The Baptism of the Lord

January 13                              NOTES FOR REFLECTION             The Baptism of the Lord

Texts:  Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Theme:  There is probably no need to go beyond the obvious – "The Baptism of the Lord".  Another contender might be "Revelation at Baptism" to link in with the Epiphany theme, but for reasons discussed below I have some quibbles about that.

Introduction.  After the somewhat romanticised stories of the Christmas Season it's a relief to get back to some straight reportage.  All three of the Synoptic gospels report that Jesus was baptised in the Jordan, and the Fourth Gospel alludes to it.  At the heart of the event is the deeply mystical experience in which Jesus' growing sense of identity and of his relationship with God were wonderfully affirmed.  The words spoken from heaven seem to be drawn from Isaiah 42:1, but today's passage from Isaiah 43 is also apt, in that it deals with the issues of identity, relationship and calling.  The choice of the second lesson from Acts 8 is an obvious one, and is primarily of interest in the light it sheds on the early development of baptismal liturgy and theology.

Background.  As always it is helpful to look carefully at each of the gospels when reflecting on an event common to them all.  In the Synoptic gospels, notice particularly the words attributed to the voice from heaven.  Mark, the earliest gospel, says this (1:11): And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."  The words are addressed to Jesus ['You are', not 'This is'.]  This is consistent with his language in verse 10 concerning the vision: As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  Again the experience is subjective, not objective.  There is nothing to suggest that anybody else who was present at the time (including John, of course) saw or heard anything.  Hence my quibble about whether this was a revelation of Jesus or to him.

Next up is Matthew, who seems to blur the issue somewhat (3:16-17): As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened [objective] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him [subjective].  And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased [objective].  It is also characteristic of Matthew that he alone records a short debate between Jesus and John as to the propriety of John baptising Jesus.  Once again this has the flavour of Matthew answering a "question from the floor".  Some Smarty has asked why, if Jesus was sinless, he needed to be baptised by John, given that the purpose of John's baptism was said to be the forgiveness of sins.  Whether Matthew's answer through Jesus in verse 15 gets us anywhere is a moot point.

We now call Luke to the witness box.  Rather like Matthew, his approach is mixed (3:21-22): When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised, too.  And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove [objective].  And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased' (subjective).

Before turning to John's version, there is one other curious note in Luke's account.  Whereas Matthew and Mark are clear that John the Baptist baptised Jesus, Luke does not say so directly.  Indeed, his account of Jesus' baptism follows immediately after his report of John's imprisonment by Herod, with the implication that the baptism occurred after the imprisonment.  However, that probably shows how much more importance we attach to chronological order in our narratives than was attached by the gospel writers.  Matthew says that Jesus moved to Galilee after John's imprisonment (4:12), and, perhaps, began his public ministry only then, but by that stage in his narrative he has already recorded Jesus' baptism.  It is possible that Matthew is suggesting that after his baptism and temptation in the desert, Jesus did not immediately "go public": perhaps, like Paul, he needed a period of seclusion and private reflection.

In the Fourth Gospel we do not have a direct account of Jesus' baptism.  Instead, we have the Baptist's testimony (1:32-34): Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.'  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.  We notice immediately that, while the "vision" is reasonably consistent with the synoptic accounts, here there is no "audio".  John himself provides a commentary.

To get an idea of the difference in approach followed in this gospel, we have only to apply the Ignatian approach of praying with the imagination.  When we use it on the synoptic accounts we find ourselves in or near the river, with Jesus and John.  When we apply it to the account in the Fourth Gospel, we find ourselves in an unknown locale, listening to John but with Jesus nowhere to be seen.  For me, what the Fourth Evangelist has done is "elevate" the baptism of Jesus from the material level to the spiritual: he has removed it from something that actually happened to Jesus in the same way as it happened to crowds of other people, to something that happened within the Godhead, the Father in heaven communing with the Son on earth through the medium of the Holy Spirit.  St John's account is that of the mystic and the sacramentalist, rather than a piece of mere reportage.

