One Lord, One Baptism
First Sunday after Epiphany
Baptism of the Lord
In these early Sundays of ordinary time after Epiphany, we often find the gospel lessons narrating events in Jesus’ life: his dedication in the Temple, his baptism, his calling of the first disciples, his Transfiguration. We get a closer look at Jesus’ development and the beginning of his work. This is an important time of the year as it refocuses our attention from the high points of Jesus’ life (his birth and his death) to something closer to the everyday rhythm of his life. More needs to be said, though, than simply that these events – like Jesus’ baptism, the event in focus this week – happened. Their significance is found in more than simply reciting their occurrence.
The baptism of Jesus by John in the Judean wilderness is found in all four gospels, though each account is distinct. The passage from Matthew, for instance, follows John’s criticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees as a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7) and his warning that one more powerful than him is coming (Matthew 3:11). Jesus then enters the scene to be baptized by John. After some preliminary discussion, the baptism takes place, with a voice acclaiming Jesus with words that echo (among other texts) Isaiah 42 – “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
This voice, though, is not merely symbolic. As Psalm 29 declares seven times, it is the powerful voice of the Lord, which is found over the chaos of the waters, an image that reminds us of both creation and the flood (Psalm 29:3, 10). The voice of the Lord breaks trees and brings forth fire (Psalm 29:5, 7). Most importantly, the voice of the Lord displays God’s glory, majesty, and sovereignty over both heaven and earth (Psalm 29:4, 10). Clearly, the voice of the Lord is more than something to be heard; it is a multisensory experience to be encountered and one that can unsettle the status quo. In the same way, this voice speaks of Jesus at his baptism, one who will similarly turn the world upside down.
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism also reveals an important exchange between John and Jesus. After John confesses his reluctance to baptize Jesus, he is told that it should be done in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). While much time and energy have been used in commentaries to decipher what Jesus meant by this, here it is helpful to connect it to the Old Testament reading, where righteousness and its close Hebrew corollary, justice, are at work (Isaiah 42:1, 3, 6).
In this first of Isaiah’s so-called Servant Songs, the servant of God displays caring leadership (“a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench”) and a concern for the marginalized (“to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon”). While much of the New Testament links the servant with Jesus (and we can easily hear echoes of this passage in the story of Jesus), it can also be more broadly read as a reflection of the heart of those who are called by God.
Acts 10 strengthens this emphasis. In Peter’s visit to the Gentile Cornelius, he shares the Christian kerygma with Cornelius’ household and offers something like a confession of faith prior to the baptism that occurs when the Spirit descends on Cornelius’ family (Acts 10:44-48), just like on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) and just like Jesus’ own baptism (Matthew 3:16). With Peter, we share in the Spirit’s presence, but we also share in the same call to pursue justice and righteousness. This is the life of the baptized.
On Baptism of the Lord Sunday, we not only remember Jesus’ baptism. We remember our own baptism as well, where the Lord leads us from the chaos of the world to hope. In recent remarks, Pope Francis spoke about understanding the church as founded on our shared baptism, a sense of Christian identity that is more foundational than whether one is clergy or laity, various levels of holiness, or even denominational status. This would be a good step toward a deeper sense of church unity and would surely stand as “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6). The beginning of such an understanding of church, though, is found in remembering Jesus’ baptism and our participation in it.
Image Credit: Baptism of Jesus by Liz Valente