New Things Are Breaking Forth—Lectionary Reflection for Baptism of Jesus Sunday, Year A (Isaiah 42)
Isaiah 42:1-9 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition
42 Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out or lift up his voice
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
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A new
year is breaking. With Christmas having given way to the day of Epiphany when
we celebrate the coming light that shines into our world of darkness, we can
prepare ourselves for the year to come. A new year comes with a great deal of
uncertainty. We may have plans but as the COVID pandemic that broke into our
lives in early 2020, planning ahead, though valuable, can require a great deal
of flexibility so we can adapt to new realities. Nevertheless, a new year does
offer the possibility of new beginnings. Perhaps that is an important element
in our annual observance of Baptism of Jesus Sunday. It is an event that occurs
on the Sunday following the Day of Epiphany. It marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry
as he goes to the Jordan to receive the baptism of John. It offers us the
opportunity to reaffirm our own commitments that we made or were made on our
behalf that through baptism we commit ourselves to walk in the ways of Jesus.
As Matthew
tells the story of Jesus’ baptism, we jump several decades into the future from
we last encountered Jesus upon the Holy Family’s return from exile in Egypt.
Matthew 3 begins with the story of John the Baptist’s ministry in the
wilderness of Judea where he proclaimed a message of preparation before the
coming of the Lord. According to Matthew John called for those who heard him
preach to repent and be baptized. However, he let his listeners know that
another was coming who would baptize not with water but with Holy Spirit and
fire. The message was clear—you should get ready because the one coming after
John would bring judgment on the land. That prepares the way for Jesus’ arrival
at the Jordan, where he receives John’s baptism and a commission from God, who
proclaims Jesus to be the Son, the Beloved, with whom God was well pleased (Mt.3:1-17).
Here in
Isaiah 42, we hear the voice of God given through the Prophet reveal the
presence of God’s servant, the chosen one, in whom God’s soul delights. Then we
hear this word concerning the servant of God, a word that is reflected in
Matthew 3: “I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the
nations” (Is. 42:1). As we read these words from Isaiah we see the
connection to the revelation that God makes regarding Jesus, who is the Son in
whom God delights. He is the one, on whom the Spirit falls. In the Gospel of
Luke, when Jesus goes to the synagogue in Nazareth, he reads from Isaiah 61,
but the message is similar to what we find in Isaiah 42 where we read that when
God’s spirit is given to the servant, “he will bring forth justice to the
nations” (Is. 42:1; cf. Lk 4:18).
This
servant of God is described as acting with humility, even when he suffers. He
is a “bruised reed” but he doesn’t break. He might be a “dimly burning wick”
but it won’t be quenched. In other words, the world might try to put out this
light, but it won’t succeed. Therefore, the servant faithfully works to bring
about justice in the world. You can understand why passages like this might be
drawn upon as Christians have sought to understand Jesus’ ministry in the
world. It serves as a call to us as well to persevere in the face of
opposition. The light that we carry in us, though the Spirit might flicker and
grow dim, it can’t be put out. Thus, justice will remain the goal. As Isaiah
describes the ministry of this servant, he will not grow faint or be crushed
until justice is established in the world. The world may resist this work, but
it won’t succeed. A word like this can prove inspiring to us as we begin a new
year, having reaffirmed our own callings through the reaffirmation of our
baptismal vows.
While
Isaiah didn’t have Jesus in mind when this word was first shared, as contextually,
the servant would be Israel, it is appropriate reinterpretation to apply the
word to Jesus’ ministry. We can read this in terms of God’s call upon all of
God’s servants, including us. As John Goldingay puts it, “Yahweh’s servant
embodies with it means to have Yahweh in covenant relationship with you,
embodies what it means to have Yahweh’s light (that is, Yahweh’s blessing)
shine in your life. That covenant and light are not designed just for Israel
but for the nations; Yahweh’s plan was to embody them in Israel as something
also available to the nations” [Goldingay, Isaiah
for Everyone, p. 158].
Isaiah
speaks in chapter 42 of Israel’s calling, its vocation. Isaiah reminds a people
living in exile in Babylon, that God had made a covenant with them. God had
poured out upon them the Spirit. Therefore, they were called by God to embody
and proclaim God’s vision of justice for the world. Though it might appear that
Israel’s wick was being quenched, it would not be quenched Here we have laid
out for us, Israel’s vocation. Here, in these verses, Isaiah lays out Israel’s
calling as the covenant people of God living in exile in Babylon. Thus, Israel
is called by God and filled with the Spirit, to bring good news to the nations.
They have been charged as God’s covenant people with being a light to the
nations. That Israel is not a powerful nation like Assyria or Babylon, but
rather a bruised reed or a dim wick, doesn’t matter, because it is Yahweh who
has called them to this service. This calling again involves the pursuit of
justice. As James Evans writes:
Theologically, the text suggests that the spirit of God and the pursuit of justice cannot be separated. Further, this justice is not a narrow, nationalistic kind but a justice for the nations. This suggests that justice is relational. One cannot achieve justice for oneself and avoid seeking justice for others. The work of this Servant will be marked by humility. He will not draw attention to himself by shouting in the streets or raising his voice over those of others. [Connections: ALectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship. Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition].
The servant is called to pursue justice for the nations, and
that is good news.
Who
issues this commission? It is Yahweh who created the heavens and spread out the
earth and all that comes from it. It is Yahweh who “gives breath to the people
upon it and spirit to those who walk in it.” It is Yahweh who called Israel,
and by way of extension, us, to righteousness. Yahweh has taken Israel by the
hand and led it forth so that as God’s covenant people they might be a light to
the nations. In bringing light, Israel is called by God to “open the eyes that
are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those
who sit in darkness” (Is. 42:5-7). Here again, we see the connection with Jesus’
self-understanding of his calling as recorded in Luke 4. This is what it meant
for Israel and for Jesus to receive God’s covenant and Spirit.
So, what is the message God would have us hear as we attend to these words from
Second Isaiah as shared on Baptism of Jesus Sunday? How might they inform our sense
of calling that comes with our baptisms? It is appropriate that as we attend to
these questions we heed this word from the Faith and Order Commission in the Baptism,
Eucharist, and Ministry Document regarding the gift of the Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of people before, in, and after their baptism. It is the same Spirit who revealed Jesus as the Son (Mark 1:10-11) and who empowered and united the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2). God bestows upon all baptized persons the anointing and the promise of the Holy Spirit, marks them with a seal and implants in their hearts the first installment of their inheritance as sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit nurtures the life of faith in their hearts until the final deliverance when they will enter into its full possession, to the praise of the glory of God (II Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14).
With Isaiah understand that when this day comes, when we
enter into full possession of God’s realm, justice will be served. In our baptisms,
we are called to join Jesus in his mission so that the light that is God might
be made known to the world. Therefore, whatever the form of our baptism,
whether immersion or sprinkling, believer’s or infant, may we on this Baptism
of Jesus Sunday, reaffirm our reception of this call of God that brought to us
the presence of God’s Spirit, so that formed by God’s grace we might join
together as a community of light to the nations so that justice might be
proclaimed and good news might be shared with the poor, the captive, and the
blind. We close with these words from Isaiah, words fit for the beginning
of a new year.
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