Which gets me to Fr Pierre Teillhard de Chardin, whose vison has something of the depth and width of St Paul.  He suggests that a link between Jesus' birth and his baptism can be described in this way: at his birth (or more accurately, perhaps, his conception) the Son plunged into our humanity or into all living creatures, represented by Mary.  At his baptism the Son plunged into the rest of creation or the non-living elements of creation, represented by the water of the Jordan.  In that sense, his baptism "completes" the Incarnation: Jesus "joins" the Spirit of God to the entire Cosmos.  All matter becomes indwelt by the Spirit.  Staggering stuff, eh?

Isaiah.  Another wonderful passage of reassurance for the people of Israel.  In the clearest possible terms God identifies himself as the God of Israel.  He has created them, redeemed them, and called them by name.  Accordingly, they need have no fear.  Verse 2, although phrase in terms of future trials and tribulations, may well be intended to remind the people of God's great act of deliverance from Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea.  Equally, it may play on Israel's traditional fear of the sea, and of flooding.  Verse 3 may again refer both to actual hazards caused by fire; but also mean that because God has redeemed them they have nothing to fear from the fire of judgment.  The second half of the passage looks ahead to the restoration of Israel and the return of the exiles, and perhaps further ahead  when the return of the people will be followed by the great in-gathering of the Gentiles at the end of the age.

Taking It Personally.

·        Call to mind your mother or father, who, in one sense, may claim to have created or formed you?  They also chose the name by which you have been called, presumably.  What is your principal feeling as you ponder these things?

·        Were there times when you felt estranged from your parents?  Were they 'there for you' in the hard times?

·        Can you give God unconditional thanks for your parents?  Do you need to forgive them for anything?  Do you need their forgiveness for anything?  [No, it is not too late, even if they have died.]

·        Do you truly experience God as your loving Father?  Do you honour him as your creator and redeemer?  Has he called you by name?  Has he been there for you through thick and thin?

Acts.  As stated above, this passage is an example of the confusion in the infant Church over what form baptism should take.  Another such passage is Acts 19:1-7.  A similar confusion may have be seen in the old idea that, at least in the case of infant baptism, "something more" was required to "complete" the baptism – that something more being "Confirmation" when the Bishop would lay hands on the candidate, thereby conferring the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Only then was the person able to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Happily all that has now gone, and baptism per se (including infant baptism) is recognised as complete in itself, the Holy Spirit being given in that sacramental act.  Confirmation is now seen as a commitment to live out the promises made at baptism to serve the Lord in our daily lives.

Taking It Personally.

·        If you have a baptism certificate, find it and see what it says.

·        Do you know who your godparents were?  How have they helped you to grow in the faith?  Give thanks for those who brought you to baptism.

·        Are you a godparent to any one?  How have you helped that person to grow in the faith?

·        In what way does the gift of the Holy Spirit manifest itself in your life?

·        Were you confirmed?  What do you remember of that occasion? 

Luke.  Apart from the comments already made above, there are two other points of interest here.  First, here is yet another illustration of the care that was obviously need in the infant Church to handle the "transition" from John to Jesus; hence the account of John pointing to his successor as one "more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie".  Secondly, Luke alone says the vision and audio occurred while Jesus was praying, an important emphasis for Luke throughout his gospel.  Whether this was before, during or after immersion in the water doesn't matter to Luke: the link with God is through prayer, whether in baptism or otherwise.

Taking It Personally.

·        A wonderful passage for praying with imagination.  Place yourself in the scene.  Notice the crowds of people being baptised at the same time.  What sets Jesus apart (if anything)?  Is it hot or cold, windy or still?  What does the water feel like?

·        Now place yourself in your baptism.  Look up and "see" heaven torn open.  Listen and hear the voice from heaven say to you, "You are my son/daughter, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."  Stay with those words for as long as you can.

·        Pray for the grace to accept them at a deeper lever than ever.