Gospel for Saturday, January 07: Mark 1:9-11
Baptism of the Lord B
9And behold, in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10And immediately, as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn open and the Spirit descending toward him like a dove. 11And there came a voice from heaven, “You are my Son, the beloved: in you have I set my pleasure.”
Mk 1:9-11
Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Misericordie, I am Carlo Miglietta, doctor, biblical scholar, layman, husband, father and grandfather (www.buonabibbiaatutti.it). Also today I share with you a short meditation thought on the Gospel, with special reference to the theme of mercy.
Jesus is immersed in the Jordan, like the Jews in the waters of the Red Sea, and also of the Jordan before entering the Promised Land. There is a clear symbolic reference to Jesus as the new Israel: just as Israel, coming out of slavery in Egypt, had been immersed in the Red Sea, and then in the Jordan, so now Jesus begins his public life immersed in the Jordan.
First of all, it is not stated that a dove descended on Jesus, but that “the Spirit, like a dove“, descended there (v. 10). The dove is 1 the bird that announced peace to Noah at the end of the flood, and is the very symbol of Israel (Hos 11, Chr 1). It is a way of saying that God enters history, that God reveals himself to men. The dove is symbolic, that is, an allegorical way of saying that God enters the world; it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit coming into human affairs. This Spirit is the Ruah IHWH, the same Spirit that hovers over the primeval waters (Gen. 1:1), the Spirit that anoints the Prophets. Here a new creation is accomplished: as then the Spirit gave birth to creation, so now the Spirit coming on Christ forms the new man, Jesus Christ, the new Adam, the perfect man.
‘The heavens were opened‘ is a statement is very important, indicating the end of the separation between God and men: now the heavens are no longer closed to men, man can adhere to the divine, man can have contact with God
All of the Gospels report the account of Jesus’ baptism to emphasize that at the following of the Baptist Jesus becomes aware of his vocation, and they express it through this symbolic form that states that while Jesus is immersed in the Jordan the Spirit of God descends upon him, and he hears the voice saying to him, “You are my Son, the beloved: in you I have set my satisfaction” (v. 11).
We should not be shocked that this account is symbolic: the reality is precisely that at this moment Jesus understands that he is the Son of God, while the way of expressing it is affected by certain literal genres.
These literal genres are:
- the biblical tradition of the Exodus interpreted according to Isaiah: Jesus new Israel who, like Israel, plunged into the Red Sea.
- the ancient prophetic scriptures: if we read, for example, Ezekiel, or Jeremiah and Isaiah, we see that God’s Spirit often descends on the Prophet, fills him and consecrates him for his Mission
- here there is also already a reinterpretation by the early community through the Christian baptismal experience. Sacramentum is a Latin word meaning “sign.” Baptismal immersion is a sign of our being children of God. Jesus, too, is given an awareness of his Mission within the baptismal experience.
Jesus truly presents Himself as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 42:1, making Himself in all solidarity with us, standing in line with sinners. In Mk 1:12 the Greek word huiòs is used, which has a double meaning: it means both Son and Servant. In fact, in Is 42:1 the Servant is spoken of, a mysterious figure who in Is 53:1-12 is “man of sorrows,” who clearly knows the affliction, from which we are saved. It is an enigmatic figure that baffles Israel, which had always expected a triumphant, powerful Messiah who would free them from the yoke of foreign domination. Instead Isaiah says we will be saved by a man despised, outcast by men, beaten by God, humiliated as a mute sheep led to the slaughter, and mute before his persecutors.
Mark presents Jesus as the Servant Son, the Messiah who fulfills the prophecy of the Suffering Servant, and gives us the proof: he is there among sinners! The great and powerful God makes his appearance in public, standing in line, waiting to be baptized. This solidarity with men will reach its fullness on the cross, when Jesus receives true Baptism (Mk 10:38-39).
In today’s Gospel there is a continuous parallel with the figure of Adam. Adam, the first man, had wanted to make himself like God, eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because the tempter had said, “If you eat you will be like God.” Jesus takes the reverse path: he is the God who becomes man: it is what Paul calls the mystery of kènosis, of emptying, the path of humiliation, the only one that leads to exaltation. That is why Jesus says he is the first who became last, the Servant of all.
This has tremendous consequences for us. Like Jesus, the Church is called not to speeches of power and glory, but to hide among the people, to share the lot of the least, to mingle with sinners, with poor people, with the marginalized, with the excluded, with the discarded. Jesus here does not make a speech, a Pastoral program, but gives an example, a lesson to his Church. We are called to be with others, we are called to service, to empty ourselves, to become last, to die for others.
Mark also gives a Catechism lesson: he wants to teach a catechumen, that is, one who wants to become a Christian, that Baptism, for us as for Jesus, is a moment first and foremost of death. Yes, Baptism is a sign of death, death of the old man, death to the things of this world, death to pride, death to the spirit of possession and domination: it is self-denial. But only through this path does one come to rise with Christ (Col 2:12; Rom 6:3-8).
Happy Mercy to all!
Anyone who would like to read a more complete exegesis of the text, or some insights, please ask me at migliettacarlo@gmail.com.