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Bible Tuesday for the Baptism of Our Lord, 2017

Bible Tuesday for the Baptism of Our Lord, 2017

Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,*
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.

This passage is frequently referred to as “The Suffering Servant” passage. It is written during the time of the Babylonian exile to the Israelites who are defeated and feeling forsaken by God. As it is written allegorically, it has been interpreted many ways throughout Jewish history. One theory is that the servant is Cyrus of Persia, the king who defeated Babylonia and released all the captives, includes Israelites. The passage can be read to describe all Israel, even though the first section is written as if to one person. It is stylistically Hebrew to refer to whole peoples in the singular. The Hebrew Scriptures frequently record God referring to all Israel by the name Jacob, and whole tribes by the names of their patriarchs.

The first section of this passage has also been interpreted as referring to the ideal king of Israel whom God would appoint. The first hearers of this passage, suffering and grieving in exile, or still at home but occupied and oppressed by their Babylonian masters, read this passage as a promise from God to send them a merciful hero who would somehow defeat Babylonia.

“The nations” and “the coastlands” are terms referring to those nations near by and those far away. It is a poetic way of saying that this Servant of God will rule all.

The second part of this passage describes for what purpose God has established Israel. They are to be the living evidence of God’s covenant with all people. They are to exemplify justice, humility, grace, mercy both among themselves, and between themselves and all other nations. And, the chosen people of God are to worship only God and serve only God.

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,*
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendor.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,*
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

This is such a fascinating psalm in that it shows modern day people some of the through patterns of ancient Israelites. This psalm was likely written 2,500 years ago by people who believed that they lived in a terrarium of sorts, surrounded by water. Rain came through holes deities opened in the ceiling of the terrarium. Floods came through the floor. Above the terrarium surrounded by waters dwelled the gods, plural. Israelites believed that Yahweh was the head of all these deities. This psalm lists the elemental forces they believed were controlled by those lesser gods: floods, the tallest of trees (cedars of Lebanon), wind, fire, and wilderness. Notice that the psalm sings God’s power is over all these things.

How did the Israelites reconcile this belief that God is the head god of a host of deities with the Shema “Hear O Israel! The Lord your God, the Lord, He is ONE!”? Well…the Hebrew scriptures give us several examples. In the book of Job, God is King and the all the lesser deities are part of his court. Genesis 6:1-8 tells of divine beings that take human women as their wives, but Yahweh is above all that, grieving at the wickedness of humanity. Throughout the books of the prophets, God insists that humans forsake all other gods, whether “divine” or human idolatry of self, or wealth, and follow only Him. The books of the prophets all warn of cataclysm if Israelites don’t ignore the gods of their neighbors and follow only Yahweh/God. They prophesy that Israel will be destroyed if they do not. Israel understood that their defeats by Assyria and Babylon were due to their lack of single minded love and faithfulness to Yahweh/God.

Acts 10:34-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

As this Sunday is the Baptism of Our Lord, this text from Acts was chosen to accompany the gospel story of Jesus’ baptism, as it also is about a baptism. Peter was summoned by the Holy Spirit to the household of a Roman military commander who was sympathetic to the Jews residing in his area of charge. This commander, Cornelius, also prayed to Yahweh and seemed to instruct his family to do so as well. Peter was summoned to proclaim the good news of Jesus to this Roman and his household (wives, children, slaves, employees) which Peter did. When Peter arrives at the Roman’s house, he relates how, while he was in prayer to Yahweh, he had a vision that he must send for a certain man named Peter who is in the town of Joppa staying with a certain Simon the Tanner. Cornelius sent two men to follow this vision which resulted in Peter’s arrival. Peter is so astounded that Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, would speak to a gentile (non-Jew) through a dream, that he launches into a speech. That is the part of this story that is the above Bible passage, Peter’s speech/testimony. What happens next in the story is that suddenly the Holy Spirit fills all of Cornelius’ household and they begin praying out loud in tongues. Peter and his Jewish travel companions are so astonished that the Holy Spirit would fill gentiles that he agrees to baptize everyone present.

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ 15But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved,* with whom I am well pleased.’

“Fulfill all righteousness” A major theme in the gospel of Matthew is to show how Jesus fulfilled the Law and the prophecies about the messiah/savior/great king of Israel who was to come. To fulfill the Law and the prophecies is to act in righteousness, since God created the Law as the way of living rightly with Him.

Baptism was and is a prescribed ritual in Jewish piety. Mikvahs are pools of flowing water for just this purpose. Women bathe in the mikvah seven days after menstruation has stopped and after childbirth bleeding has stopped for seven days. Men and women bathe after healing from diseases or surgeries. What makes John the Baptist’s baptism unique is that he is baptizing for repentance in preparation for the messiah. When the messiah shows up, John sees no reason to baptize him. Why would Jesus need to baptize for repentance in preparation for himself? But, somehow Jesus still needs to be baptized. Perhaps it is the dualism of his nature, fully human and fully divine, that requires this baptism. Perhaps Jesus must enter the water in order to lead all who follow through it.

Whatever the cause, Jesus is baptized with a baptism like no other. Heaven rips open! The Holy Spirit flies out! God speaks for all to hear, “This one! This one right here! He is my son! I am so pleased and proud of him!” Wow!