The Baptism of the Lord
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
God introduces a devoted servant who will advance God’s purpose. This servant is a welcome contrast to the faithless kings of Judah who brought their kingdom to collapse. Pride and limited thinking have blocked their ability to hear the word of God that Isaiah kept speaking to them. Their attachment to earthly resources for security deprived them of tapping the one source of security that would truly protect the nation: reliance on the Holy One of Israel.
Almost all New Testament scholars believe that the baptism of Jesus by John was an historical event. They do not all agree on the meaning of this event. Why was Jesus baptized by John? Clearly, this event caused the early Christians some embarrassment, given the superiority of Jesus over John. The interpretation that Jesus was modeling Christian baptism is hardly convincing. On the level of Christology, it affirms Jesus as God’s beloved Son.
Jesus requests to be baptized by John. Jesus is portrayed as being attracted to John the Baptist and his message. John’s baptism was a Jewish ritual to prepare for the end time, which John said was coming quickly. In addition to changing one life in a positive way, this kind of baptism was also an entry rite for those who wanted to follow the teaching of John the Baptist. This is probably what the phrase, “to fulfill all righteousness” means. Matthew makes it clear that the situation is awkward, which both Jesus and John recognize.
Jesus is baptized by John. Christologically, one might see in Jesus being baptized by John a desire for Jesus to be one with the people of God. These people are the very ones Jesus has come to save though many people do not recognize him as such. He is king of the Jews, but his kingdom is not one of power and domination. It is rooted in love for God and love for neighbor. Jesus brings to the world a new kind of righteousness.
The voice from heaven. As soon as Jesus emerges from the waters of baptism, the real meaning of the event becomes clear. His identity as God’s beloved Son is confirmed by the Holy Spirit and proclaimed by the voice of God, declaring that Jesus is God’s beloved Son. In a real way this activity can be seen as inaugurating Jesus into a ministry that will begin immediately. This confirmation of Jesus’ divine ministry fulfills the Old Testament hints that Matthew likes to see as pointing to Jesus (Isaiah 42:2; Psalm 2:7; Genesis 2:2). The next step for Jesus will be his confrontation with the devil in the wilderness. There he will be challenged to prove his identity.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius