In the Church's year events move along. Two weeks on from the wonderful celebration of the birth of Jesus, and one week after imagining New Year's Eve and the arrival of the wise men, we fast forward 30 years to Jesus's own baptism. Here is the account by Mark:
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” [Mark 1: 4]
It is a wonderful story to read, but also complex. If we think of the timeline, we know very little about that 30 years. We hear of Jesus’s birth, the escape into Egypt, and then the return to Nazareth. We can use our imagination to think of his family life, growing up with brothers and sisters. We can understand from his mother Mary how she treasures things up in her heart. After the affirmation from Simeon and Anna when he was eight days old, we hear one more episode when they travel to Jerusalem and Jesus stays behind talking to the elders in the temple and amazing them with his knowledge. Then Jesus subjects himself to the authority of his parents. What a fantastic role Mary and Joseph had knowing whose son they will bring up. We know for a while that he worked alongside his father as a carpenter. We can imagine his understanding of work colleagues, team dynamics, and perhaps sharing the washing-up.
We also see a fascinating glimpse at the start of John's Gospel when Mary informs him that the wine is run out at a wedding celebration. He says to her that his time had not yet come, and Mary (perhaps now having stored up years of reflection, and wondering when he was going to “do something” simply turns to the servants and says, “just do what he says”. So, in a way it is Mary who initiates that wonderful miracle of water into wine, the miracle that shows God's pleasure and blessing of marriage.
And now we hear that Jesus comes to John the Baptist for baptism. Look at Mark's account - very simple and yet full of significance. We know from other gospels that John the Baptist says to Jesus that he is not worthy to baptise him, but Jesus says “let it be so now”.
Then we have the moment, painted in icons, of the baptism - where we have the first picture of the Trinity - of God the Father's voice, the person of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as a dove. Jesus undergoes John's baptism because that is the way things were done and that is how he would introduce himself to the people he would care for.
So how does this guide us at the start of this year? Well, for me, it is the completion of the Advent journey. During Advent we heard about John the Baptist’s message and how Mark links that to the prophecy in Isaiah to “make straight the path. This suggested this year for me that we need to look at our own “reception area” - our own landing ground for the Holy Spirit - and clear it of debris. Repentance clears the area, to be ready to receive again the Holy Spirit. Then as we look for the blessings God has for us this year, we seek this affirmation. Be encouraged and go forward believing that we are guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Nigel
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