Anointing as servant

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are rooted in the person of Jesus as Servant of the Lord.

Loving service

The passage from Deutero-Isaiah describes the gentle approach of the Servant of Yahweh who brings light to the nations.

 * [42:1–4] Servant: three other passages have been popularly called “servant of the Lord” poems: 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12. Whether the servant is an individual or a collectivity is not clear (e.g., contrast 49:3 with 49:5). More important is the description of the mission of the servant. In the early Church and throughout Christian tradition, these poems have been applied to Christ; cf. Mt 12:18–21.1

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter relates to Cornelius, a Gentile God-fearer, the mission of Jesus to invite all people into relationship with God.

 * [10:36–43] These words are more directed to Luke’s Christian readers than to the household of Cornelius, as indicated by the opening words, “You know.” They trace the continuity between the preaching and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and the proclamation of Jesus by the early community. The emphasis on this divinely ordained continuity (Acts 10:41) is meant to assure Luke’s readers of the fidelity of Christian tradition to the words and deeds of Jesus.2

The Gospel of Luke identifies Jesus as the one about whom John the Baptist was announcing as the presence of Father, Son and Spirit declares Jesus as Son of God coming in Love.

 * [3:21–22] This episode in Luke focuses on the heavenly message identifying Jesus as Son and, through the allusion to Is 42:1, as Servant of Yahweh. The relationship of Jesus to the Father has already been announced in the infancy narrative (Lk 1:32, 35; 2:49); it occurs here at the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and will reappear in Lk 9:35 before another major section of Luke’s gospel, the travel narrative (Lk 9:51–19:27). Elsewhere in Luke’s writings (Lk 4:18; Acts 10:38), this incident will be interpreted as a type of anointing of Jesus.3

Mary Lee Brock is reminded that baptism reveals the equality and dignity of each member of the community and leads us to imitate Christ’s example, and makes us disciples to the world and baptism requires us to reject sin and evaluate our values, decisions and lifestyles.

 pray with these questions:  How have my actions demonstrated my faith?  Have I considered all people, especially my rivals, to be members of our community?  What are some obstacles in my life that keep me from Jesus? How can I be generous with my spirit? And the most simple, yet centering question:  WWJD?

Don Schwager quotes “The divine - human reconciliation,” attributed to Hippolytus, 170-236 A.D.

 "Do you see, beloved, how many and how great blessings we would have lost if the Lord had yielded to the exhortation of John and declined baptism? For the heavens had been shut before this. The region above was inaccessible. We might descend to the lower parts, but not ascend to the upper. So it happened not only that the Lord was being baptized - he also was making new the old creation. He was bringing the alienated under the scepter of adoption (Romans 8:15). For straightway 'the heavens were opened to him.' A reconciliation took place between the visible and the invisible. The celestial orders were filled with joy, the diseases of earth were healed, secret things made known, those at enmity restored to amity. For you have heard the word of the Evangelist, saying, 'The heavens were opened to him,' on account of three wonders [appearance of the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together at the baptism]. At the baptism of Christ the Bridegroom, it was fitting that the heavenly chamber should open its glorious gates. So when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the Father's voice spread everywhere, it was fitting that 'the gates of heaven should be lifted up.'" (excerpt from THE DISCOURSE ON THE HOLY THEOPHANY 6)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 comments that Jesus came “to open the eyes of the blind,” not to cast the bad guys into hell (Isaiah 42:7). He came “to bring out prisoners from confinement,” not to punish people for their sins (42:7). He came to take away our sins so that we could learn to love one another—good guy and bad guy alike.

 When you hear this reading today, close your eyes and picture the scene. Picture John immersing Jesus into the Jordan River—a river that had received the sins of all who had come for baptism. Imagine Jesus accepting all of those sins and every sin that they represent.5

Friar Jude Winkler identifies Jesus as servant and shepherd in Isaiah, Who is light to all nations. The history of Jesus ministry in Israel is related to Cornelius. Friar Jude connects the appearance of the dove at Jesus Baptism to Love and our invitation to share the Love of the Trinity.

Andrei Rublev (public domain)

Cynthia Bourgeault, Episcopal priest and one of CAC’s core faculty members, reflects on Jesus role as a wisdom teacher.

 His message was not one of repentance (at least in the usual way we understand it; more on that later this week) and return to the covenant. Rather, he stayed close to the ground of wisdom: the transformation of human consciousness. He asked timeless and deeply personal questions: What does it mean to die before you die? How do you go about losing your little life to find the bigger one? Is it possible to live on this planet with a generosity, abundance, fearlessness, and beauty that mirror Divine Being itself?6

The Baptism of Jesus and the consequential invitation we receive to participate in the Love of the Trinity can become direction in our mission as servant through contemplation of the wisdom of Jesus.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 42 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/42
2	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/10
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/3
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations .... Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(2019, January 4). Daily Meditations Archive: January 2019 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/01/