would think that such a prestigious nomination would have the Vatican officials breaking out the champagne and giving each other hi-fives.  Instead, there was a sober response from the Pope’s spokesman. He began by courteously acknowledging the award, but then hoped that it was a recognition of the pope’s work as “one who proclaims spiritual, religious and moral values in the world, and who speaks effectively in favour of peace and greater justice.”  The spokesman then said that “the Pope, for his part, he does not seek fame and success, since he carries out his service for the proclamation of the Gospel and the love of God for all. If this attracts men and women and gives them hope, the Pope is content.”  In other words, for the Pope, as for all Christians, the award that really counts, the award that grants us greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven, is the award for faithful preaching and faithful living out the gospel.

This week also, the people of South Africa, and indeed the whole world, mourn and bury the beloved former President, Nelson Mandela.  But this massive outpour of grief has little to do with Mandela’s being the first black President of South Africa or the fact that he was unfairly imprisoned for 27 years.  His greatness, which is recognized both in South Africa and beyond, both by white and black South Africans, was because he worked for the reconciliation and harmonious relations among all people, among all races.  Even after his release from prison, even after he became President, there was no bitterness or revenge in him.  His greatness did not come from his status, but from his heart, from his Methodist upbringing, from his Christian faith.

Recently I went to a big banquet, but I could not see my name on the seating list.  As I was about to go away and save myself the embarrassment, someone tapped me on the shoulder and took me to their table up front, where they had reserved a place for me as their guest, and that is why my name was not on the seating chart.

Jesus says that you and I could have a more important place than John the Baptist at the eternal banquet, if we take our privilege of being Catholic Christians very seriously; if we are faithful listeners to the gospel and faithful doers of what the gospel tells us to do.  And it doesn’t matter if you and I are never named Person of the Year by Time magazine or never have 80 heads of state at our funeral.  What matters is if we live up to the demands of the gospel.

Conclusion

My grandmother and I have lived very different lives.

·        She had only a second grade education and never travelled more than 100 miles from her home; I have gone to college and studied theology abroad.

·        My grandmother did not hold any office in the Church; I doubt that she was even an officer in her parish Legion of Mary group.  For my part, I have had the great privilege of being ordained a priest and serving as a pastor, chancery official and now seminary teacher.

But I am constantly aware that in the wider scheme of things, these differences count for zilch.  My privileged status and titles were given to me for service of God’s Church; and by themselves they do not give me a leg up on my grandmother, when it comes to what really matters, getting into heaven.

For when both she and I and even John the Baptist, show up at heaven’s door, asking to be admitted into God’s, we all have the same chances of admission; for we are all judged on our faithful discipleship, on how attentively we have listened to God’s word and how faithfully we have lived it.