2. A very beautiful image of the relationship between Saint John the Forerunner and Jesus Christ, presented to us in the hymnography of today’s feast, is that of the voice in relation to the Word: “Having become the voice of the Word… O heavenly man and Forerunner” (Ode I). Saint John is thus presented, on the basis of the actual events of his life, as the one who reveals the presence of Christ, who proclaims with a mighty voice, so that all may hear, the coming of the Messiah.
Of course, he is not the only one who has this characteristic. All the prophets of the Old Testament are, strictly speaking, such voices announcing His coming. The difference is that Saint John, as the final prophet and therefore the fulfillment of prophecy, is the strongest voice of all — literally, as he is called, “the most loud-voiced of all the prophets” and “greater than the prophets” (Ode IV).
The relationship of the voice to the Word is direct: the voice is heard solely and exclusively in order to reveal the Word. This means that John was sent by God as the messenger of the Son and Word of God — to be His Forerunner. In this way one understands both his existence and his mission. Therefore, the voice of the Forerunner could proclaim nothing other than that for which Christ Himself came: repentance.
Christ, as our incarnate God, came precisely to gather “into one” — that is, into Himself and through Himself unto God the Father — “all His scattered children.” Therefore, He called the entire world to repentance. For this reason the preaching of Saint John and the preaching of Jesus Christ are exactly the same: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” “The head… confirmed for all the saving ways of repentance with divine exhortations” (Praises).
“One is merely being reminded of obvious truths,” someone may say. Yes, but with implications for our own lives as well. That is: one who wishes to belong to Christ and to His holy Church cannot have a different voice from His. What do we mean? The Christian “cries out” through his words, but above all through his life, the presence of Christ. “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden,” says the Lord. It is impossible for us to be Christians and at the same time have our lives and words not aligned and in harmony with the word of Christ and His holy friends.
It is no accident that the Church is founded upon the conviction and lived experience that Christians are members of Christ and therefore extend His presence into the world. And because Christ the Word lived and taught love — which indeed is the chief characteristic of one who truly repents — so too the Christian is truly Christian only when he lives and teaches love in all things. Any other “voice,” even if spoken in the name of Christ, is a distortion of Him and indeed a discordant false note against Him.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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