20251213 IS JOHN THE BAPTIST THE ELIJAH TO COME, OR JESUS?
13 December 2025, Saturday, 2nd Week in Advent
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4,9-12 |
The prophet Elijah will come again
The prophet Elijah arose like a fire,
his word flaring like a torch.
It was he who brought famine on the people,
and who decimated them in his zeal.
By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens,
he also, three times, brought down fire.
How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah!
Has anyone reason to boast as you have?
Taken up in the whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses;
designated in the prophecies of doom
to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks,
to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob,
Happy shall they be who see you,
and those who have fallen asleep in love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19 |
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
May your hand be on the man you have chosen,
the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The day of the Lord is near;
Look, he comes to save us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk3:4,6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight,
and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 17:10-13 |
Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him
As they came down from the mountain the disciples put this question to Jesus, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?’ ‘True;’ he replied ‘Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.’ The disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.
IS JOHN THE BAPTIST THE ELIJAH TO COME, OR JESUS?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SIR 48:1-4,9-11; Ps 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; MT 17:10-13]
As we enter the third Sunday of Advent, the Church invites us to reflect on the forerunner of Christ. The prophet Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, prophesied: “Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.” (Mal 4:5f) Within this context, we can appreciate why the Jews who were awaiting the Day of the Lord speculated that Elijah must return first. Until Elijah returned, they believed, the Messiah would not appear. Of course, they understood the Day of the Lord as the time when Israel would be restored to her former glory under King David. They thought in terms of a powerful, military, and triumphant Messiah.
Who was Elijah? He was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, a powerful preacher of the Word of God. His mission was to bring all of Israel back to faith in God and to the covenantal relationship with Him. He confronted King Ahab and his pagan queen, Jezebel. He defeated the false prophets of Baal after they failed to call down fire from their gods to consume their sacrifice. Despite their prolonged prayers, shouting, and self-mutilation, their gods did not answer. In contrast, Elijah soaked his sacrifice with water several times, and when he called upon the Lord, God sent fire to consume it. So great was Elijah’s power that when he announced a drought in Israel as God’s punishment, it lasted three years. Finally, we are told that at the end of his life he was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire.
There was great speculation when John the Baptist appeared, particularly about his identity. Prophecy had been silent for 400 years since Malachi, and now John appeared as a powerful preacher. Earlier, our Lord praised John the Baptist: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist.” (Mt 11:7-11)
But confusion about John’s identity was partly caused by his own denials. When questioned, he denied being the Messiah, Elijah, or even the prophet foretold by Moses (Jn 1:19-22; Dt 18:15-21). Rather, as the Lord affirmed, John was “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.'” (Jn 1:23; cf. Isa 40:3) He came to prepare the way for Christ: “I baptise with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” (Jn 1:26)
If John the Baptist was not Elijah, some speculated that perhaps Jesus was. We recall what Jesus asked His disciples at Caesarea Philippi: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:13-15) Even Herod thought similarly: “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For some were saying, “John the baptiser has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” Others said Jesus was Elijah or a prophet like those of old (Mk 6:14-16).
The speculation that Jesus could be the new Elijah arose because His ministry resembled Elijah’s. Jesus also preached the Word of God with power and authority–though not in Elijah’s fiery style. But Jesus also performed great miracles like Elijah, who multiplied food and oil for the widow of Zarephath and raised her son who died. Most notably, the early Church – namely St. Luke – portrayed the Ascension of our Lord with imagery reminiscent of Elijah’s being taken up into heaven forty days after His resurrection. Elijah, too, had spent forty days at Mount Horeb in prayer before he encountered God in the silence.
In the mind of our Lord, however, John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come before the Day of the Lord to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus affirmed this again in today’s Gospel. After the Transfiguration, where Elijah appeared, the disciples asked, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?“ Jesus replied, “True, Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased.”
If this were so, the disciples could infer that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. This truth was confirmed at the Transfiguration when the Father declared, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (Mt 17:5) By alluding to His own suffering, Jesus showed that the people had failed to recognise John as the Elijah who prepared the way for the Lord. Just like the religious leaders, even the political leaders failed to understand that John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Messiah to come. Their rejection of John foreshadowed their rejection of Jesus as well: “The Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.”
The early Church was clear that John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Lord, as seen in Zechariah’s prophecy: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.” (Lk 1:76f) John himself affirmed this. At Jesus’ baptism he proclaimed: “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptising with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (Jn 1:29-34) Therefore, we must affirm the truth that John the Baptist is indeed the forerunner of our Lord.
In turn, we must remember that, like John the Baptist, we are called to prepare the way for the Lord to enter our lives and the lives of others. We, too, must repent of our sins and respond to the call to conversion. In our case, we are preparing not so much for the first coming of the Lord but in view of Christ’s second coming at the end of time. But it is not enough to prepare ourselves without calling others to meet the Lord. We must help others to recognise Him as St John did, always pointing out Jesus to them. As he said, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:28-30) This should be our joy in Advent as we prepare for Christmas. Let us help someone encounter Jesus through our love, encouragement, joy, prayers, and faith-sharing. May our lives reveal the Lord and lead others to faith in Him.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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