Contending with evil

“…he taught them as one having authority…” (Mark 1:22)

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Psalm 111

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 1:21-28

(Year B: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, 31^st January 2021)

God is love. This is the foundation of our faith and our lives in Jesus Christ.  We have been created in love, by love, for love.  Yet, there is much in the world around us that is wrong and sometimes very wrong. In my parents’ lifetime there were two world wars in which millions perished and many more suffered greatly. Today, millions suffer from disease, hunger, pain, want and fear. 

The evil disease called covid has devastated individuals, families and communities. It is killing many every day. In addition to the economic devastation in terms of jobs and businesses there are human tragedies, separations, confinements and loss of physical contact and touch. And, then, there are the pillars of human living such as the arts, culture, sports and religious worship and sacramental life that have been impacted massively. 

The image of evil spirits being rebuked and exorcised by Jesus in today’s Gospel story seems very modern and relevant on a second or third reading of this passage. Are we not in the midst of a thoroughly evil reality that watches for opportunity and seeks out to kill the most vulnerable and the least able to protect themselves?  Once latched on to a body the evil virus gets to work, if it can, in causing multi-organ failure and leaving traces of damage for many in what we know recognise as ‘long covid’.  Never before have we witnessed such an extraordinary and invisible evil in our midst wrecking havoc in its train and outsmarting, so far, governments, agencies and medical personnel.

Over and beyond and before covid, It is clear that evil rules in many places. Closer to home, our political landscape is never free from the influence of lies and corruption. Honesty and courage are in rare supply.

If we honestly look at our own lives we can see the roots of selfishness, distrust and animosity. We may acknowledge the presence of what might be termed the four horsemen of death made worse during this extraordinary time:

• Sadness
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Guilt

We may surf on these horsemen or we may allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The sure sign of God’s healing presence is in the way that it dispels sadness, anxiety, anger and guilt. We may continue to experience some or all of these feelings but we are no longer submerged or controlled by them. Of themselves, such feelings are not evil. Rather, the way in which they may control and, ultimately, destroy us is evil. We have choices.

Some translations of this passage refer to the fact that Jesus’ teachings left a ‘deep impression’ on his listeners. Why? Because Jesus lived what he preached. What you saw was what you got. And so it is today for you and me, dear sister or dear brother. In our day, in our little corner, in our situation which may be less than ideal, we are called to be witnesses not by threatening, flattering, manipulating or showing off but by a deep, sincere, open and respectful attitude towards others.  No matter how different others may be; no matter how wounded they or we may be; no matter how much ‘stuff’ has happened between the other and me – there is always an opportunity to be deeply truthful and deeply caring – moment by moment.

A gesture, a look, a word, an action might leave a deep impression and change the lives of others. Then again, it might not. But, we can say to ourselves at the end of every day and, ultimately, at the end of our lives: ‘I did my best’, ‘I failed but kept starting out all over again’, ‘I am glad that I tried’ …

Nowadays people look for others who are honest, open and caring. This is what gives authority to our witness just as it did to the Holy One of God, Jesus of Nazareth.

The good news is that we are not on our own. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses and Jesus our leader has gone before us and has come back to us in the Holy Spirit, the Word of Life and the Sacrament of Unity.

God is not dead. He lives through Christ in us.

 

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Gospel notes

Jesus attracts the attention of the people. He has something interesting and compelling to say. In teaching with authority he increases their desire to hear more. Above all, his teaching moves people to discover new ways of living. Linked to his teaching is the work of miracles and deep cleansing.  Here is the Word made flesh at work in Capernaum. It is about a deep reboot.

We move from the call of the disciples in the verses immediately preceding this passage to teaching to healing and to miracles.

21-22: Teaching with a difference

They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.  They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

The people were impressed with Jesus’s teaching not only because of its content but because of the way in which Jesus spoke and taught.  At this early stage of the gospel of Mark, we do not know what, specifically, Jesus taught the people.  Suffice it to say that Jesus was no ordinary Rabbi or prophet. He lives what he teaches; he teaches what he lives.

23-24: evil speaks

Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ 

According to the limited understanding of the time, sickness was associated with evil of some sort. Curing of illness was, therefore, seen as an act of cleansing and expulsion of evil spirits. In these verses, evil comes face to face with the Holy One of God. The evil spirit gets its Christology right!

