Isaiah
42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
So soon after Christmas and Epiphany, it’s startling
to have Jesus grown up and starting his ministry. Here he is at the Jordan,
being baptized. From here, he will head to the wilderness to be tested. But we
won’t read that story until the first Sunday in Lent.
One of the most frequently asked questions about
this passage is, “Why did Jesus need to be baptized?” Jesus explains it is to
fulfill all righteousness. That doesn’t really tell us a lot, though.
It doesn’t until we think in terms of the first
century Jewish context. Righteousness is about being right with God. In Jesus’
time, it meant making oneself right with God by doing the right things in the
right way.
Our study group on Monday talked about the
connection between baptism and mikvahs, which are rather like hot tubs for
ritual cleansing. I found a description of a new mikvah at a New York synagogue,
with a long list of things to do to prepare for immersing oneself in the
mikvah. They included showering and washing the hair, removing earrings and
washing the earring holes, removing fuzz from navels, blowing and cleaning the
nose, and removing eye glasses and false teeth.
Since the mikvah is intended to render the user
clean, this cleanliness is important. There are a set of prayers that accompany
the mikvah. One of them reads: “Blessed are you, God, Majestic Spirit of the
Universe, who makes us holy by embracing us in living waters.”
While I believe this is a modern interpretation of
an ancient prayer, the intent is obvious. One becomes holy through prayerful
immersion in the mikvah. Some Jews use the mikvah once a year, at the time of
the high holy days, and others use it weekly, before the Sabbath. The intent of
the mikvah is to offer a path to new life. One can’t breathe under water, so
each time one immerses oneself in the waters of the mikvah, one rises from the
waters clean and holy. This ritual is about fulfilling all righteousness.
The Christian belief in new life after immersion is
directly connected to the cleansing of the mikvah. We have changed it, however,
believing that we only need it once to be cleansed of our sins – made righteous
– once in a lifetime.
When Jesus shows up to be baptized, he demonstrates
how much God wants people to understand that all people are righteous in God’s
eyes. Righteousness should not be limited to those with power, but available to
all of God’s children, at no cost. With Jesus, all righteousness is fulfilled.
Even more, God the Father is proud of Jesus. You are
my son, my beloved, and I’m proud of you. God’s Holy Spirit shows up in the
form of a dove, and reinforces this message.
When we are baptized, the Holy Spirit shows up in
our lives too. We can imagine the Holy Spirit saying to each of us, “You are my
child, my beloved, and I’m proud of you!” We are made holy, righteous in the
waters of our baptism, and we do well to remind ourselves of that often –
daily, as we shower, weekly as we dip our fingers in the water in the font and
make the sign of the cross on our foreheads or bodies.
Jesus’ baptism is a sort of initiation rite – we
might say an ordination -- into the rest of his life, which will be one of
selfless ministry. The purpose is to fulfill all righteousness by demonstrating
without a doubt the extent of God’s love for us.
Each one of us has a calling, a purpose to fulfill. For
most of us, dying at the hands of the designated leaders is not in the job
description, but we are still called to give our whole lives in following
Jesus. We are called to use our money, our skills and talents, our interests
and passions, in service to the one who gave his life for us – Jesus the
Messiah. It looks different for each of us. Here is how it looks for one
person:
As a youth, Doctor Patrick Angelo thought he might
be a priest. Instead, he became an oral surgeon. About 12 years ago he was
sitting in his Jacuzzi at home in the Chicago area, reflecting on how blessed
he was and how hard life was for some people. He began by looking at the
reality that surrounded him each day as he left work by way of Lower Wacker
Drive in Chicago.
Lower Wacker Drive is an underground street with
service doors to all the buildings on Upper Wacker. It’s a main thoroughfare,
but its original purpose was as an underground alley. This is where the
businesses above get their deliveries, and where they dump their trash. The
homeless have made their own community in the nooks and crannies and sheltered
doorways of Lower Wacker.
Each day, after rush hour ends, Doc stops at a
McDonalds and buys $200 worth of burgers and coffee. He heads underground and distributes
the food to each individual. They have grown to trust him. He doesn’t try to
change them – they have chosen their lifestyle, even with all the challenges
and risks of being homeless in such a place.
Doc uses his own funds to feed the 100 or so
homeless who live in Lower Wacker. He tells his children that he is not saving
for retirement. They are OK with that; the children know that the homeless need
it more than they do. Doc says, “What could be better than giving people hope?”
Doc Angelo was hesitant to give any interviews,
because he didn’t want the public praise. He finally gave in, with the hope
that others will be similarly inspired. Isn’t this a great example of
fulfilling all righteousness – of living out one’s calling to follow Jesus with
your whole life?
What examples of self-giving love have you heard of?
In what ways do you seek to fulfill all righteousness in your own life? Could
you do more? How often are you reminded that you are a baptized child of God,
and Jesus is proud of you? Has the Holy Spirit ever whispered or shouted at
you, while you sat in your pool or hot tub or your easy chair? What are you
doing about it? I hope this week you will pray about how God is calling you,
and how you are responding.
Please pray with me: Life-giving God, grant us your
blessings and lead us daily into the new life you have called us to. Amen
