Mt 11:11-15 Are You Willing To Accept This?

Mt 11:11-15  Are You Willing To Accept This?

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Jesus said to the crowds:  “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  …And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.  Whoever has ears ought to hear.” 

First Scene.  The desert is hostile to man.  It is very similar to space:  wide, open and unwelcoming to man.  It is freighting.  In the desert, food and water is scarce, travel is difficult and shelter from the heat and the cold is nearly impossible.  John lives in the desert.  He is surrounded by an ocean of sand.    

But despite all these hostile conditions (and maybe even because of them), John receives the Word of God.  He fulfills His ministry.  He accomplishes His mission.  No difficulties, no trials, no life circumstances prevent Him from heralding the Kingdom of God.

He remains true to himself.  He is the greatest prophet ever born of woman.

Second Scene.  The Lord is born in a stable and laid in a manger.  He is truly poor and truly defenseless.  There is little to nothing that is comforting or even welcoming from inside our sublime scene.  Outside, the air is frigid, the food remains scarce and family and friends are far between.  And let’s not forget that surrounding our Lord are countless men looking to seize Him and to kill Him. 

In spite of all the above, the Lord continues to remain true to himself.  He is the King and He is Holy.

No difficulties, no trials, no circumstances could even begin to scratch, let alone strip, the surface of the Lord’s Kingship or His holiness.  Regardless of all that surrounds Him, He is who He is.

Third Scene.  You.  What about you?  Are you the yo-yo of Yin and Yang?  Do you go up with the good times and down with the bad times?  Do you find yourself oscillating between heaven and hell?  Does your boss or spouse or child hold the “remote” to your heart, mind and will?  I hope not!

How can we stand firm?  How can we remain afloat during a Tsunami?  How can we survive like John the Baptist in the middle of the desert, and live and die like Jesus of Nazareth in the midst of sin? 

What must I do not only to survive but to succeed?  I must go to Church and I must pray.

Why must I go to Church?  Why must I pray?  So that I can find the Lover to my greatest desire:  to love and be loved.  This is what we all desire more than anything else:  “I want someone to love me.”

Well then, where can I find this love that I desire?   Who is the King of Love?  God.    Are you willing to accept His love?

God is the King of Love, for every time I go to Church and pray, the Lord will remind me of how to love and be loved.    How important this is!  How life changing this can be!  But if I do not connect myself to the Lord, then others, yes others far below the King of Love will tell me how I should love and be loved.  And we know that this love can very often be a kind of selfish love; a love that is degrading, destructive and discouraging.

Final Scene.  John hears a voice in the desert.   Mary hears the voice of an angel.  Joseph hears a voice in his dream.  The messages they receive are the same:  “Make straight the path of the Lord" (Mt 3:3).  The answers they gave are the same:  “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).  Their advice to us will always the same:  “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5).

Whoever has ears ought to hear.