John the Baptist challenged people to identify and acknowledge the error and evil in their lives. He baptized them with water as a sign of their decision to repent – to turn away from sin and live a new way. While in prison he sent his followers to Jesus to ask if he was the one they were expecting. Jesus sent back a simple message, “Go tell him what you see.” Jesus then says that no man born of woman is greater than John, but not because of how he dressed or where he lived. No, John was great because he knew the truth, he lived the truth, and he challenged others, and us, to live the truth. John was a prophet, and more. The role of a prophet is to identify the silly, stupid, senseless, and sinful things in our world and to call for change. In doing that John prepared the way for Jesus. At our Baptism we are anointed “priest, prophet and king.” Like John, we must prepare the way for Jesus, for ourselves and for others.
