First Sunday of Epiphany 2012
Epiphany 1, Year B | The Baptism of Jesus | Genesis 1:1-15; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 | January 8th, 2012
During Advent, one of our adult Christian Formation classes explored several of 20th Century artist John August Swanson’s paintings of scenes from Jesus’ life. Swanson is a folk artist with both Mexican and Swedish influences in his work. He chooses bright colors and weaves intricate details into his paintings. In one of his works, “The River,” Swanson depicts the baptism of Jesus, but it is the river, not Jesus, which is the dominant central figure of the painting. The river flows in a zigzag pattern from the horizon near the top of the canvas to the bottom of the canvas, where the blue flowing water fills the space. Upstream, as the river flows toward the place of Jesus’ baptism, we see farmers cultivating crops along the banks, shepherds bringing a flock to drink, women washing clothes in the water and filling jugs with water to take home, a man kneeling with hands cupped to drink, people bathing, and children playing in the river. The business of ordinary daily life is happening in this river and along its banks. Mixed in the flowing waters are the runoff from crops, the dust and dirt washed out of clothes and off human bodies, the “stuff” of life carried forward toward Jesus. The river, which is a light blue at the upper horizon of the painting, turns to a bright blue in the foreground. The green crops and pastureland have given way to a rocky promontory with a small waterfall. We see Jesus in the river, hands folded and head slightly bowed, with John in signature animal skin clothing standing over him. John pours water on Jesus’ head as he touches his shoulder. Were it not for the rays of light descending toward Jesus from a small white dove hovering above his head, these two men would just fit into the pastoral scene of life along the river. As the river flows on, Jesus’ experience is now blended in with all those others. As the river flows outside the frame of the painting, the ordinary and the extraordinary mingle together, carried forward into the future beyond the point of the baptism.
The river flows on, but the baptism of Jesus is our stopping point today. We have moved into the season of Epiphany and this baptism scene is an epiphany, a moment of revelation. Only two weeks ago, Jesus was the baby in the manger as told in Luke’s gospel. Today, in Mark’s gospel, Jesus is a young man coming to his cousin John to be baptized. In Mark’s story, this is the first chapter – not the birth narrative, but the story of the baptism.
When Jesus steps into the flowing waters of the Jordan River and places himself in the submissive posture of baptism, his identity is revealed to him and to those of us who read the scripture. Doves are often associated with the Holy Spirit, so the dove descending from an opening in the heavens is a sure sign of the divine, but that’s not enough. The dove is accompanied by a voice from heaven saying to Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” In this moment, although the term Holy Trinity is not used, we see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit interacting. At his baptism, Jesus is claimed as Divine Son and named as “The Beloved.” This is a profoundly affirming sentence. The father says to the son, “With you I am well pleased.” As sons and daughters, don’t we all long to hear those words from our parents? Most of us want to measure up to our parents’ standards, to honor them with our lives, to make them proud of us. To be washed over with those words of acceptance and unconditional approval at the beginning of adulthood is a marvelous experience. Jesus must have felt that sense of glowing joy as the scene unfolded on this occasion. He knows who he is and he knows whose he is. And that self-knowledge contains within it the seeds of an understanding of ministry.
In those words, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased,” Jesus (as a young Jewish man), as well as those who first heard Mark’s gospel, would have heard echoes of the first servant song found in the 42nd chapter of Isaiah. That scripture passage begins, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.” Isaiah is describing one who is to come as a suffering servant to save the world, to mark a new creation, a new beginning. Mark’s words are remarkably, probably intentionally, similar. As Jesus takes on the role of suffering servant in his ministry, the river flows from the Old Testament to the New Testament and beyond. The prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus, and Jesus’ understanding of that prophecy gives him a head start on shaping his ministry.
“He will faithfully bring justice,” Isaiah says, “…to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” 20th Century poet and mystic Howard Thurman puts it this way:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
So as the river of prophecy flows around and over him, Jesus is commissioned for a ministry that is to be among the people, not above them. This baptism is in the river, not in some hidden place set aside just for this purpose, not in a king’s palace, or even in a religious building. Jesus has stepped into the stream that contains the daily lives (good, bad, and indifferent) of ordinary people. John August Swanson’s painting helped me see that. I am thankful for a savior who is willing to be where I am. Jesus’ approach to ministry is one of humility and servanthood. It will not be easy. The rocks in Swanson’s painting symbolically hint of this. It will not be easy, but Jesus is to work for justice faithfully. Carrying in his heart the affirmation given at his baptism will make that work bearable. The river flows on to the cross and resurrection. It is the same river that flows through the streets of heaven.
In our baptisms, we are claimed as God’s adopted children. We, too, are meant to hear those words—“You are my beloved child. I am pleased with you”—as gift and sign as we move through the waters of baptism. Like Jesus, we are commissioned for ministry by our baptism. Remember those promises made to strive for justice and peace and respect the dignity of every human being? Remember the commitment made to follow Jesus? That is part of who we are as Christians. We are in the river with Jesus, and Jesus is in the river with us. We, like Jesus, are to be humble servants who stand strong in the face of temptation, who embrace the hurts of the world, who work with God to reclaim and restore and create a new world where the rivers of life flow clean and pure.
As we turn to page 292 in the Prayer Book and renew our baptismal vows in a moment, picture yourself in John August Swanson’s painting or in Mark’s gospel story. Picture yourself in the waters of baptism. Not standing beside a small marble font in a church, but in the midst of a great flowing river out in the world. When you answer the questions, “I will, with God’s help,” let the weight of the questions and of your answer sink in. Where will you proclaim the Good News of God in Christ? Where do you see evil in our world, and how will you go about resisting that evil? Do you know someone whose dignity has been violated? How will you help that person reclaim respect? These are serious questions. This business of the ministry of all the baptized is an important calling. We are the children of God, beloved by God, empowered by the Spirit to serve. Where will the river of baptism take you and me and Jesus this week?
Now, please stand and join me in the renewal of our baptismal vows, beginning at the bottom of page 292 of the book of Common Prayer.
The Rev. Libby Wade
Grace Episcopal Church
Paducah, KY
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