Word to the Wise
Monday, January 9, 2023 - Sunday after Epiphany: The Baptism of the Lord - ABC
[Isa 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matt 3:13-17]Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit....[Isaiah] After Jesus was baptized he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw 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." [Matthew]
JANUARY 9 THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD (celebrated differently because of the calendar!)
[Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 or Acts 10:34-38]
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit....[Isaiah]
After Jesus was baptized he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw 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." [Matthew]
One of the theological topics that is taught in the seminary (or, in Dominican lingo, "the studium") is Christology - the study of Jesus Christ. And in that subject, a familiar question can arise: What did Jesus know and when did he know it? The celebration of the Baptism of the Lord is the place where this question can pop up. The three "synoptic" gospels can seem to imply that Jesus was initially a follower or at least responded to the preaching of John the Baptist and was "anointed" with the Holy Spirit at his baptism in the Jordan, revealing to him his mission and status as "son of God." The Gospel According to John has John the Baptist declaring that Jesus has been anointed with the Spirit. (The dove shows up in all four gospels!) . It is clear enough as a matter of faith is that Jesus is the Son of God and son of Mary from his conception, but the debate will continue about his human consciousness of his mission prior to his reception of the Spirit at baptism in the Jordan.
The gospels are not so concerned about that psychological question as they are about the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, anointed with the Spirit as mentioned in Isaiah, quoted above. When Jesus got around to preaching in his hometown of Nazareth, he picked another passage from Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me...[Is. 61:1-2]. The voice on the mountain at the time of the "transfiguration" will echo the words that reveal Jesus as God's beloved Son.
After the nativity set has been put away, the angels and shepherds have gone away, the Magi have come and gone, and the "infancy narratives" in Matthew and Luke have been read, we meet the grownup Jesus, anointed with the Spirit, who has come to save us and who will preach, suffer, die and rise from the dead and send the same Spirit which he "received" to be with us to continue his mission. That's a long sentence, but I think it covers this feast! AMEN