All regard John as a prophet

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 21:23-27)

When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things?And who gave you this authority?"

Jesus said to them in reply, "I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.

Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed this among themselves and said, "If we say 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet."

So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know." He himself said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.

***

Reflections:

"All regard John as a prophet"

If we seek to know why John was baptising when his baptism was nevertheless unable to take away sins, the reason is clear: to be faithful to his ministry as forerunner it was necessary for him to baptise before the Lord did, just as he was born before he was, preached before he did and died before him. At the same time it was to prevent the jealous wrangling of the Pharisees and scribes from seizing upon the Lord's ministry supposing he had been the first to administer baptism. «Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or human origin?» As they would not dare to deny that it came from heaven they were obliged to acknowledge that the works of him whom John preached were also accomplished by means of a power coming from heaven. However, if John's baptism did not take away sins that does not mean to say that it bore no fruit for those who received it... It was a sign of faith and repentance, that is to say it called to mind that all must abstain from sin, practice almsgiving, believe in Christ, and make haste to his baptism as soon as it appeared, there to be washed for the remission of their sins.

Besides this, the desert where John dwelt represents the life of saints cut off from the pleasures of this world. Whether they live in solitude or in the midst of the crowd, they strain wholeheartedly to detach themselves from the desires of the present world. They find their joy in cleaving to God alone in the secret of their heart and in placing their hope only in him. This was the solitude of soul, so dear to God, to which the prophet was longing to go, with the Holy Spirit's help, when he said: «Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest» (Ps55[54],7).