Breaking the Word

Baptism of the Lord, Sunday – 9^th January 2022 — Gospel: Matthew 3,13-17

Great Manifestation

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord brings to an end the Christmas season. The church celebrates four manifestations or epiphanies in Jesus. Today is the third of them. The first was Jesus’ manifestation at His birth to the shepherds in the regions of Bethlehem. The second was Jesus being manifested to the magi (wise ones). The fourth epiphany was Jesus’ beginning His public life with the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. Today Jesus is revealed to the world as He is baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. Today is the transition from Jesus’s private life in Nazareth to His public ministry.

Matthew describes the Baptism of the Lord in a unique way. He is careful not to have John the Baptist preach a baptism for the “forgiveness of sins” and therefore omits this. He alone adds a dialogue between Jesus and John to stress both Jesus’ superiority and that John baptized Jesus only after Jesus allowed him to do so and in order “to fulfill all righteousness.”

The three events that occurred at the baptism of Jesus are mentioned by all the three synoptic gospels but with some differences. In Matthew “the heavens were opened”, which could be an indication that communication between God and humans is being reestablished in a new way. Others see it as referring to the prayer of Isaiah for God to “render the heavens and come down” (Is 64,1). The splitting of the heavens enables the Spirit of God to come down and descend on Jesus like a dove. This could mean either an approval of the event by God through his Spirit or even that in Jesus the whole people of God as represented by the Spirit are being anointed. The third event is the climax and gives the meaning to the other two and to the baptism itself. In Matthew, the voice speaks in the third person and so reveals to the listeners that Jesus is both beloved Son and servant. This revelation brings out the paradox of the event. On the one hand Jesus is manifested as the beloved Son and king through the quotation of Ps 2,7 “this is my beloved son”, while on the other hand he is also manifested as servant and slave in the same event through the quotation from Is 42,1 “with whom I am well pleased.” As a matter of fact, it is through His being slave and servant, through His passion and death on the cross and through His coming up out of the waters of death that Jesus becomes king and beloved Son.

Epiphany, Sunday – 08^th January 2023 — Gospel: Matthew 2,1-12

Worship and Hostility

Epiphany has been defined as the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. This story of the magi can be divided into five scenes: 1) the arrival of the magi (2,1-2); 2) Herod’s alarm and consultation of the priests and scribes (2,3-6); 3) Herod’s request of the magi (2,7-8); 4) the magi’s visit and adoration of child Jesus (2,9-11); and 5) the departure of the magi (2,12). The magi represent the first of many characters to “worship” Jesus in Matthew. The first, third, and fourth scenes are punctuated by the verb “worship” or “pay homage”. The magi take the role of the Gentiles who will come and worship the child bringing gifts to the Messiah according to Psalm 72,10-11. The worship of Jesus here and elsewhere in Matthew (8,2; 9,18; 14,33; 15,25; 20,20; 28.9.17) has Christological significance. Jesus is marked as one in whom God is present with us (1,23). Even though the three magi were guided by the star, yet the inroad to worship the messiah was really difficult. They reached Bethlehem via Jerusalem.

The sincerity of the magi’s worship of Jesus is contrasted with the hostility of Herod, who expresses insincere desire to worship Jesus.  In reality, King Herod, who was threatened by the magi’s title “king of the Jews”, will try to eliminate his rival by killing all the innocents. Thus, Jesus faces the first of the opposition by the powerful people. Matthew probably has Jesus’ death already in view when he has the magi refer to Jesus as “the king of the Jews”. Hostility of Herod is an anticipation of the charge under which Jesus will eventually be crucified (27,11.29.37).

Matthew’ story is indeed about kings and wise men. The kings in Matthew 2 are Herod and Jesus. Herod is a tyrant king, who lords over others rather than serving them. By contrast, the infant king Jesus is helpless and vulnerable, a ruler whose power is hidden in humility. The wise men in Matthew 2 are the chief priests and scribes, who function as Herod’s key advisors. They possessed academic knowledge that Herod and magi lacked. Their knowledge does not lead them to their Messiah but causes them to become involved in a plot to kill him (27,1-2.11-26). However, the magi are depicted as persons who do as they are instructed, who seek no honor for themselves, and who gladly humble themselves, kneeling before a woman and a child. Clearly the magi from the East fit into the image of servants better than King Herod and elders.