Dear Friends
The Baptism of Our Lord (January 12)

The Christmas season ends this weekend with the Baptism of the Lord. All four Gospels rarely agree on the same set of historical facts when it comes to the life of Jesus. Just look at the completely different accounts of what happened when Jesus was born. Yet they do agree that Jesus was baptized (literally “dunked in water”--that’s what the verb baptizo means in Greek) by John the Baptist. On the Second Sunday of Advent, I wrote about how John the Baptist was really fed up with the way Judaism was being lived in ancient Israel. He wanted to organize a new way of being Jewish, so as he recruited followers, he would baptize them in a pool of water. Since all four Gospels recount at least some version of this incident between Jesus and John, most historical scholars of the ancient world agree that Jesus was, at least initially attracted to the prophetic and apocalyptic (world-altering) message of the Baptist.

Whatever occurred in their initial fellowship (which is completely lost to us historically). we do know that John and Jesus broke ranks. John was imprisoned and later executed by the son of Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, the northern ruler of Galilee. And of course, Jesus later was arrested and crucified by the southern Judean Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Since our Gospels were written long after the events they describe, we do find some fancy footwork on the part of the writers to show (a) that Jesus really didn’t need to be baptized by John (since he was in fact the very Son of God), and (b) that the baptismal scene itself was merely a staging for the greater revelation of Jesus’ own public ministry. We find both of these elements in the text from Matthew this Sunday.

In Matthew’s text, John actually tries to avoid baptizing Jesus by saying that he (John) should be baptized by Jesus. Jesus replies with the phrase, “allow it for now,” in good theological keeping with the later Christian understanding that John was merely a precursor for the true Messiah of God. But the next part of the scene (again found in multiple texts) is pivotal: As Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened (literally ripped apart in Greek) and Jesus saw the Spirit descending like a dove. Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” I say that this is really a pivotal piece of the entire baptismal scene because of the rich symbolism present in the text.

First: the water. In the ancient world, water represented chaos, the abyss or the uncontrollable forces of the universe. In the ancient world, monsters didn’t live under your bed they lived in the waters. That Jesus came UP and OUT of the water symbolizes the ultimate victory that he will win over the chaotic and abysmal reality of death itself. Secondly, we have the heavens literally ripped apart. This isn’t just any separation of light from darkness, as on the first day of creation. This is a completely new, cataclysmic, and wonderful form of creation over which the heavens (the created universe itself) has absolutely no power. Thirdly, the very Holy Spirit of God is made visible in the form of a dove. You’ll recall from second grade Faith Formation that it was a dove carrying an olive branch that assured Noah that God had, at last, brought peace to the earth (after flooding it for 40 days and 40 nights). The final symbol is the voice from heaven. Remember, in the Book of Genesis, God creates by merely speaking. Here, the voice affirms that Jesus is HIS beloved Son and that God (as Father) is well pleased--and wait there’s more. We should actually listen to him!

So the Gospel writers affirm the Holy Trinity itself, Father, Son and Spirit in this power-packed scene of Jesus’ baptism. And why do the Gospel writers cast this event in these terms? Because now (and by “now” I mean for us today) the Kingdom of God has in fact dawned upon the earth, and folks, it’s no longer business as usual (or at least it shouldn’t be). If the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season signals anything to us in this New Year, it should be that we can no longer go on with business as usual. As St. Paul will say our salvation is close at hand. Let us rejoice in the Lord always!

 very Happy End to the Christmas season and, I pray a very Joyful Hope awaits you in this New Year!