19 January 2020 - that he might be made known

Today's Readings

(Audio)

but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.

John's one concern is that Jesus be made known. He is called to baptize to make Jesus known. But he knows that his baptism is temporary, meant to give way to something more real, more all-consuming, more life changing.



‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

Jesus inaugurates a new age of the Holy Spirit. He shows this forth first by receiving the Spirit at his own baptism and then, in turn, making it possible for his people to receive the same Spirit. We must therefore heed the testimony of John who came to make him known. We must come to know the truth of his testimony so that we too can receive the promised fruit.

Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.

The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to be sanctified and to be holy, "united with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". The Spirit is the one by whom are made able to love. The Spirit is the source of all the fruits of holiness in us. It is in him that true unity and peace can be found. It may be discouraging just how impossible it is for us to walk with brothers and sisters in peace without him. Yet it constantly proves true. We need supernatural grace to prevent our tendencies toward believing falsehood, toward not putting forward enough effort in communicating, toward assuming the worst, and so many other defects, from gradually draining the life from our relationships.

Paul first mentions that the people in Corinth are called to holiness and to unity. Immediately after he prays for them to have the grace and the peace from the Father and from Jesus to make that calling possible.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Paul's pray we hear echoes of John the Baptist. We see another voice pointing toward Jesus and making him known. He must be central, because only in Jesus do we find the fullness of grace and truth (see John 1:14). Only by him is the Spirit given (see Galatians 4:4-6).

Jesus is the one who raises up the tribes of Jacob and restores the survivors of Israel. He himself is a light to the nations. Like John we are called to make him known so that his salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. When we do make him known we ourselves are transformed by grace and by Spirit to be lights to the nations (see Matthew 5:14).

And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.