22 After removing Saul, he [God] made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ 23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
The 24th of June is the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist. Historically, this is one of the oldest and most important feasts in Christianity, dating back to at least 506 AD. Celebrations often spanned (and span) several days (including the summer solstice) and are famous for their bonfires. John, of course, is a key figure in the story of Jesus: the forerunner of the Messiah, Elijah returned. Luke tells us that John’s father, Zechariah, lost his ability to speak after doubting the angel Gabriel’s announcement of the coming birth. His speech only returns after he writes that the name of the baby is John. Even before his birth, John was acting the role of prophet the Messiah since Luke records that he “leapt” in his mother’s womb when the pregnant Mary arrived to stay with her cousin.
The second reading for his feast comes from Acts and is an extract from Paul’s first speech in that book. In it, he gives a history of God’s relationship with his chosen people and his plan for salvation. Paul picks up the story from where Stephen earlier left it – which is particularly significant since Saul of Tarsus was present when Stephen gave that speech and played a role in his martyrdom. Symbolically, Paul has put on the mantle of the man he previously persecuted. As Loveday Alexander points out, together the two discourses make a complete account of salvation history: one that begins with God’s action, his choice of a people and goes on to show the extent of his grace and love.
In this part of the speech, Paul focuses on the line of David, from which, the prophets promised, would come an even greater ruler, the Messiah. The prophets also promised a herald to announce the arrival of the Messiah, whom Paul identifies as John: he is the final prophetic witness, the one who unites the Old Testament and the New Testament. John’s birth, thus means the start of the new age – one that does not so much break from the old one as fulfil it – although in often unexpected ways.
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