Third Sunday of Advent; 11 December 2022; Advent 3A (RCL); Isaiah 35:1-10; Canticle 15; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11.
Matthew sets up the exchange between John’s disciples and Jesus with a fair amount of irony. John hears in prison what the Messiah is doing, telegraphing Matthew’s understanding of who Jesus is. John’s disciples ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Remember, John had preached that a more powerful one was coming who would baptize with Holy Spirit and fire, and begin the judgment between wheat and chaff. Apparently, in Matthew’s telling, John is beginning to have his doubts.
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