Readings for Friday:
In the morning, Psalms 40, 54
In the evening, Psalm 51
Isaiah 10:5-19
2 Peter 2:17-22
Matthew 11:2-15
Authenticity is a trait sought by advertisers. They want their products to have authenticity. They want people to think positively and favorably about the item that they are trying to sell to us. Once you find a good spokesperson, you want to keep that spokesperson. I am a fan of Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs. Obviously, advertisers feel that he can lend an air of authenticity to the products they want to sell. It seems as if Ford trucks likes the rough and tough image that Rowe portrays as he does his numerous jobs. I’ve noticed quite a few Ford trucks on the show and noticed that Rowe advertises directly for Ford.
In today’s Gospel lesson, John the Baptist, at the end of his ministry in one of Herod’s prison cells, begins to wonder if Jesus is authentic. He sends some of his followers to ask Jesus if he is the one that they have been waiting for or if there is another to follow. I find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t simply say Yes or No. Instead he rattles off a litany of the things happening in his ministry:
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The blind receive their sight
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The lame walk
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The deaf hear
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The dead are raised
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The poor hear the Good News preached to them
Basically, it seems as if Jesus is saying, “Don’t merely wait for a verbal answer from me. Don’t rely on just my words. See what I am actually doing and then make up your mind.” As Advent draws to a close, we can see what it was that God had been saying for hundreds of years. He backed up the words of his prophets with divine action to bring into existence his plan for salvation through Jesus, the Christ.
