As we might expect, the Gospel reading for the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John tells the story of his birth. However I would like to draw your attention to a passage from St. John’s Gospel:
After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:22-30)
This passage seems to offer a different view than we find in the synoptic Gospels where Jesus does not start his ministry until after John’s imprisonment. The Mediterranean culture would have dictated that Jesus wait until Jesus is often the scene rather than seem to place himself ahead of John. That sort of thing just wasn’t done.
However, we also know that historically speaking, the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of Jesus experienced a bit of tension after both John and Jesus were off the scene. This tension also existed between the various churches that were founded by the apostles. For instance, the community of the Beloved Disciple in Ephesus was not always on the most harmonious terms with the community of Jerusalem. The communities of Jewish Christians also experienced this kind of tension when Gentile communities began to evolve. Such tensions are part of human nature. Who among us doesn’t sometimes feel as if we have been overlooked or passed over.
By the time St. John’s Gospel appears, these tensions necessitated that he write about the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry in just a slightly different way. There are several such differences. For instance, in the synoptic Gospels, Jesus calls the apostles himself. However, in John’s Gospels, John points two of his disciples toward Jesus. One of them, Andrew, proceeds to call his brother Peter. The next day, Jesus finds Philip who then calls Nathanael. In other words, the call to follow Jesus comes from various different people.
Another difference is seen in the passage cited above. While the synoptic Gospels show the Jesus waited until John’s imprisonment, this Gospel says that they were baptizing simultaneously. When questions are asked about Jesus, John’s response is “He must increase, I must decrease.” John defers to Jesus, makes himself smaller so that Jesus can be larger. Herein lies a very powerful lesson for all of us. We will find true happiness when we are able to place the needs and the mission of Jesus before our own needs and our own mission. Like John, we must decrease so that He might increase. It is, after all, His kingdom that we build, and his name we praise.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator