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 Last Sunday’s Gospel introduced John the Baptist as a prophetic preacher preparing the way for the arrival of God’s salvation. Today we are introduced to the content of his preaching which is an announcement of the end times, the coming of the messiah, and the ethical living these events require.

In announcing the end time John does not ask the crowd to take up his austere lifestyle. Instead he calls them to lead just and honest lives. When the crowd, amazed at his teaching, wonders if he might be the expected messiah John reminds them that he is only preparing the way. He baptizes with water as a sign of repentance. But one is coming who will baptize with fire. This is why they must share their food and clothing and treat people justly, so that the one coming to clear away all injustice can gather them to himself. Despite the description of the unquenchable fire this is truly good news that he preaches.

Luke’s infancy narrative begins with the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah followed by the announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary. These two episodes are brought together as the pregnant Mary makes her way through the hill country to visit the pregnant Elizabeth, who is in her sixth month. As Mary greets Elizabeth the infant in her womb leaps for joy as if even before his birth John is announcing the coming messiah. This has an Old Testament parallel in the leaping of the twins Jacob and Esau in the womb of their mother Rebecca.

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and announces a prophecy of her own, that the baby Mary bears is actually the Lord. Mary is blest because the child in her womb is blest. As the angel’s greeting of Mary forms the beginning of the Hail Mary, Elizabeth’s greeting is the basis for the next part. The final part of this section, which we do not read today, is Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s greeting, her song of praise, the Magnificat. This canticle is proclaimed every evening during vespers.

 

 Luke concludes his infancy narrative with a story from Jesus’ adolescence. Significantly, it is set in the temple in Jerusalem at the feast of Passover.

Returning home after the festival Jesus’ parents notice that he is not with them and so return to Jerusalem looking for him. They find him in the temple questioning the teachers there. Jesus’ answer to their question about what he was doing allows him to elaborate in his own words what others, Gabriel, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna, have already said of him. God is his Father and he must be about his Father’s business.

Still his parents do not understand who he is and cannot until after the

Resurrection. Jesus returns to Nazareth with them to grow up a normal human being, obedient to them and advancing in age and wisdom and favor in the sight of all until he is baptized by John and begins his ministry. In these two chapters of his infancy narrative Luke has presented us with much more than the story of the birth of a child. This child is Messiah, Lord, Savior, and Son of God. These are not things he becomes as he fulfills his ministry. They are what he is from the beginning.

For people of the Middle East at the time Jesus was born it was expected that the birth of an important person would be accompanied by some celestial sign. In late Jewish legend a star is described at the birth of Abraham. In the book of Numbers (24:17) the pagan Balaam is forced to prophesy the promise of a ”star coming from Jacob.” It would also not be out of the ordinary for wise men from Babylon t
o wander the Mediterranean looking for more wisdom. We do not know anything about these magi, though many legends have been built around them.
What seems to be important for Matthew is that they are not Jews and they are overjoyed when they find the child. From the very beginning of his life this Jewish messiah is much more than that. He breaks down the barrier between Gentiles and Jews because God desires the salvation of all and for that reason Jesus was born.