Breaking the Word – Page 2360 – Rev. Dr. Victor Antonyraj SDB

09.01.11 BAPTISM OF JESUS

Posted under Reflections on January 8th, 2011 by

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him.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." (Mt 3:13-17)

The passage speaks about the baptism of Jesus. Here the baptism reveals that Jesus is recognized by two persons and they are bear witness to Jesus. This is what happens at every baptism. It is the recognition of the one who is baptized.

God recognizes who Jesus is. The voice from the heaven declares: "This is my beloved Son,with whom I am well pleased." The recognition reveals to where the person belongs to and how he is related to. Baptism shows the belonging and the relationship. Jesus belongs to God and he is the beloved son of Him.

John (in his person the society or the people) recognizes who Jesus is. John recognizes him to be person belonging to God and hence he is to be treated with respect and reverence and esteem. Baptism makes everyone a person of esteem, respect and reverence. And everyone should be treated so with respect, reverence and esteem because he belongs to God and he is related to God.

08.01.11 JESUS THE BRIDEGROOM

Posted under Reflections on January 8th, 2011 by

After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized,for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jewabout ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him." John answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man,who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease." (Jn 3:22-30)

The author of the Gospel of John says that the work of baptizing by Jesus is simultaneous with that of John. The synoptic Gospels make the work of Jesus follow the work of John that is one after the other. The author probably is trying to say that one work is as good as the other. Also there is no dispute over the work. The dispute comes only regarding the religious practices and not on faith or some basic principles of life and religion.

The disciples go to John to clarify and not to Jesus and this may because the author wants to make john bear witness to Jesus. John’s witness is very important and basic. One is that the work that Jesus does is from God and not from his own desires or from any other human authority. Whatever good is done is from God.

John also witnesses that Jesus is the messiah and he is also the bridegroom. He is the bridegroom who has come to marry the world (the whole creation) and as a bridegroom the role he plays is that of the messiah. It is this knowledge makes John to declare that he must increase and I must decrease.