25-26: Jesus conquers evil

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’  And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

In the eye of the storm both here in later passages in the Gospel Jesus rebukes the tempest and forces of evil. ‘Be silent’, he says.  Christ is our vaccine so to speak. He is more than any man-made or nature based medication. He is the Savour of our souls. In him we find true freedom from spiritual disease and corruption.  The problems of the world start and end in the human heart where Christ meets us and re-births us. 

27-28: Power over evil

They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’  At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

To teach with authority is to live what one teaches and to teach what one lives. In this way, Jesus the only Son of God could look evil in the eye as he did in the desert, in his public ministry and the cross – and conquer it.

Now is the time

 “…Immediately he called them” (Mark 1:20)

Jonah 3:1-10

Psalm 62:5-12

1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

Mark 1:14-20

 (Year B: Third Sunday after the Epiphany, 24^rd January 2021)

Throughout the Gospel of St Mark there is an immediacy and urgency about the message of Jesus. The time is said to have come. It is time to repent and believe now and to follow the Saviour.  When called, the disciples leave what they are doing and who they are with immediately. ‘Without delay’, Jesus calls them and they respond without delay.

In life, our natural tendency is to wait and see, to evaluate and consider, to consult and reflect and to postpone a decision until later. Sometimes this is good to do; others time not: we need to know the difference.  When God calls we are bid to follow with clarity and courage leaving behind doubts and obstacles. We must trust that God will show us the way and enable us to follow there.

The secret in following is in the now. Answering a lifetime’s call is made in a series of steps beginning with a simple step now. Giving a full yes here and now is the only reality we can embrace. The past is a given and the future has not yet arrived. We can only live in the here and now. Nothing else is real as far as action and will are concerned.

The Gospel of Mark, which we read over most Sundays for the remainder of this year, is a very concise account of the life of Jesus Christ. The first chapter reads, in many respects, as a type of ‘executive summary’ of this entire Gospel and all four canonical Gospels. This week’s passage from the first chapter of the gospel of St Mark may be summarised in five key points:

To repent of our sins (v 15).

To believe in Jesus (v 15).

To be healed by Jesus (v 34).

To follow Jesus (v 17).

To be sent by Jesus (v 17).

As in other callings, we have here a call addressed both to individuals and to groups or pairs of individuals. We never walk alone – at least not entirely.

We would do well to take Mark in hand today and let the words and their meaning sink in. As with the rest of the gospels, the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark is worth reading slowly and prayerfully. It holds the key to the entire Good News story about Jesus. When a sentence or a phrase strikes we can just stop there and linger awhile in silence and quiet. A quiet spot and a regular time of day, if at all possible, is a great idea for this type of exercise. It takes practice and discipline. It bears fruit. In that way we can ‘prepare a way’ in the desert of our lives. And we will be overtaken by surprise – surprise that God loves us more than we ever imagined possible.

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Notes and commentary on the Gospel reading

14:  It all starts in Galilee

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God

The ministry and first calling of the disciples originated in an obscure corner of an obscure country in the Roman Empire.  It did not start on the floor of the Temple or in the Holiest of Holies in Jerusalem. Neither did it start in Rome – the centre of political power at the time. It didn’t start in some pre-existing religious community such as the Essenes in Qumran.  It didn’t start in the halls of some institution of human learning and skill. And it didn’t start in the continent of Europe as we know it today.

15:        The waiting is over

and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

The time of waiting (‘kairos’) is over. This is the acceptable and necessary time to turn (‘repent’) and to experience the good news of God’s saving work. To repent is not to sink further into guilt, shame and retribution. Rather, to repent is to be set free not because we deserve it but because God loves us unconditionally and waits for our free response in love. This is what repentance is about.

16-17:  A new way of life for those called to be ‘fishers’

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ 

From the natural occupation of fishing on a large lake (The Sea of Galilee which is probably about twice the size of Dublin Bay), Jesus sees that these fishermen will have a purpose and a trade of a different kind. The analogy of fishing for people will not be lost on Peter and Andrew. I wonder what their families thought when the brothers went off to follow Jesus? Peter was, after all, married and the evidence from 1 Corinthians 9:5 (and see, also, Mark 1:29-31) is that his wife was alive and not dead at the time of his calling and subsequent ministry. We may note that, at this point, the emphasis in Mark is on the preaching of the Word of God. Miracles accompanying this preaching would follow very soon. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see Peter along with the other apostles or disciples preaching, healing, calling and sowing the seeds of a new reality and kingdom. It all began on the shores of a lake in a far off place. Peter and Andrew must have had little idea where this would all lead when this amazing Rabbi/Teacher said to them abruptly one day: ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people’ (v. 17).

