The Baptism of Our Lord, 12 January 2014
Isaiah
42:1-9
Psalm
29
Acts
10:34-43
St.
Matthew 3:13-17
Background: The Baptism of
Our Lord
Although the Baptism of Jesus was one of the
texts associated with The Epiphany (along with the Visit of the Magi, and the
Wedding at Cana) it was only in the middle of the 20th Century that
the Gospel text became a focus of a day set aside to honor it. In 1955 Pope Pius XII set aside a
special day to honor the feast.
Later, John XXIII, set aside 13 January to honor the feast, followed by
Paul VI’s directive to honor the day on the Sunday following The Epiphany of
Our Lord. As these revisions made
their way into the Lectionary and Calendar following the reforms of Vatican II,
Lutherans and Anglicans began honoring the day in their Calendars as well. The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL)
brought the day to Protestant denominations. With the celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord, the season
of Christmastide comes to an end, with the following Sundays falling into
Ordinary Time.
Isaiah 42:1-9
Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom
my soul delights;
I have put my
spirit upon him;
he will bring
forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or
lift up his voice,
or make it heard
in the street;
a bruised reed he
will not break,
and a dimly
burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully
bring forth justice.
He will not grow
faint or be crushed
until he has
established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands
wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the
LORD,
who created the
heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the
earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath
to the people upon it
and spirit to
those who walk in it:
I am the LORD, I
have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you
by the hand and kept you;
I have given you
as a covenant to the people,
a light to the
nations,
to open the eyes
that are blind,
to bring out the
prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison
those who sit in darkness.
I am the LORD,
that is my name;
my glory I give to
no other,
nor my praise to
idols.
See, the former
things have come to pass,
and new things I
now declare;
before they spring
forth,
I tell you of them.
This reading is composed of two pericopes. The first, “Behold my servant” is comprised of verses 1-4,
and the second, “I call you in righteousness” is includes verses 5-9. Thus begins the first of the so-called
“Servant Songs” of Deutero-Isaiah.
The theme of the first pericope is quite simple – God designates an
individual as God’s servant. Such
servants were not unique to Isaiah, as others had preceded this
revelation. Consider Gideon in Judges 6, who is selected to
deliver the people of Israel from the fear of and oppression by Midian. There are other individuals that appear
during the time Israel moved from charismatic leadership to the Monarchy. So what is the task of this servant?
There are three specific tasks, which can become grist for the preacher’s mill:
1) verse 1c: “to bring forth justice to
the nations.” 2) Verse 3c: “brings
forth justice in truth.” and 3) verse 4b: “establishes justice in the earth.” If we are content to deal with “justice” as the prime
descriptor of the task, we will have missed a great deal. The other meaning of justice (mi˘spat) is judgment. The audience of this judgment is not
Israel but rather “the nations” and “the earth.” In other words, the servant is to judge the nations
concerning their knowledge of YHWH.
The intent of this task can be seen again in Isaiah 45:20-25.
The second pericope expands on the servant’s task, which is put into the
context of creation. It is the
Creator-God who asks for this person’s commitment, and it is God’s creative
intent and on-going care that forms the background to the servant’s work. Of importance are not only the creative
acts (“the heavens, and stretched them
out”, and “spread out the earth”)
but also the role of the Spirit as breath
and as life itself. The assumption here is that not only
the people are enlivened with this breath, but that the servant is also
anointed for this work. The work
is not only that of the servant but of the entirety of Israel. Perhaps the servant is the model of
this creative agency. Both are
called to be lights to the nations.
Other verbs follow: “open the
eyes,” “bring out the prisoners”. These
are themes that would speak powerfully to those who had been in exile, or in “darkness” as Isaiah puts it. All that was, is now gone, and
something new is expected. These
are appropriate thoughts at the Baptism of Jesus.
Breaking
open Isaiah:
1.
Whom do
you think Isaiah’s servant is?
2.
Is it a
single person or the whole people?
3.
How are
you a servant?
Psalm 29 Afferte Domino
Ascribe to the LORD, you gods, *
ascribe to the
LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the
LORD the glory due his Name; *
worship the LORD
in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the
LORD is upon the waters;
the God of glory
thunders; *
the LORD is upon
the mighty waters.
The voice of the
LORD is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the
LORD is a voice of splendor.
The voice of the
LORD breaks the cedar trees; *
the LORD breaks
the cedars of Lebanon;
He makes Lebanon
skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon
like a young wild ox.
The voice of the
LORD splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the
LORD shakes the wilderness; *
the LORD shakes
the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the
LORD makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the
forests bare.
And in the temple
of the LORD *
all are crying,
"Glory!"
The LORD sits
enthroned above the flood; *
the LORD sits
enthroned as King for evermore.
The LORD shall
give strength to his people; *
the LORD shall
give his people the blessing of peace.
