“He is Elijah who is to come.” (Matthew 11:14)
Origen of Alexandria says, “He is John and not Elijah himself, for he did not have a personal life before. Thus, he emphasizes his refusal of the idea of the re-incarnation, but he had the same thought and direction as Elijah the prophet.”
Pope Gregory the Great says, “The angel tells Zacharias concerning John, “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah.” (Luke 1:17). Elijah will come before the second coming, John came before the first coming, as Elijah will precede the coming judgement, so John preceded the coming of the savior, and thus John resembles Elijah in his spirit and not in person.”
* “The second Elijah came to prepare the way, and he protested angrily against Jezebel, For he could not see evilness and remain silent. His boldness caused him to blame the sinners and was quick to rebuke the evildoers
He called the Pharisees and Sadducees “a brood of vipers” and in His firmness, He guided them to repentance
He did not favor the rulers or the authorities for he could not see wickedness and remain silent
He threatened the evil ones with fire like Elijah, and terrified them with the flames’ vengeance
He urged them to bear fruits worthy of repentance, lest they be burnt like wood through justice.
His mouth was open and his voice was strong in reprimand, rebuking the wicked to abandon their wickedness
He was clothed in zeal against every evilness in all its forms. He guided and powerfully rebuked all the ranks
He rebuked kings face to face like Elijah, and with his intelligence, he ridiculed them and caused them to be ashamed
Through his teachings, he rebuked kings and priests, and he equally taught the high ranks and low ranks for they were both equal in his eyes.”
“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30)
John saw the mystery of the Holy Trinity, when the Lord asked to be baptized by Him saying, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting, for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) Faced with everything that John has seen during the baptism of the Lord, he felt as though he never knew Him before (John 1:31). The voice of the Father, the descent of the Holy Spirit and the works of the Incarnate Son, who demolished the head of the dragon upon the waters of the Jordan. It was an amazing sight even to the heavenly. He felt as if they were chanting together, “Behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
He was always concerned with making everyone a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the day following the Lord’s baptism, he was standing with two of his disciples, and their conversation was about God who declares His divine mysteries. He saw Jesus walking and said to them, “Behold the Lamb of God.”(John 1:36)
How thrilled he was, when he offered all his disciples to Him that they may become disciples of His own and that they may experience His miraculous salvation! He was never concerned about gathering the thousands around him, but as he explained to his disciples “He must increase, but I must decrease.”(John 1:30)
St. Ambrose says, “John didn’t intend with this comparison to prove that Christ is greater than him, because there is no comparison between God and a mere human. John did not want to compare himself to Christ, as he described Him, “whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” It is possible that St. John wanted to lower the status of the Jewish people when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The Jewish people had to decrease for the Christian people to increase in Christ.”
St. Cyril of Alexandria comments on this verse saying,
“We do not however say that the blessed Baptist in any respect whatsoever decreased in dignity, himself of himself, during the time that Christ’s glory was constantly receiving addition from those that believed in Him: but inasmuch as the blessed John continued in the measure of human nature – for it was not possible for him ever to advance to anything beyond – but the incarnate Word, being in His nature God, and ineffably begotten of God the Father, advancing continually to His proper glory, was admired of all men; for this reason it was he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
For he who remains in exactly the same state seems to decrease, in comparison with one who is continually increasing. But that it was right that as being by nature God, He should surpass in might and glory human things, he explained to them saying: ” He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”(John 3:31). Who then is He Who comes from above, and is above all as being God? Plainly the only begotten Word of the Father, Who was in His likeness, and on an equality with Him: but for the love He had unto the world, humbled Himself to our estate.
As being such therefore, He must necessarily surpass one who was of the earth: one, that is to say, numbered among the things of earth, and their like in nature, such as was the Baptist. For he was indeed praiseworthy in virtue, and incomparable in piety, and had attained to the perfection of all righteousness, and was honorable and worthy of admiration: for the Lord bore him witness saying, “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” (John 11:11) But he was not from above; not of the Essence, I mean, that is set above all: rather he was from below, a son of earth, and one of us.”
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Prepared by: Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty
Translated By: Michael Stefanos – Mary F. A. – Andre Ghobrial
Designed by: Emad Roushdy