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| John Baptizes Jesus -- MAFA (Cameroon) |
This year we move
from the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan 6th) to the Baptism of Christ (Jan 7th) in a single day, and at the same time fast forward through the life of Christ by nearly three
decades. Yet, though these events are separated by a considerable stretch of historical
time, both celebrations can be said to fall appropriately into a single liturgical season --
'Epiphany'. This is because the visit of the Magi to the stable and the
baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, along with the wedding at Cana, are ‘epiphanic moments’. That is to say, they are occasions when it is made manifest that those who encounter the person
of the historical Jesus are in the same moment encountering the eternal Christ.
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| Leonardo da Vinci's Baptism of Christ |
Only
Matthew's Gospel tells the story of the Magi. Only John's Gospel relates the
wedding at Cana. By contrast, the one time that Jesus and
John the Baptist encounter each other -- when John baptizes Jesus -- is recounted in all four Gospels. This
year the Lectionary uses Mark’s
version, and in it John the Baptist makes it plain that while he offers a
‘washing away of sin’, the coming of Jesus will complete this 'washing' with a
wholesale spiritual transformation.The reading from Acts shows that John's placing
himself in a secondary, preparatory position to Jesus, was one that the
early Christians believed and affirmed.
There
is a theological puzzle here, however. If baptism is 'washing away of
sin', the sinless Jesus cannot need it. Why then does he submit to it?
By this action, we should conclude,
Jesus declares his identification with humanity. He thereby shows repentance to be a precondition of a transformation that is possible even for sinful human beings.
The descending of the dove is the ‘epiphany’ in this story, and a notable feature of Leonardo's image of it. Quite suddenly, something of the greatest importance is revealed
to us -- that divinity can perfect humanity.
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