Characteristic of Matthew’s Gospel is a two-pronged approach. What led him in that direction? To call his Gospel a compromise document is not off the wall. A valid hypothesis is this: Matthew writes for the Christian Community of Antioch in Syria about 85 A.D.
The gospel readings of the second and third Sundays of Advent annually remind us of the importance of John the Baptizer’s witness to Jesus and his God-given ministry.
Today’s gospel reading centers on the ministry of John the Baptizer and his first public witness to “One mightier than I, whose sandals I am unworthy to carry.” Unlike Luke, Matthew gives his readers no background about the origin of the Baptizer.