18:  Answering the call without delay

 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 

There is no evidence that they hesitated. They ‘immediately left their nets and followed him’ (v. 18).

19-20:  Immediacy

As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

And again, the disciples called did not delay but dropped their nets and left their families and fellow-workers behind.  The sons of Zebedee would have inherited a family fishing business for mention was made of ‘hired men’.  The sons did not leave their father without help in those who were hired and stayed behind.

Time for Ireland to examine its conscience

 “…What are you looking for” (John 1:38)

 

1 Samuel 3: 1-10, (11-20)

Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-18

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:35-51

Year B: 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany, 17th January 2021

The past few days have brought home, yet again, the trauma faced by thousands of women and children in various institutions in Ireland over many decades.  In some respects the ‘County Home’ continued the harsh traditions of the 19^th century workhouse. The ‘Mother and Baby’ homes were grim places where punishment, stigma and control were the order of the day. Too often the mother was literally left holding the baby as the father was nowhere to be seen and then the baby was literally taken from the mother. Church and State were complicit in the arrangement and a culture of clericalism along with norms of deference, fear and shame sealed the fate of thousands of women and their children.  Yet, none of this could have happened were it not for the silence, complicity and inaction of large section of civil society. This is not to shift blame or lessen the culpability of the institutions and persons working there. However, many families but especially the fathers ‘looked the other way’ and did not stand by their own. Neither did those in authority follow up on complaints or act on the patently disturbing numbers dying in excess of what was the normal rate of infant mortality.

Ireland was by no means unique but it stood out to the extent that the collusion of state, church and a conservative civil society ensured a level of control and in some cases gross cruelty far from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As we engage in a national conversation of anger and mourning we might pause to consider two questions:

1. How significant was the contribution of other loving borthers, nuns and lay persons who continued to provide selfless care for children whatever the circumstances of their families? Let us not forget the good done by many and lives given in devoted service for the genuine good of others.
2. Might there be realities in contemporary Irish society that future generations will condemn and be ashamed of?  Are we ‘looking the other way’ when children suffer neglect or are denied their rights? Might we be afraid as many were in the past to speak out and act for social justice in today’s Ireland?

It is easier to condemn the actions of previous generations but much harder to face the bitter truths of Ireland today.

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Notes on the Gospel reading for this Sunday

Preliminaries

The choice of passage is all encompassing: it combines John 1:35-41 with John 1:42-51 as, respectively, these correspond to the typical choice of Gospel reading on this Sunday in the Roman Catholic and most of the Reformed Churches.  Perhaps, by accident, the former emphasises Peter and his brother Andrew while the latter emphasises Philip and Nathaniel.

35-36:  John bears witness

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ 

On ‘the next day’ (the third day), John bears witness in front of two of his own disciples. John’s Gospel attaches great importance to time, night, day and numbers signalling key parallels and deeper significance beneath the stories and words.

This is where Galilee and Judea meet up: the disciples of Jesus, according to John the evangelist, were disciples of John the Baptist. Where ‘two or three’ were gathered there was the Messiah in their midst. This prefigures what is to come after the resurrection of Jesus.

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. (Isaiah 65:1)

37-39:  Time to come and see

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 

It was late in the day and as often happens in the Gospel of John, light and darkness, day and night play out in a deep exchange of meanings.

The two disciples who followed Jesus belonged, initially, to John’s people (was Jesus also associated with them?).  John lets go of his own disciples. These disciples were prompted by John and they set off on a new and unexpected course. 

(We should always remain open to the inspirations and promptings of the Holy Spirit especially when they come through someone wise and someone we can trust).

 ‘What are you looking for?’ is the same question posed by St Benedict to those would follow in the monastic way of life. What do you seek? Do you really seek God?

Andrew and another disciple sought the Saviour. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and there is a possibility that, his brother, was at least connected to the Johannine dessert movement.  Note that, according to this passage, Jesus does not say to them, at this stage, ‘Come and follow me’ but, rather, ‘Come and see’. Jesus respects the freedom and responsibility of the disciples who will be called. In reality, this day is the decisive day for Andrew and the other disciple.  By following Jesus to where he stayed they were being led to a new reality. This was more than an individual call. The two disciples sought and followed Jesus together and not each of them alone. Might it be possible that the other disciple who is unnamed by John the evangelist was John the evangelist himself? Or, might it have been – perish the thought – a woman who could not be named but had been a follower of John the Baptist ! 