The opening line of this psalm immediately immerses us in a discussion
about the origins of Hebrew biblical poetry, for this psalm seems to indicate
to us (as do others) that the psalmists used the models in Canaanite and other
literatures as they produced their own hymns and psalms. Some have felt that this is a
“remodeled” hymn to one of the Ba’alim, namely the one associated with thunder. Regardless of the template, we have
here a psalm devoted to YHWH’s voice, the breath that enables all of
creation. The aspects of God here
are also represented in the creation stories. From a vision of God in glory we take a journey through the
God who is “over the mighty waters” –
a reference to the God who brings order from chaos. The appearance of the Lebanon cedars gives us a sense of the
scope the psalmist wishes to afford YHWH, literally from the north to the
south, from the heights (Lebanon) to the depths (the Kadesh wilderness). The voice is ubiquitous not only in the
places of the earth, but also in its creatures (“the birth-pangs of does”) (see Robert Alter’s translation). The enthronement above the flood
reiterates YHWH’s place among the gods, as the One who sits above the disorder
of the primeval world, and begins creation. And here is the probable reason that this psalm was chosen
for this day, where water, once the threat of death, becomes the reality of new
life. I especially like the line
of verse 9, “And in the temple (or palace)
of YHWH all are crying, ‘Glory!’” It
is not only God who has voice here, but the people as well. The final gifts are strength and peace,
pronounced over the turmoil of the world.
Breaking
open Psalm 29:
- How does God rule over the chaos in your life?
- How do you see God active as a force in the world?
- What does God’s voice say to you?
Acts 10:34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly
understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears
him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent
to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all.
That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit
and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in
Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God
raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people
but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him
after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to
testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives
forgiveness of sins through his name."
Here Luke sees the mission of Christ beginning with the Baptism of
Jesus. A more pertinent idea is
introduced before that, however: “I truly
understand that God shows no partiality…” The baptism of Jesus, and the
pronouncement from heaven are seen as no longer the property of Jesus, but the
acceptance of all “who fear him and do
what is right.” Luke sees God
anointing Jesus “with the Holy Spirit and
with power,” and then continues on in an almost creedal formula about the
works of Jesus. Soon, however, he
introduces a role for us, just as Isaiah introduces a role for “the servant”. The roles are: “witnesses”, “preachers”, “testifiers” and finally, “believers.” These roles flow from our own baptism, and the
forgiveness of sins that comes “through
his name.” This is a good time
to review the baptismal
vows and covenants that we have made.
Breaking
open Acts:
- Are there any that you see outside of God’s grace? If so, who are they?
- How is that you are among those who have been saved?
- How do you enact the baptismal vows and covenants in your life?
St. Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be
baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be
baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let
it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all
righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just
as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice
from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well
pleased."
There are several things that can send us on a journey of discovery
here. As a background to this text
we might want to explore the evangelist’s fascination with Deutero-Isaiah,
specifically with chapter 43,
and especially with verse 2,
“When you pass through waters, I
will be with you;
through
rivers, you shall not be swept away.
When
you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
nor
will flames consume you.”
This verse associated with the servant, can inform us of
God’s intent toward us, especially as we begin a new life through either
Baptism itself, or our remembrance of Baptism. Matthew’s view is that Jesus begins something new, and it is
informed by Jesus’ answer to John, when he objects to Jesus coming for baptism
by him: “Let it be so now; for it is
proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” We may quickly link “all righteousness” with the Law, and we
would be wrong. The righteousness
that Jesus sees here is the same that Deutero-Isaiah sees – and that is God’s
intents for God’s people. Luke’s
vision of Jesus ministry in the reading from Acts underscores this
connection. As in Isaiah, God
calls a servant, her Jesus. What
the servant is to do, in Matthew’s view, is laid out in the Prophets, in the
Law, and in the Writings.
Of special interest to me is what follows the baptism
itself. If we look carefully at Matthews’s
review of what follows it appears that the pronouncement from the heavens is a
largely interior event on the part of Jesus. Like the call of Jeremiah or Isaiah or the servant, the
validation of mission and ministry is held in the heart and in the mind. Like those before him he is blessed
with the Spirit and announced as God’s Son. For those interested, and for another psychological view of
this transaction, you may wish to read the initial chapters of Nikos
Kazantzakis’ The
Last Temptation of Christ, where a dark figure pursues Jesus in the
wilderness. Satan? No, it is the Spirit who pursues him
with mission and destiny. Who will
pursue us following our renewal of baptismal vows?
Breaking open Gospel:
1.
What does “righteousness” mean to you?
2.
In what ways did Jesus “fulfill all righteousness”?
3.
How does the Spirit pursue you?
After
breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant
that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made,
and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
All questions and commentary copyright © 2014,
Michael T. Hiller
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