Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr Michael Boakye Yeboah: Vice Rector of St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

            One of the courses I teach in the seminary is “historical Jesus”. In this course, I discuss with my students the actual events that historians can prove that really happened in the life of Jesus on earth. Most historians are of the view that the historicity of Jesus’ baptism by John is virtually certain. Based on an exploration of John’s baptism and ministry within the context of Second temple Judaism, the significance of Jesus’ baptism is explored: it is a significant turning point in Jesus’ life; Jesus is identifying with Israel’s need to repent, and he agrees with John’s vision for a reconstituted Israel; since Jesus is a disciple of John, the beginning of his ministry involves baptizing within John’s movement. It is also important to understand Jesus’ later ministry along a trajectory that begins with Jesus’ association with John. This later ministry shows both continuity with and development beyond Jesus’ early involvement with John.

            Many scholars have made the assertion that Jesus was baptized by John, and indeed some have stated that it is one of the surest facts we can know about Jesus. It is surprising, however, that few have fully set out and weighed the arguments surrounding the event. Today my focus will not be on the historical Jesus as I do in lecture rooms but to minister the word of God to you my readers. I will therefore choose the path of ministry; and on that, below is my message for you on the day of the baptism of the Lord.

            It is in the audience of John the Baptist, aggressive Jordan prophet and preacher, that we see Jesus for the first time. All three Gospel writers presuppose that their readers know who he is, for Jesus appears on the scene without introduction. Jesus’ coming to John for baptism shows that he was a responsive hearer of the Baptist’s message, and the act in itself is a tremendous tribute to John, his message and mission. But in the baptism scene itself the Baptist falls into the background; with it Jesus is now before the readers of the story, and all interest centers upon him. The Baptist is relegated to the past – for he himself had prophesied that Jesus must increase while he decreases.

            The account of the baptism of Jesus is much the same in the first three Gospels, with one exception: the exchange of words between John and Jesus, reported by Matthew only (3:14-15). In the Johannine theology, however, the situation is very different. There we do not see Jesus presenting himself to John for baptism, as in the first three Gospels; on the contrary, the incident is passed over, or better perhaps, suppressed. In John account of the Gospel, the baptism drops out entirely as a significant moment in the life of Jesus. The incident itself is not recounted; we have only a remnant of it in the form of a reminiscence on the part of the Baptist of something that lies rather remote in the past. Though the four Gospel accounts from Mark, Matthew, Luke and John may have slight differences, their accounts bring home to us one important lesson. The lesson is on the beauty of God’s kindness to humanity. How he made his Son to “step in” for humanity; in order to carry our burden on Himself.

            To “step in” is to act in the stead of one who holds the office or to take another person’s place. People are called to “step in” on varied circumstances. For some people who are called to step in, it may be the glory and the prestige of the office that motivates them but not their capabilities to act in the office they have “stepped in.” It is circumstances like this that makes the “stepping in” of Jesus unique and worth emulating. Jesus “stepped in” to take the place of a situation that ordinarily nobody will dream or hope “to step in.” By stepping into the Jordan river, Jesus accepted to take upon himself the burden of the sins of humanity – what an act of kindness.

The greatest generosity of God since creation is the payment of the debts of slaves with the life of His only begotten Son. To ransom slaves, he gave up his only Son and the pragmatic aspect of God’s generosity can be found in today’s Gospel reading. Economically, this does not make sense. No entrepreneur will use his capital to pay off the debts his creditors own him. If the entrepreneur approaches business in that fashion he is bound to fail. But with God what does not make economic sense, is his ‘ontology.’ I love my God so much, for he does not count the cost of paying off my debt – this is the greatest expression of love and generosity.  By stepping into the baptismal waters, Jesus took our position for the cleansing of sin. John the Baptist couldn’t believe his eyes and so he protested but the Lord said, “Let it be…for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

            In the Gospel, John, the forerunner, shrinks from the task of baptizing the One whose coming he had proclaimed, but Jesus insists, because all righteousness must be fulfilled. This is the righteousness that God offered to his people in his covenant; it will be fulfilled if the chosen people return it to God perfectly. That is what is happening in this scene, where Jesus will become the perfecting covenant between God and mankind. For this to happen, Jesus needed to “step in” and serve as the sacrificial lamb for the covenant. It was this stepping in that John did not agree with until he heard with his own ears what the heavens testified; for the inspired writer wrote: “…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.”

            The decadence that sin had caused in the world was far beyond using sheep or bulls as sacrificial animals. This time God wanted to use a perfect “sacrificial lamb” in the person of his only begotten Son. This “stepping in” was beyond John’s understanding but today with hindsight believers understand Jesus’ action better, especially with the prophecy of Isaiah in today’s first reading.

            Jesus “stepped in” to demonstrate his solidarity with us, with our efforts to convert and to be rid of our selfishness, to break away from our sins in order to tell us that if we accept him in our life he can uplift us and lead us to the heights of God the Father. And Jesus’ solidarity is not, as it were, a mere exercise of mind and will. Jesus truly immersed himself in our human condition, lived it to the end, in all things save sin, and was able to understand our weakness and frailty. For this reason, he was moved to compassion, he chose to “suffer with” men and women, to become a penitent with us. This is God’s work which Jesus wanted to carry out: the divine mission to heal those who are wounded and give medicine to the sick, to take upon himself the sin of the world.

What happened at the moment when Jesus had himself baptized by John? In the face of this act of humble love by the Son of God, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit showed himself in the form of a dove, while a voice from on high expressed the pleasure of the Father who acknowledged his Only-Begotten, his beloved Son. This was a real manifestation of the Blessed Trinity, that bears witness to the divinity of Jesus, of his being the promised Messiah, the One whom God sent to set his People free in order to save them (cf. Is. 40:2).

            It is in Jesus that one can discover the meaning of life. Our present worth is thanks to Jesus, who though without sin chose to step in and help us out.

            In the second reading Peter testifies that Jesus’ anointing with the Holy Spirit at his baptism by John was the upbeat not only for his activity within Israel, but for mankind as a whole. Peter says this after having baptized the Gentile centurion and after he has “in truth” grasp that “in every nation anyone who fears God is acceptable to him.” Even Jesus’ messianic activity within Israel, where he “went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil, because God was with him”, was already intended for the entire world, as the Gospel which report all of this show: they were written for all lands and all times. In the Baptist’s baptizing Israel expands beyond itself. On the one hand it becomes the “friend of the Bridegroom” insofar as it rejoices to have helped Christ to find the worldwide Church as his Bride. On the other hand, Israel is willing “to decrease” in order that the friend might “increase” (John 3:29-30). In this humble “decreasing”, Israel itself grows into the New Covenant and imitates Christ’s “decrease” all the way to the Cross, which is tangibly visible in the beheading of John the Baptist.

            The first reading gives an assurance that is universal. We are used to sentences in the Old Testament literature that God gives his assurances only to the house of Israel. In a text known as the Servant Songs of the Second Isaiah, the prophet invites all nations to benefit from the promises of the Lord. In the text, God says he is about to do something new, not the former things, in fact he is going to put his spirit on all the people of the earth and those who walk upon it. You are part of God’s plans for it was the prophet Jeremiah who said “for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Let nothing disturbs you for your God is greater than any problem you may face.