There is a strong echo of John 20:15-16 here. At the resurrection (the ‘third day’), Jesus is sought by Mary who does not recognise him at first.  When she does acknowledge him she addresses him as ‘Rabbi’ just as Andrew and Peter do.

 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew,‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher).

This coming to Jesus to see is a very striking way of telling us that the first disciples had a personal encounter with Jesus. Following Jesus was, in the first place, a personal encounter and experience and not a detached intellectual discourse followed by assent. They simply saw where Jesus lived and how he lived and related to them and others.

‘Staying’ and ‘remaining’ with Jesus that evening ought to chime with our lives as disciples. We may stay and remain in the blessed Trinity. 

40-42   Seeking, finding and responding

One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).

Andrew could not contain himself. He had to go and tell his brother Peter and invite him to join up. He declared to his brother ‘We have found the Messiah’. John the evangelist is drawing important theological conclusions, here, and is careful to explain the meaning of terminology such as Rabbi, Messiah and Cephas to a non-Hebrew audience. Jesus ‘looked at’ Peter. Using the underlying Greek word, emblépō, it would be accurate to understand this ‘looked at’ as the equivalent of looking in a concentrated and sustained way.

The call to discipleship is pressing, urgent and appealing. In fact, irresistible. Our first and natural instinct is to share it with others and, perhaps, they too will follow.

There is a touch of irony here. The one to be called ‘rock’ was not quite rock-like when confronted with an opportunity for martyrdom on the night of Jesus’ betrayal.  Not even Peter could resist his human nature and betray his Lord at a crucial moment. Did this stop him from going on to witness to Jesus and, ultimately, be led to death for his sake? No.

Jesus would say to Peter much later in the Gospel of John:

Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’  (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ (John 21:18-19)

Following Jesus is the road to freedom. But the paradox is that it leads to constraint too. This is especially so in those called to lead as Peter was. Grace is never lacking.

43-46   Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael  

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ 

A third person from the ‘city’ of Bethsaida is called and this time it is Philip. (It may be that all three came from Capernaum which is 10 Km down the road from Bethsaida by Lake Galilee.  By now, the village must been buzzing! However, Nathanael (probably the same person as Bartholomew Matthew 10:3) was added to the small band. A distance of over 50 Km separated Bethsaida from Jesus’ home town of Nazareth.  Jesus was in search of followers and, perhaps, he already knew Philip or knew of him.  His invitation was simply ‘follow me’.  There are scarcely any occasions where the invitation to ‘follow’ is used in the New Testament except on the lips of Jesus. It reminds us as 21st century disciples that we are invited to follow Jesus and Jesus alone. However, we do not follow him on our own. We travel together with others. This is, also, a key point of this passage of scripture. Nathanael is, initially, sceptical when Philip tells him of the Messiah that he has found.  The invitation is extended by Philip to ‘come and see’.

47-48   what you see is what you get

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’  Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ 

Were it only possible to say about every politician, church leader, minister, doctor, lawyer, plumber, car mechanic, economist, employer and trade union official: ‘Here is someone in whom there is no deceit – what you see is what you get’!

49-51   The dream of Jacob come true

Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’  Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’  And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

Nathanael’s declaration of faith is more gradual in the synoptic gospels. John compresses a lot to bring theological matters to the fore. There is no mistaking it – Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel and it takes an Israelite without deceit to declare it.

Speaking of ascending and descending is very much rooted in scripture.  There are plenty of stories about people ascending up to heaven (e.g. Jacob’s dream of angels ascending and descending in Genesis 28:12, Jesus’ conversation with Nathanael in John 1:51, Elijah being taken up in a ‘whirlwind’ to heaven in 2 Kings 2:11).  In many different cultures of the ancient world people had a three-tier idea of the universe: the heavens up there, hell down there (a hot place!) and the earth right here where we stand. Over time, other categories were stitched on such as limbo and purgatory to meet various theological conundrums (necessity being the mother of invention!).

Starting out all over again

“…You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11)

Genesis 1:1-5

Psalm 29

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

 (Year B: The First Sunday after the Epiphany, 10^rd January 2021, Baptism of the Lord)

How are our new year resolutions going?  This is a time of transition from one calendar year to a new calendar year; from Christmas time to a new lockdown; from depths of winter to the tiny signs of life all round; from what was to what is emerging.  In some Christian traditions, the first Sunday of the calendar year is marked as ‘Covenant Sunday’. It is a time to renew our commitment to Christ and to the service of the community. We would do well to make such a renewal at least once a year if not every day of our lives. Our lives need to be a constant daily ‘starting again’.  God does not keep scores.

