O Come Emmanuel, May We Recognize You.

Today’s gospel begins with John the Baptist sending his disciples to Jesus. They are supposed to ask Jesus if He is the Messiah. Isn’t that a little bit odd? John already knew the answer. Why did he send them to ask Jesus?

Like any really good teacher, John the Baptist was nudging the disciples to find the answer on their own. He put the idea in their head that Jesus could be the Messiah. By the time they reached Jesus, I’m sure those disciples had discussed, analyzed, and evaluated everything they knew about the Messiah from scripture and added in all they had heard about Jesus. When Jesus replied to their inquiry, He confirmed the conclusion they had already reached. John the Baptist helped the disciples recognize Jesus in a way they may not have considered on their own.

If John the Baptist sent us out today, where would we find the Messiah? Really think about it for a while. Do we recognize His presence in those around us and, more importantly, do others recognize Him in us? How hard would they have to look?