Word to the Wise
Monday, January 9, 2017 - The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - A[begin 1st Week in Ordinary Time]
[Isa 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matt 3:13-17]MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017. THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD [Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 or Acts 10:34-38 and Matthew 3:13-17] "And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." [Matthew] Each of the gospel portraits of Jesus was written for a different community and responded to different concerns. Scripture scholars tell us, furthermore, that each gospel developed more or less starting from the END of Jesus' life and worked toward the BEGINNING. The major initial concern was Jesus' death and resurrection, which is one reason we see very little in the Gospels of Mark or John or in St. Paul about Jesus' early life. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the curtain comes down on the departure of the Magi or the incident of Jesus getting lost and found. When the curtain rises again, we meet the adult Jesus ("about thirty years of age") coming to be baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. He is Jesus, son of Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth. But the gospels were written so that we might know that Jesus was and is the Son of God. The scene at the Jordan River is intended to make sure we know that from the beginning in reading the rest of the story. The "infancy narratives" in Matthew and Luke are supposed to be read in the light of that revelation. Since John the Baptist is a major figure, the gospels also make sure that no matter how major he was, he was NOT the Messiah. The image of the dove and the voice from the heavens make it clear that Jesus is the beloved Son. Everything else before and after in the gospel portraits is shaped in that light. The temptation is to put the stories aside until we get to Lent or Easter, but that would deprive us of the developing drama in each of the four gospels that explains why we should believe Jesus is the beloved Son. The challenge is to read the gospels and follow the story every day because we are Christians not just at Christmas and Easter but year round. Whether we do this through attention to the way the Lectionary presents it, or by directly reading the stories (I recommend BOTH), the important thing is to do it and live it. AMEN
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