Baptism in the life of Christians

It is natural for us to want to improve our lives in some respects and to become more the person we could be. God wants us to be happy. He wants us to flourish as unique persons made in his image and likeness. 

As Christians, we find a clear mandate to live as disciples of Jesus Christ by virtue of that great sacrament of baptism. When baptism is celebrated in a community it can be a time of great joy as a new member (usually, but not necessarily, an infant) is welcomed.  It may also be a time for renewal of baptismal vows on the part of the congregation witnessing and supporting the enrolment of a new disciple in a lifelong course of learning and growing in the love of God. We witness a community and a family gathered around the newly baptised infant. 

We could and should give more prominence to the role of baptism for all members of the church – new and otherwise. Though it is a one-off event in a person’s life it is a vital point of reference. We have been claimed for Christ and our souls have been marked in a special and beautiful way by the Holy Spirit and by the sign of water.

If baptism marks a new life and a renewal for those of us supporting new arrivals why was it that our Lord underwent baptism at the hands of his cousin, John? Wasn’t He after all the sinless Son of God who had no need of cleansing or forgiveness? What point was he trying to make in doing this?

To approach this question, we need, first, to put the baptism of Jesus as told in Mark in context. In all of the four canonical gospels, the baptism of Jesus by John marks the end of the private life of Jesus and the beginning of his public ministry just as John begins to give way to his cousin.  Mark’s rendition of the Baptism of Jesus is concise and to the point. There is no contestation or delay over should this be done and why it is that the Lord is to be baptised as is the case in Matthew 3:14. It is a matter of straight down, under the water and out and then into the desert to face trial and temptation! Mark is action-filled, brisk and to the point.

A baptism by John was a sign of something greater to come. It held the meaning of repentance, cleansing and renewal. However, the baptism brought by Jesus will see a transformation in the Holy Spirit that will have a lasting effect on individuals and communities. It will build on John’s baptism and the prophecies of old but usher in a new life and reality for those who will taste the Holy Spirit. This is exactly the point made by Paul when questioned about the difference between baptism in the Holy Spirit and baptism by John the Baptist which points towards a baptism to come (the second reading for this Sunday - Acts 9:1-7)

Just imagine for a few moments…

Passing through the river Jordan in that locality has deep significance which would have not been lost on a Jewish audience (see Joshua 3). This was a new exodus of God’s people and the river Jordan sets the scene just as it did for Joshua

Picture John clad in rough attire standing at the meandering river of the Jordan surrounded by pious and sometimes troubled pilgrims searching for healing, for forgiveness, for renewal. We are there too in the midst of the crowd wanting to press forward but hesitating. A lot is at stake. Then, there is a commotion. That cousin of John appears from nowhere along with a small band of companions including – according to some reports – his mothers and close family. There is a conversation between John and Jesus. There was something of a lively conversation between the two of them that might have suggested someone was going to walk away.  Rumours are spreading through the crowd about what was heard. There is confusion. Then silence. Peering from a height many can plainly see Jesus going down into the waters followed by John. What happened next might be disputed. Many eyewitnesses came forward to say that they saw something extraordinary happen involving a very bright light. Among these many claimed a vision of something resembling a dove though others not present said that it was merely reported that Jesus saw a dove by witnesses who heard and saw nothing.  Some even said that they heard, themselves, a voice or voices calling out the name of Jesus. Others heard and saw nothing while others hesitated.

What is certain is that something stirred that day in the hearts and minds of those present and among the crowd where witnesses who would tell and retell this story for many decades before the episode was written down and preserved by small bands of followers of the Christ scattered around the eastern Mediterranean sea. Many remember it as the beginning of the Jesus movement proper. From now on Jesus would travel about in the territory of Galilee and beyond preaching, healing and proclaiming about a new kingdom that was already here and, at the same time, had not fully arrived. Many were confused by it all but all agreed, including those hostile to Jesus, that he spoke with extraordinary wisdom, insight and authority. His words matched his life and his life matched his word. This was no fly-by prophet or political conspirator to rid Israel of the Roman occupiers.

So, what’s the story here?

