The Christmas Dare: Matthew 11:2-11 - Third Sunday in Advent

²When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples ³and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ⁴Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. ⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
  ⁷As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. ⁹What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written,
 ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
  who will prepare your way before you.’
¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (NRSV)

For many American children, Christmas day is the day when dreams come true—thanks, in large part, to good old Santa Claus.  But nine-year-old Aly’s thoughts were elsewhere…

She began to notice men and women standing at intersections, holding signs begging for whatever help they could get.

She couldn’t understand why people are homeless.  So she sat down and wrote a letter to Santa Claus:

Her plan is to create care packages and keep them in the family car—and whenever she sees someone homeless, she will give them one. 

I wish I could explain to her—and to you—why people are homeless and poor.  I can’t help but ask these questions, especially at Christmas time. 

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist is also questioning: why?

Here was a man who lived in faithful obedience to God. He was “the voice crying out in the desert, ‘prepare the way of the Lord.’”  People came from far and wide to be baptized into repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  He personally baptized Jesus, and witnessed the Holy Spirit descending upon him as a dove. 

But now, John the Baptist is in prison. He had insulted the honor of King Herod, by proclaiming publicly that it was unlawful for him to have coveted his brother Philip’s wife, taking her as his own.

So John is questioning: if Jesus was the Messiah, why was he still in prison?  It was not unreasonable for John to have expected Jesus to overthrow corrupt and bloodthirsty rulers like Herod and establish God’s kingdom on earth.  That’s what a Messiah does, after all.  John needs to know: “are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for somebody else?”

Speaking personally, I’m a little dumbfounded by Jesus’ answer to John’s messengers: he says, “the blind see; the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed; the deaf hear; the dead are raised; and the poor hear the good news of God’s reign.”   Jesus doesn’t even tell John in person.  John’s disciples deliver the message. 

So was Jesus letting John down?  Is Jesus letting you down?

For a long time, I’ve said, “if it hurts, it hurts worse at Christmas.”  There isn’t “peace on earth” and “goodwill to all.”  There’s pain, suffering, and evil.  What’s worse is the way our society sentimentalizes Christmas.  How will your Christmas compare to what you see on TV?  Will you have a brand-new luxury car in the driveway, with a giant red ribbon on the hood?  Will your children receive everything on their wish list?  Will your family be feasting and celebrating together, with everyone healthy and happy?

I wish Christmastime could be for everyone the way we see it on TV.  If it’s that way for you, give thanks to God!  But if you’re feeling more like John the Baptist, know that you are in very good company.  You’re in company with Mary and Joseph, who are uprooted from their homes at the time of Jesus’ birth—only to spend the next several years as refugees in Egypt, because Herod was determined to kill the one who was born the king of the Jews (this would be Herod the Great, the father of the Herod imprisoning John the Baptist).  Life was no better for the shepherds, and even the Magi.  It wasn’t just curiosity that drew the Magi to Bethlehem.  

Jesus focuses his ministry upon the blind, the lame, the ill, the deaf, the dead, and the poor.

So don’t look for Jesus in presents under the tree. The Christmas “holiday” is for those who have the time, the means, and the desire to make merry and celebrate, for any reason they choose.  Jesus, on the other hand, is for the broken, the bound, and the helpless.  He is born amid the struggles and fears of our human existence—and he comes to save you from within them.

Seek Jesus in the hospitals and nursing homes; in the prisons and the shelters; in the food banks and clothing closets.  Look for him out in the streets, with the first responders, and the soldiers stationed far away.  Look for Jesus in whatever is hurting you or troubling you the most.

You will always have questions and doubts about Jesus, just like John did.  But if it’s Jesus you want to see this Christmas, do what Aly is going to be doing. Think of it as the Christmas dare: engage in a little hope-filled defiance of whatever is troubling or hurting you at Christmas.  Defy whatever is haunting and tormenting God’s people.  Ultimately, it is ordinary people like you—and ordinary children like Aly—who are the most powerful signs that Jesus is in the world.  This is what our world needs at Christmas—not more things; but more people who bear the love of and life of Jesus to the world. 

Peace on earth and goodwill is not something we get, but is what we give from Jesus Christ to each other.