As we move into the second part of Advent, John the Baptist becomes the central figure. In him is fulfilled the dream of Isaiah and the whole of the Old Testament. As Jesus says, He is the last and the greatest of all the prophets. Today's gospel gives us perhaps the clearest contrast between the lifestyles of John and Jesus. John preached austerity and repentance, "neither eating nor drinking". Jesus, by contrast, "ate and drank with sinners". His lifestyle was ordinary, and His preaching was gentle and affirming. And yet the Pharisees and Herod rejected both John and Jesus. What kind of Messiah did they want? That is Jesus' challenging question to them. But do we really have a choice? Can we decide what kind of Messiah we want? John the Baptist himself clearly rejects this possibility. He says (in John 3) that he is "only the friend of the bridegroom". As an Old Testament figure, he apparently did not understand Jesus' way of teaching and acting. But he had no doubt, after the Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism by John, that this was the true Bridegroom. John's faith and love were strong.