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     Scripture scholars tell us that when the gospels were being formed, they started with the death and resurrection of Jesus and worked backward, interpreting Jesus' life and ministry and , finally, his origins, in the light of his death and resurrection.  The early Christian community found Isaiah's "Songs of the Suffering Servant" to be a foretelling of Jesus' story.  The Gospel According to Matthew, in particular, continually speaks of various elements of Jesus' story as fulfilling a well-known prophecy.  We see this in the celebration of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  

     All four gospels refer to the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus, but with differing emphases.  It seems clear that Jesus was somehow a "disciple" of John the Baptist.  However, Jesus' own comment about fulfilling all righteousness seems meant to allow the scene to speak for itself as having a broader significance.  (The early community seems to have found it somewhat embarrassing that the Lord should have been baptized for repentance!!!).  The way Matthew presents it is as a private realization of Jesus that he is anointed with the Spirit of God "descending like a dove and coming upon him.  And a voice came from the heavens, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.'."   Those who would read this later could see the clear echo of one of the Songs of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, which is featured in our first scripture of this Sunday feast.  Later Christian tradition would see a trinitarian significance with Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a kind of mini-Pentecost

     The gospels allow us a "global" vision of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, but a good story is a good story.  The fact that we know the ending should not keep us from entering into the experience and "following" Jesus from beginning to end over and over again, as the second scripture for today puts it: "beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power."  AMEN