Isaiah 42:1–9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34–43; Matthew 3:13–17
A
homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given
at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon,
Illinois on Sunday, January 12, 2014.
“A
MINISTRY BEGINS TO UNFOLD”
(Homily text:
Matthew 3:13-17)
Here we are, in the beginning of a
New Year, and at the beginning of the season of the Epiphany. And, as we always do on this First Sunday
after the Epiphany, we hear the account of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Let’s attempt – in this homily – to
connect the theme of the Epiphany season with the events that took place as
Jesus was baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
First of all, let’s recall the major
themes of the Epiphany and the season which follows. They are:
·
The guiding of the star which led the
wise men (magi) to the young child Jesus when He was still living in Bethlehem.
·
Following on the coming of the magi, who
were Gentiles, another theme is the manifestation of the Lord to non-Jews, that
is, Gentiles.[1]
·
The theme of gradually increasing light
is also present in the unfolding of the Epiphany season (mirroring the growing
length of daylight in the northern hemisphere).
The
appointed readings (gospels especially) carry out the theme of the gradual
unfolding of Jesus’ ministry as Jesus’ ministry moves from His baptism
forward. Gradually, the Jewish people
themselves – some of them, at least - see that Jesus is Emmanuel, that is, God
with us. Through His ministry, His teaching
and His miracles, they come to recognize that the light of God is present among
them. And, as time goes along, the
Gentiles themselves also come to experience the light of God that had come into
the world as the Good News (Gospel) is carried out from Jerusalem, Judea and
Samaria, to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1: 8).
So,
in today’s reading, we have before us the baptism of the Lord, telling us much
about the nature of Jesus Himself, and telling us a lot about the character of
His ministry which is about to begin.
Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of that ministry.
First
of all, let’s explore Jesus’ nature.
As
Jesus is coming up out of the water, the fullness of God is present as the
voice is heard from heaven, which said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am
well pleased.” And Matthew tells us, the
Spirit descends like a dove.
So
the fullness of God is present in these events.
This Jesus is identified as God’s very Son by His Father. The Holy Spirit is given, and direct
communication between heaven and earth takes place as the voice is heard.
Wow!
God
Himself is with us, Emmanuel, which means exactly that, “God with us”.
But
this person of Jesus, God with us, seems to set aside some of the divine rights
that He has, as the Son of the Father.
He sets aside those rights and prerogatives as He comes to be baptized
by John.
John
seems to recognize the greatness of the one who stands in the water with him,
for John says, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (It’s quite possible that John isn’t fully
aware of just who Jesus is in all His true identity, at this point, at least….it’s
probably correct to say that very, very few people[2]
were fully aware of Jesus’ identity at this early stage of His ministry.)
And
yet, Jesus consents to be baptized by John, the greater submitting Himself to
the lesser, saying, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting to fulfill all
righteousness.”
This
is servanthood in its most wonderful form.
In
Jesus’ baptism, we see the highs and lows, the high position that God alone
occupies, and the lowliness of becoming a servant, as the greater submits
Himself to the lesser.
As
time goes along, Jesus will say “I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:27)
This
Jesus, as His earthly ministry unfolds, will seek out those who are sick, those
who are the outcasts of the world He lived in, those who had no hope.
Instead
of demanding that these needy persons serve Him, He who is God with us comes to
serve them.
We
see this servanthood in its most dramatic form on Good Friday, as the Lord goes
to the cross to serve humankind, to redeem fallen humanity from darkness and
everlasting condemnation. And yet, the
power of God is present on Good Friday, for the power of God overcomes all the
powers of evil as the Lord is raised from the tomb on Easter Sunday morning.
The
highs and the depths of Jesus’ nature and His ministry are carried to His final
instructions to His apostles. As He
meets with them on the mountain at the very end of Matthew’s gospel account, He
says to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19 – 20)
With
this Great Commission, you and I join with the apostles in a servant ministry,
a ministry that will compel us to go to the sick, the outcasts of the world we
live in, and to those who have no hope.
We go as servants of the one, holy and triune God, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
[1] The
Feast of the Epiphany itself carries the following subtitle: “The Manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ
to the Gentiles”.
[2] Joseph
and Mary would have had a much fuller knowledge of Jesus’ identity, given the
revelations made by God to them both about the nature of Jesus’ conception and
His identity.
