The crowds asked John the Baptist “What Should We Do?” “Teacher, What Should We Do?”
When you hear the name John the Baptist what comes to mind? “A voice crying out in the wilderness.” Mark tells us “John [the] Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Just before the start of today’s Gospel, Luke tells us that John the Baptist was preaching to the crowds that came out to be baptized. He told them“Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance …” John was telling the people that their baptism changed their lives; that they should live a life of holiness from that point. This helps us to understand why the people asked the first question at the beginning of today’s Gospel “What should we do?”
A person would think that the people who asked these questions of John the Baptist would know what to do! They were Jewish for the most part, so they had the Commandments and instruction from the Rabbis to guide them. But they still asked, “What should we do?”
John told them to take care of their neighbor. He basically reiterated the Ten Commandments and “The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam)” through Acts of Kindness. In other words, to treat everyone with respect and to love your neighbor. John said “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Catholics, more than any other religion, believe in the respect for the human dignity of every individual person from conception to natural death. When we respect and care for another person, we will look out for them and try to make their life better. We will provide clothing, food and help them find housing. We live out our faith exactly as John was telling the people whom he baptized.
Many people came out into the desert to be baptized by John the Baptist. Some of them were tax collectors and soldiers.
John Pilch helps us to understand the culture of that time. Tax collectors did not collect taxes as we know taxes today. They collected tariffs on goods that were imported and tolls for travel over a bridge or on a highway.
Tax collectors collected the tax (or tolls) for the Roman Emperor which only reminded them of the occupation by the Gentile oppressor. The Roman Empire typically used locals to collect the taxes so many of the tax collectors were Jews. Using locals for tax collectors would direct the people’s resentment of paying the taxes away from the Roman rulers and solders stationed in the region and toward the tax collector. Middle Eastern culture accepts bribes and deceit as a part of business dealings. Tax collectors were not paid very much. It was common practice for the tax collector to charge more than the tax levied by the Roman government, so the tax collector could live a better life.
After the tax collectors were baptized, they asked John “Teacher, what should we do?” He told them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” John did not try to reform the Roman tax rules of the method of collecting the taxes. That would have brought the Roman government down on him immediately. Instead, John tells them to do what is right; be satisfied with the commission that they received for collecting the taxes and not to gouge the people for more.
There weren’t any Roman Legions stationed in the region at that time. John Pilch explains that Palestinian Judeans were exempt from serving in the Roman Armies. So, these soldiers are probably Judeans who enlisted in the service of Herod. The people resented the soldiers because,like the tax collectors, they were Jews who worked for the occupying power and enforced Rome’s rules. After the soldiers were baptized, they asked John the Baptist: “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
It is interesting that John did not tell the tax collector or the soldier to change their occupation. He did not tell them to change the unjust tax system or not to serve in Herod’s army. John told them to change the way they lived their lives, to live Acts of Kindness toward every person they met. Rabbi Judah stated “… engaging in acts of kindness is nothing less than modeling yourself after God.” That was John’s message to the people who came out to be baptized.
Acts tell us that Paul established the first Christian community in Europe at Philippi. In the second reading, Paul wrote to the Philippians to encourage them. He said“I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all.”
During this holiday season, many people show acts of kindness by helping those who are in need. We donate to charities, we donate our time and we try to be a little cheerier to everyone we meet.
Advent is a time of preparation for us to celebrate the anniversary of Jesus’ arrival on Christmas Day and to prepare our hearts for his second coming. It’s very difficult to find time to spend quietly with God any time but especially at this time of year.
We are rushing at a hectic pace trying to prepare for the social celebration of Christmas. Besides all the preparation of buying gifts for everyone and planning the get togethers, there are meals to plan and prepare; and we need to figure out how to have family over without slighting anyone because some of them won’t come if a certain family member or person is there.
In the caustic environment of our culture today, it seems that hate rules over kindness. It is so prevalent that it seems to consume us to the point that we are unable to get anything done. The noise overtakes our hearts and leaves us no time to quiet ourselves and wait for God to speak to us.
With all this emphasis on preparation for the social Christmas, does it ever seem like we don’t know what to do to prepare ourselves? It’s so easy to get caught up in all the rush and drama that we can forget the real reason for Advent and Christmas. “What should we do?”
The crowds were filled with expectation that John the Baptist might be the Messiah. But John pointed the crowds to Christ. We too must point others to Christ. We do that by the way we live our lives –through Acts of Kindness so others will ask “What makes you so kind, even when people are mean to you?” Then we can explain that we are Catholic and point them to Christ.
Blessed Mother Theresa said “Let no one come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s loving kindness: Kindness in your face, Kindness in your eyes, Kindness in your smile.”
What should we do? Will we continue to live the same as the world around us? Will we look the other way when we pass a homeless person? Or will we look at them, smile and shake their hand, showing them respect as a person in God’s image who is having a difficult time?
Will we despise the person who lives in the margins of society like the people despised the tax collectors and soldiers? Or will we reach out to the widow, the orphan, the stranger and the immigrant?
Will we let the squabbling of family and friends tear us apart inside? Or will we make some time in the busy rush of the season to spend quietly with God to renew our hearts? Will we engage in acts of kindness to others, so we model ourselves after God?
What should we do?