Abstract
‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.’
Today, this second Sunday in January, some people will certainly be looking forward to the coming of the Spring equinox and the lengthening of our daylight hours; others may feel the need for holiday to give an immediate boost to their Vitamin D levels, but we should all be mindful that today the church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord in this season of Epiphany. As with the previous season of Advent, there is a sense of expectation and joy, perhaps tinged with sorrow, which in this instance, is directed towards our thinking about Lent and the ultimate commemoration of the events of Eastertide.
The lessons for the day help us to prepare for the Baptism of Jesus. The text from Isaiah requires us to recall the love, which God has had for his people since time immemorial; and where we have read Psalm 29, it is possible to conjure visions of the eccentric Elijah, and to realise how deeply embedded his work became in Jewish culture.
Thus, from Isaiah we note that the writer reminds the audience of God’s love and care His people:
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you…when you walk through fire you shall not be burned.… Because you are precious in my eyes, and honoured, and I love you.
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and, from the psalm, there is also a requirement for an element of reciprocality: ascribe to the Lord glory and strength…worship the Lord in holy array.… May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!’
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Elijah, the Tishbite, was a man of principal, who stood his ground against the idolatry of Jezebel’s priests of Baal, and the apostasy of Ahab. The relevant chapters of the Books of Kings make fascinating reading: 3 indeed, they could well be a fertile ground for modern film-makers! They describe times of greed, avarice, and moral turpitude not unlike our own: but we would use a different type of language choosing words such as corruption and nepotism.
More importantly, our attention is drawn to the work of John the Baptist. He appeared in the Jordan preaching a baptism for the repentance of sin. His lifestyle was austere; his language, as he dared to criticise and berate his audience, was uncompromisingly audacious and tough, so that the people, especially the religious leaders, questioned whether he was the long-expected Messiah. John’s response was that: I baptise you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
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and, it is to the very presence of the Holy Spirit that we shall shortly give our attention.
But first, let us consider the mission of John in relation to the then current expectation about religious leadership. The commonly held belief was that a Messiah would emerge, who would deliver his people from their enemies and free them from the influence of any real or imagined aggressor. In some respects, such people were largely missing the point: the true villain of the piece lies within ourselves! Then, as now, each individual had to reflect upon their lives from a number of perspectives. We should all be able to examine our lives to ascertain whether we act with integrity, probity and moral rectitude in all aspects of our dealings with others.
Whether we live today in such an altruistic manner is different matter! John obviously felt that this was not the case in his time, and so hence his strong denunciation of the multitudes, to the extent that: As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts…whether perhaps he were the Christ…
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but, as he was denouncing his contemporaries, so also was he was fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah: A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’
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and therefore, allowing himself to be identified with the nation’s greatest prophet. It can be suggested that the presence of another John the Baptist ‘type’ character would not go amiss in our times!
Whereas the people identified John with the great prophet Elijah, so Jesus identified Himself with his people by seeking baptism from John. Being without sin, there was no need for Jesus to be baptised, but by so submitting, he demonstrated that He shared our common humanity, which in due course was to lead him to the Cross.
The baptism is so important that it is recorded in all four gospels. The writer of St. John’s gospel specifically places the location for the event ‘in Bethany beyond the Jordan’
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, and he summarises that which was reported by the Synoptic writers. (John’s gospel is usually thought to have been written toward the end of the first century.) Matthew’s gospel presents information which demonstrates that John recognised the primacy, and perhaps holiness, of his cousin: Then Jesus came…to be baptised.… John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.’
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The writers agree that at this juncture, the heavens opened and a voice from above uttered those immortal words about God being pleased with his son. This is cautiously noted, because in the translations of the texts, there are variations in the nomenclature and style of address of the Holy Spirit: namely, the Spirit as a dove, 9 the Spirit of God, 10 the Holy Ghost with a voice from the cloud 11 , all with a statement to the effect of:
Thou art my beloved Son: in thee I am well pleased. 12
Nevertheless, this baptism was a significant event in the life of our Lord. It served as a confirmation to Jesus that He is one with the Father—and that the Father is pleased with the Son. All of us, without exception, seek the approbation of other adults—especially that of our parents. Whilst there might well be an element of mystery surrounding this event, it undoubtedly provides further evidence of Jesus’ humanity. All of us strive to live our lives in such a fashion, so that at the end of life, we hope to receive the accolade that we too are sons of God, of whom the Father might say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ 13