9 January 2017 - to fulfill all righteousness

 

[ Today's Readings ]

Jesus comes to be baptized and John tries to prevent him. He does this because he knows that Jesus is righteous and that John's baptism is a call to repentance that Jesus himself doesn't need.

"Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness."

Jesus brings his sacred humanity to the waters of baptism just as he will later bring it to the cross.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (see Romans 6:3).

He does this not for his sake but for our own. He submerges his sacred humanity in the waters of baptism and our broken humanity is renewed. Flood waters which once destroyed reveal new life. When he suffers and dies in his humanity on the cross our suffering and death is transformed. The humility of Jesus allows him to enter with us into the worst of our circumstances and transform them. He strips off the outer garment of his glory and washes us in the waters of baptism. Water itself is transformed. It is made new. No longer destruction and chaos, living water can now give life to all who are joined to Christ.

After the incarnation Christ's divinity is not evident. His glory is not overwhelming. He divests himself of those things which are his prerogatives as the Son of God. He does so in humility and out of love for us. Yet somehow, precisely in this humility, precisely where he should be the hardest for us to recognize as he truly is, his presence is revealed most profoundly.

After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
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 baptism of Jesus reveals who Jesus is and who we are meant to be in him. Joined to him we too are filled with the Spirit and called for the victory of justice.

I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

This is a lofty calling. But it is only found on the far side of the waters of humility and surrender. These waters may seem threatening at first. But because the LORD is enthroned over the flood they truly do promise life to the full.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.