Jesus goes down, immerses and passes through the waters of our human tribulation and our fleshly reality. Our God has become one of us and is in a river with others up to their necks in water. He didn’t need to do this. He didn’t even need to become one of us. And he didn’t need to create human beings. That’s how this God of ours works. Messy, in your face and utterly compassionate. The closing line of this week’s passage is ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ (v. 11).  The Father looks intently at each one of us in our current predicament and circumstances of life. The Father’s gaze is on each of us this day including that which his Son has planted in us at our Christian baptism.

We can start out again on the path this time in our lives no matter who we are or what has happened to us in the last year or many years. God the Father looks at us today and says ‘I love you’, ‘I call you’ ‘I give you my Holy Spirit that you might walk anew’.

Truly, it is a wonderful world and we are all the more wonderful for being part of it.

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Further notes on this Gospel passage

4-5:  Here comes John the Baptiser

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 

6-8:  And here is what he taught

Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

The first mention of baptism in this Gospel is to baptism in the Holy Spirit. Baptism and the Holy Spirit are central to Christian discipleship. Mark is being very clear, lest there be any lingering doubts, with the community for which he wrote around the decade of the 70s following the death and resurrection of Jesus: John the Baptist was a prophet and a mighty one at that but he was not the Messiah. Rather, he pointed to the Messiah who was already here in our midst.

9-11  The Baptism of Jesus

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

This is a defining moment. Note that, in Mark, it is not made explicit that anyone other than Jesus heard the voice from heaven. The reader of Mark is left in no doubt, however, that this is a defining moment when Jesus’s mission is laid bare and heaven bears testimony.

A star goes before us

 “…When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.” (Matt 2:10)

 

Isaiah 60:1-6

Psalm 72:1-15

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

 

(Year B: Epiphany, 6^rd January 2021)

.. There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

(from The Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot)

‘Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you’. (Isaiah 60:1).  ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)

These two verses seem very appropriate for all of us at the start of 2021 even if it might seem that our world is sunk in darkness and this darkness has conquered the light for a time in the middle of our Northern winter. 

The 6^th of January marks the feast of the ‘epiphany’ – at least in some churches. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word, theophaneia, meaning the appearance of God to human beings. 

The story of the first ‘epiphany’ is rich in symbolism and we need to hear and read it in this light without trying to fill in all the gaps. Let’s go with the flow and the larger story which the author of the gospel of Matthew is trying to convey. This requires some imagination on our part.

The journey of the wise ones (the magi as they are called) was not without danger and toil. To make a journey in such circumstances took incredible stamina, hope and trust that something was worth travelling for to meet, see and behold.  As in today’s world, there is much danger and threat from power brokers who play with people’s lives and practice deceit and oppression. The pilgrims from the east had to use discretion, courage and perseverance to circumvent Herodian scheming.

Astrology was a popular pastime in ancient times (and is still today among the gullible) and provides a focus for people in search of meaning, assurance and progress through life’s ways. The star that guided, pulled and filled the wise pilgrims was of another kind. It was like an inner star or magnetic force that led strangers over 100s of kilometres of barren desert to a humble place where they found something that exceeded their expectations. They were not just surprised by joy but they were ‘overwhelmed’ with joy, according to Matthew (verse 10). We may note that they travelled not alone but together. On coming to a place of rest where the star shone they joined Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  Where two or three are gathered there was the messiah of Israel among them. 

Three ‘stars’, not one, guided them….

1   The star within of love seeking love
2. The star over and beyond their immediate situation and place
3. The star at the end of their journey in Bethlehem.

It was when these three ‘stars’ aligned that the pilgrims were ‘overwhelmed with joy’ (verse 10).

The alignment of stars took, in all likelihood, years, trial, error, re-trial and more years.  But, they got there and it didn’t finish there.  Their discovery took them back to where they came to continue their quest. How many stories were told and lives touched by the witness of their journey when they got back home? The magi could make of their own the words of David in  Psalm 63:1-4:

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

Or, they might have anticipated the declaration of Saint Augustine of Hippo centuries after the manifestation of God:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. Saint Augustine Confessions, 10.27

The story of the epiphany is a story of hope. Let this new calendar year be one of hope and a new beginning for each one of us. Even if we might feel that we are ‘with an alien people clutching their gods’ as T.S. Eliot wrote, we can take courage from the following truth that is as true today as 2,000 years ago and will still be true in years to come when 2021 will be a distant memory:

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)