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There
is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a
witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life
for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ,
but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he
died for Christ. Does Christ not say: “I am the truth”?
Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died
for Christ. Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore
witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by
his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer. Such was
the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this
present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He
preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by
ungodly men. He was locked away in the darkness of prison, through he
came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a
bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ. To
endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy
burden for such men as John; rather it was easily borne and even
desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death
was ever at hand, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and
thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s
name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: “You have been granted
the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for
his sake.” He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen
ones should suffer for him: “The sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed
in us.”
--
Saint Bede the Venerable from
a homily on the death of John the Baptist
