Late-night talk show hosts rule the airwaves after many of us have gone to bed. They are kings of their own domain. Even though they have plenty of interesting guests appearing on their shows, the focus is on them, their monologue, their message and their personality.

            However, most good late-night talk show hosts have a sidekick. Sometimes that sidekick is part of the writing staff. They often come out early, before the cameras are on, to warm up the crowd. They’ll have their own monologue, using the jokes the host didn’t need, and for a few minutes they’re a star too.

            Then it’s time for them to step to the side and let the head honcho take over. They’ll banter, they’ll comment, but mostly they’ll point to the real reason folks tune in late at night.

St. John the sidekick

            I’m not saying Jesus is a late-night talk show host, although I suspect our Lord would do a great job at holding the attention of a crowd. We sometimes forget, for instance, that many of those parables are actually funny — we hardly laugh anymore because we’ve heard the stories since childhood.

            However, if Jesus were the star of his own show, then John the Baptist would be his sidekick. He certainly warmed up the crowd along the River Jordan before Jesus came on the scene. He showed up wearing outlandish garments, he ate strange foods, and he stood by the Jordan telling the people exactly what was wrong with their lives and their lifestyles. I’ll bet there were laughs when he challenged the high and mighty. And I’m sure many people were excited when he spoke about the one who was coming.

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