Baptism of Jesus

This week’s Gospel beautifully captures the spirit of preparation and waiting that characterises the liturgical season of Advent. John the Baptist is portrayed as fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah and others as the one who comes before the Lord preparing the way. He is a messenger, sent by God to ‘do the groundwork’ preparing the people for the coming of Christ. Although this passage is used during Advent as preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we know that John was a contemporary (indeed cousin) of Jesus and the time of preparation was immediately prior to Jesus’ public ministry.

John appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. It may seem odd to think of going to the wilderness to try to influence people. Today we might think that the city centre or street corner might be the better venue to preach something. What is it about the wilderness? Reference is made to the wilderness several times in scripture. It is used as a place of preparation and encounter with God. The wilderness referred to was a vast expanse of emptiness on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It was not uncommon for wandering preachers like John and Jesus to go out into the wilderness as a way of making a break from their previous life and getting themselves ready in body and spirit to begin their ministry. The wilderness to the east of the Jordan River was also the place in which many of the rebels based themselves. There was a sense that challenge and unrest came out of the wilderness. In many ways that is what Jesus – heralded by John – brought out of the wilderness as well.

The understanding that we generally have of baptism today has not always been the case. At the time of John and Jesus, the Jewish tradition used baptism as a ritual bath to cleanse a person who had become ritually unclean and make them able to participate in religious rituals. It was called a mikvah and Jewish adherents still use this form of ritual purification to this day. What John was preaching was a baptism for the forgiveness of sins – a new interpretation at the time. He emphasised that repentance was essential for forgiveness and that there needed to be a conscious returning to God. John’s baptism was a symbolic act to signify the willingness of the person to renounce their sins and make a more conscious return to God.

The Gospel of Mark is sometimes portrayed as a ‘no fuss’ Gospel. Many years ago, when I was completing my Certificate A in Religious Education here at St Ursula’s College, my lecturer said “Mark the Stark” because there is so much less imagery and prose in this Gospel. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in this week’s passage. We have the first eight verses of the Gospel and the author wastes no time in announcing the purpose, ‘The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ The Gospel of Mark does not give any infancy narrative or genealogy like Matthew or Luke, nor a theological foreword like John. It jumps straight in with a declaration that Jesus is the Son of God and almost immediately begins to explore his ministry.

The Gospel passage quotes the prophet Isaiah (although text combines Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3; and Exodus 23:20) and casts John the Baptist in the role of fulfilling the prophecy of the voice that cries in the wilderness, ‘Prepare a way for the Lord’. The description of John in camel-skin and eating locusts and wild honey is designed to align him with Elijah, the great prophet of Jewish history. In a very short and sharp passage the Gospel ties the coming of Jesus to the expectation of a Messiah that has run through Jewish history and been foretold by the great prophets.

That is why St Mark took the term ‘Gospel’ (Good News) which was used on inscriptions announcing an Emperor’s birth or victory, and used it to describe his inspired rendering of the mission of Jesus Christ, which was to inaugurate the ‘Kingdom of God’, overcoming the pretensions of all Emperors of any kind throughout history.

We could pause for a moment to thank God for the Good News of our being baptised with water in the ‘Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ Our Lord loves us so much, I pray everyone in our community feels His love this Christmas.

Prayer for Advent

Dear Lord, please allow me to embrace Advent in the way the Church intends: as a way to prepare for Your arrival. May everything I do – every gift I send, every party I attend, every meal I share – remind me to prepare space in my heart for You. Help me to love more fully, to forgive more generously, to wait more patiently for Christmas, embracing each day and hour knowing the joy that awaits. In Your name I pray. Amen

Mary, our Lady of Inclusive Love – Pray for us

St Angela Merici – Pray for us

St Ursula – Protect our future