This section of Isaiah, composed while the Jewish leaders were exiled in Babylon, rebuilds the nation’s hope through new images of God’s love for them. This passage is the first of four ‘servant songs’.
Who did Isaiah have in mind as the servant? One well-supported contemporary view is that the servant represents the whole people of Israel. Christians often read this as a prophecy of Christ, but it’s important to acknowledge Isaiah’s original intentions as far as possible.
There are three key words to describe the servant’s work: light, covenant and justice. Light is the symbol of God’s creative presence from the beginning (Genesis 1.3), covenant is the special relationship God offers God’s people (Exodus 19.5), and justice is God’s insistence that poor and rich are equal in God’s sight (Amos 5.11-15). But the servant offers these gifts not to the Jews but to the nations (cf. Genesis 12.3).
Acknowledging the work done, God affirms his servant whole-heartedly: upheld by God, chosen, a delight to God, anointed with God’s spirit. The gift of the Spirit highlights the personal link between God and the servant and makes it possible for him to carry the responsibility of being chosen by God. In consequence of this, God finds delight in him.
Gospel Matthew 3.13-17
This story begins Matthew’s account of Jesus’ adult life, and the catalyst seems to be the ministry of John the Baptist, which Matthew has just described. Matthew tells us nothing about any earlier link between the two men but, nevertheless, both John and Jesus recognise that Jesus does not need John’s baptism of repentance – John is a prophet (v.4) and recognises Jesus as the ‘more powerful one’ whose coming he has already foretold (vv.11-12).
Why does Jesus ask John to baptise him? Scholarly opinion varies. Jewish tradition saw ritual washing as the final step in the purification that made communion with God possible (Josephus Ant.18:5:2). Does Jesus undergo baptism to show his unique capacity to communicate with God? Righteousness (v.15) is faithful action flowing from a covenant relationship with God. Does baptism signal that Jesus’ actions and whole life depend on his faithful obedience to God’s will? Or does he seek baptism as a sign of his complete identification with the people he has come to serve? (cf. Philippians 2.7-8).
Whatever the reasoning, Jesus’ baptism is followed by an affirmation of the dynamic relationship between himself and God. The open heaven tells us that the barrier between God and humanity is swept away (cf. John 1.51), and the image of the dove descending helps us visualise the bright glory of God flashing from heaven upon him, in an image that appeals to sight and touch. Finally, the voice echoes Isaiah’s words – no longer ‘my chosen’ but simply ‘my son’, the one who is like me, able to act as my agent, the one who is beloved, as a son or daughter should be. The descending Spirit and God’s words affirm Jesus at the beginning of his active ministry, providing the backdrop for all that lies ahead.
Beloved
Call and response Week 2
Part of loving a baby is the constant instinct to protect her or him from harm. We shoo toddlers away from power sockets, and make sure children wear helmets when on their bikes. But part of loving a teenager is letting them take risks, trusting them to use their common sense; and then they go, ready to shape their own lives.
‘This is my Son, the Beloved’, says the voice from heaven. Letting-go love trusts the beloved child to handle difficulty and opposition. God entrusted his servant with the task of bringing light to the nations, such as the idolatrous Babylonians who had destroyed the Temple – not an easy undertaking. Then Jesus came, ready to face the challenge of proclaiming the gospel, the journey that would take him to the cross. God was well pleased with him, because God knew that his beloved Son could handle the risks and sustain the trust placed in him.
Q Does our experience support the Scriptures’ claim that God ‘upholds’ us when we face difficulty in the quest to establish justice?
Q Matthew, Mark and Luke all narrate Jesus’ baptism and follow it immediately with the account of the Temptations. Why does one lead to the other?