Deacon
Tom Writes,
“What
Should We Do?”
John the Baptist was
like a magnet drawing people out into the desert. They came because they were
looking for something, and perhaps, because John was so very different than
anyone they had ever heard or seen, they may have thought that he had what they
were looking for. So they came; and they listened. Some even went so
far as to be baptized, a sign that they bought into what he was preaching -
lock, stock and barrel!
The baptism that
John was preaching called for a change of heart. They had to leave their old
ways behind and start out fresh, as if it was a new beginning, or at the least,
a new mindset. Those who desired to change their ways asked John an obvious
question, “What should we do?” And so, to the Tax Collector, John says, “Stop collecting more than is prescribed”.
In other word, do whatever is the right thing to do in all your business
affairs. To the Soldiers who asked what they should do, he answered, “Do not extort…do not falsely accuse…. be
satisfied with your wages”. That’s the equivalent of saying don’t abuse
your power or misuse your authority. People from all walks of life came to John
for his advice and it would basically be the same, “Stop the injustice; start doing what is right”.
John is preparing
the people for the one who is to follow him soon, Jesus. John lays the
foundation of justice that Jesus will build on. The call to justice requires
that we look within and see how we have contributed to the injustices that
surround us.
John calls us to conversion, a
change of heart that comes from within. When we experience this conversion,
we too begin to ask the question, “What
should we do?” While we
still have some Advent time remaining, let’s pause and ask Jesus to help us
answer this question from within so we may always “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”. (Micah
6:8)
Enjoy the Day!
Deacon Tom
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