Commentary on Lectionary for January 9, 2011

Third Sunday after Christmas: Baptism of Jesus

Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

Some churches will celebrate the Epiphany today, although the traditional date for its celebration is on January 6th. And there is much magic to the idea of these three wise men from the east following a star, bringing their symbolic gifts and evading the machinations of the paranoid king. Some families have waited until January 6 to place the three wise men and their camels in their crèches under the Christmas tree. As the tradition developed, the wise men became kings, depicted with crowns and adding to the manger story by offering homage to this new little king of kings.

These readings for the Baptism of Jesus continue to make it very clear that when we use the word “King” in connection with Jesus, we are talking about quite a different concept from what our reading about kings in history would lead us to expect.

A sardonic indication about what a different kind of king Jesus will be, is immediately apparent in Matthew 12:1 in that Jesus doesn’t want anyone to broadcast who he is. Long before Jesus lived, in the first of the servant songs in Isaiah, the prophet tells of a person upheld by God who will “bring forth justice to the nations,” but who “will not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street” (Is. 42:1-2). Matthew, in chapter 12, paraphrases this very passage from Isaiah and applies it to Jesus. Now what kind of a king does not want his voice heard? Does not want his power acknowledged? Does not want obeisance and obedience?

It has to be someone who is totally comfortable with who he is, who doesn’t need the trappings of wealth or power to shore up his identity. It has to be someone who is in touch with the Spirit of God, is inebriated with God’s breath, and is confident that he can breathe this same life into others, causing them to live, to be free like prisoners walking out of jail, to see like blind people who have recovered their sight (Is. 42:5-7.

Psalm 29 celebrates this kind of kingship. The voice of the Lord thunders. The psalm is full of storm imagery. If we can imagine what it would be like to see a tornado twist trees and tear off their tops or uproot them outright; If we know how lightening can light a forest fire that will clear acres. If we can read about tsunamis taller than buildings; then we can understand that all we have done to make ourselves feel at home on this earth and to be comfortable, can be taken away in an instant. Our theories and explanations of how things work are like heavenly beings that we create to serve our security needs. But only one being is worthy of our whole trust. Only one will be there for us when all else fails, and it is the Lord. And THAT’S kingship!

In his last speech in Acts, Peter speaks of the power of Jesus. It was, he says, the power to do good and to heal “all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). God was sending a message through Jesus: it was a message of peace (Acts 10:36). And Peter has come to understand that this message was for everyone, not just Jews.

In his baptism as related by Matthew, Jesus accepts his role as someone the Spirit was going to work through to be a reconciler and a peacemaker. He let himself be used for this purpose, God’s purpose, and so can we.