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Reverend Father,

last Sunday I listened to the Gospel that was about Jesus’ baptism. I must admit that from a comparison of the four Gospels, I am a bit confused on this topic. Why does John the Baptist from jail send some disciples to ask Jesus whether he is the real Messiah? He had said “Here is the Lamb of God”, he had seen the Holy Spirit on Him and he had claimed that Jesus should have baptized him and not the opposite.

Besides, I would like to ask you, why in John 1:31 is it reported that John didn’t know Jesus? Weren’t they even cousins? What is the greatness of John the Baptist?

Thank you for your kind attention

Donatella

Dear Donatella

1. Please find below a comment by St. John Chrysostom, who is one of the four great Fathers of the Eastern Church.

This comment was highly considered by St. Thomas.

As you mention, certainly St. John knew Jesus.

Despite the fact that they were cousins (they had since that moment two totally different paths), John had been informed from Above about Christ’s identity.

He also says: “I myself did not know Him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, «The Man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. » (John 1:33).

2. But here it is what St. John Chrysostom said:

“He knew Him before he worked miracles. He had known this from the Holy Spirit, he had heard this from the Father. Why the one who had announced him in front of everyone, on his own initiative, sends people to investigate whether he was Christ?”

John Chrysostom asks, addressing to the Bible: “Didn’t you say: I am not worthy to untie the straps of His sandals? Didn’t you say, I didn’t know Him but who sent me to baptize with water told me:  The Man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit?

Didn’t you see the Spirit in the shape of a dove? Didn’t you listen to that voice?

Didn’t you try to hinder him saying: I need to be baptized by You?

Didn’t you say to the Apostles: He must increase in importance while I must decrease?

Didn’t you teach to all the people that he would have baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire and that He is the Lamb of God who takes on Himself all the sins of the world?

Didn’t you proclaim all these things before the miracles and the prodigies?

Why then, now that He manifested himself to everyone, His fame spread everywhere, the dead have been resurrected, the devils casted out and there was evidence of so great miracles, do you send on your own initiative someone to get informed? What happened? Were all those words tricks, shams, fables?

But which person with sense could say this? I wouldn’t say John, who leapt for joy in his mother’s womb, who proclaimed Him before being born, who was citizen of the desert, who showed angelic life habits; but not even someone in the crowd, not any scorned person, could be doubtful after so many witnesses, both from himself and from the others”.

3. And he continues: “From this it is clear that he didn’t send the disciples because he was doubtful and didn’t ask that question because he didn’t know the answer.

And we cannot even say that he had known with certainty in the past but had become more timorous after the jail; he didn’t expect to be released and, also in that case, he wouldn’t have betrayed his religious pity, as he would have given his own life for that. Indeed, if he were not prepared for all this, he would not have shown such a courage in front of the whole world, who had shed the blood of the prophets, and he wouldn’t have disputed so openly with that cruel tyrant in the middle of the city and of the square, blaming him hard as a child, while everyone was listening.

And if he had become more fearful, why didn’t he feel ashamed for his disciples in front of whom he had given such a great witness, but he asked a question through them, while he should have done that through others?

For sure, he knew clearly that they were envious of Him and they wanted to find a pretext against Him (…).

What was then his purpose?

It is clear from what was written that doubting about this was not the real concern of John but not even of any other person, although fool and daft. We need now to find the answer for this question. Why, then, did he send them to ask?

John’s disciples were opposed to Jesus; this is clear to anyone, and they were always envious of Him. It is clear from what they said to their master: that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one you testified about, look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him. And also: a dispute arose between John’s disciples and some Jews over the issue of ceremonial washing. And still, they went closer to him and told him: How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?

4. They didn’t know yet who was Christ, but, thinking that Jesus was a simple man and John was more than a man, they were worried that the former had a great reputation, and the latter was losing importance, as he said. This was an obstacle for their getting to know Christ, because the envy was blocking their way to him.

Since John had been with them, he was encouraging them and teaching them continuously, and not even this allowed him to persuade them; but, since he was about to die, he increased his efforts because he was afraid of supporting an adverse opinion and that they would have remained far from Christ.

He put an effort since the beginning to lead to Him all his disciples, but since he was not successful in convincing them, he put additional effort in this, since he was going to die.

If he had said: Go to Him, He is better than me, he wouldn’t have convinced them since they would hardly have left him and they would have thought that he was saying those things for modesty and they would have been even closer to him. On the other hand, if he hadn’t said anything, this wouldn’t have led to any advantages.  

What does he do, then? He lets them go by themselves and waits to hear from them that He was doing miracles, and not even in this situation he encourages them. And he doesn’t send them all, but only two that he knew were meeker, so that his request didn’t raise suspects, so that they could learn from the evidences the difference between Jesus and himself, and he says: «Go and ask Him: are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?».

5. Christ, being aware of John’s intentions, didn’t say “It is I”, because again this would have disappointed his listeners, although it was logical to say that, but He let them learn that by the evidence. He says that, when they went close to Him, He cured many people.

Certainly, which connection was there between not answering the question “Are you the one?” and curing immediately people who were affected by illness, if He didn’t want to show what I said?

In fact, they considered that the witness coming from the evidence was more reliable and less suspect than the one coming from words.

Then, since He was God and He knew John’s intentions in sending them there, He suddenly cured blind, lame and many others, not for showing this to John – and how could He have done this since he was already convinced? – but to those who were doubtful, and after recovering them He said: Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor and he adds Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me, showing that He knew the secrets of their souls.

As already said, if He had said “It is I” this would have disappointed them and they would have thought, although without saying that, what the Jews were saying: You bear witness of yourself.

This is the reason why He doesn’t express himself like this but lets them learn everything from the miracles, making his teaching not suspect and clearer. (Homily 36:1-2)

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to report a John Chrysostom’s quotation and highlight how deep and convincing is the Saint Fathers’ analysis on the Holy Scriptures.

I wish you all good, I remind you to the Lord and I bless you.

Father Angelo