In the Year C reading of the Feast of Jesus' Baptism, we read of Luke's account. Basically, Luke follows the Mark's version and does not make any drastic changes to the overall plot. However, in places, Luke deepens them with his spirituality. After all, the narratives in Luke facilitate the readers to pray with the life of the Saviour.
Where Mark does not make explicit, Luke explains.
The Baptist in Mark simply proclaims that someone greater than he will be coming. Luke puts it in the context of Messianic expectation. He explains that this someone is the Messiah.
As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ,
John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:15-16).
Moreover, Luke also has the Pentecost in mind. Therefore, Jesus will baptize not only with the Holy Spirit but also with tongues of fire.
Luke has a broader theology. He wrote 2 gospels: the gospel of Jesus and the gospel of the Holy Spirit which we find in the Acts of the Apostles. He sees the Church, which was born when the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, as the continuation of Jesus' mission. The Church is the visible presence of the Saviour of the world on earth. In a sense, the Church is Jesus and her members are members, body parts of Jesus.
The Baptist in Mark simply proclaims that someone greater than he will be coming. Luke puts it in the context of Messianic expectation. He explains that this someone is the Messiah.
As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ,
John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:15-16).
Moreover, Luke also has the Pentecost in mind. Therefore, Jesus will baptize not only with the Holy Spirit but also with tongues of fire.
Luke has a broader theology. He wrote 2 gospels: the gospel of Jesus and the gospel of the Holy Spirit which we find in the Acts of the Apostles. He sees the Church, which was born when the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, as the continuation of Jesus' mission. The Church is the visible presence of the Saviour of the world on earth. In a sense, the Church is Jesus and her members are members, body parts of Jesus.
The gospel of Luke is prayerful. We find many beautiful prayers of the Church in his corpus. This is clearly shown in the baptism scene of Jesus.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened (Luke 3:21).
The heaven was opened when Jesus was praying.
In Mark, the heaven was split σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς (Mark 1:10) while in Luke the heaven was opened ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν. Mark is dramatic and stresses a break with the past. Luke is spiritual and stresses the admission into the abode of God. Jesus prayed to open the heaven for our entry.
and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22b)
The wordings are the same as Mark's, but the readers will certainly not miss the point that it is also addressed to them. We are God's beloved sons as well. Fr. Lejeune celebrated the 11 a.m. mass this morning with us. This was the key point in his homily. Through baptism, we become the beloved sons of God. When we contemplate on this point, can we sin to displease our Heavenly Father any more?
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened (Luke 3:21).
The heaven was opened when Jesus was praying.
In Mark, the heaven was split σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς (Mark 1:10) while in Luke the heaven was opened ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν. Mark is dramatic and stresses a break with the past. Luke is spiritual and stresses the admission into the abode of God. Jesus prayed to open the heaven for our entry.
and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22b)
The wordings are the same as Mark's, but the readers will certainly not miss the point that it is also addressed to them. We are God's beloved sons as well. Fr. Lejeune celebrated the 11 a.m. mass this morning with us. This was the key point in his homily. Through baptism, we become the beloved sons of God. When we contemplate on this point, can we sin to displease our Heavenly Father any more?
Usually, we forget that angels are also creatures and they need salvation as well. They are pure spirits and an order higher than men because we have a material body which they don't. There are disadvantages as well as advantages. We are aware of our baser status, while angels are exposed to a greater temptation of arrogance, a temptation to become gods. Indeed, some angels did fall because of this arrogance. God chose to become man to redeem the whole Creation. This choice aroused the jealousy of some angels and they fell from grace too. But I am sure God will arrange ways to deliver them. For us men, we attain our salvation through faith in Jesus, the Son of God. For angels, it is beyond our understanding to know how. Our salvation is unmerited. We will simply follow the way shown by Jesus to return to God.
Dear Lord, if You received baptism, who are we to refuse baptism? I pray that we follow Your example to become beloved sons of God. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment