Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings. The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us. I hope you find it helpful!
Isaiah 42:1 – 4, 6 – 7
We hear again from the prophet Isaiah this Sunday, from one of the sections that most scripture scholars identify as part of Deutero-Isaiah. Specifically, it is the first of four of the Isaian Servant Songs (the others are 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12). Although the author probably has someone else in mind (Hezekiah, Jeremiah or even the people of Israel – notice that it is not clear whether the servant is an individual or a collectivity; cf. 49:3 and 49:5) in composing these descriptive songs, it’s easy for us to see that their fuller sense is realized in Jesus. I invite you to read the other passages before we delve into Sunday’s reading. You will notice that they clearly speak of Jesus, even though they were proclaimed hundreds of years before his birth.
Now, let’s review Sunday’s reading; remember, it is the first of the Servant Songs:
1 Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.
Upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations.
Servant: as we saw earlier, three other passages have been popularly called “servant of the Lord” poems. What is important is the description of the mission of the servant. In the early Church and throughout Christian tradition, these poems have been applied to Christ; cf. Mt 12:18–21, where this very passage is quoted in reference to him.
2 He will not cry out, nor shout, nor make his voice 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.
Bruised reed…quench: images to express the gentle manner of the servant’s mission.
4 He will not grow dim or be bruised until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
He will not grow dim or be bruised: he will not tire in his work, nor will he suffer injury. When applied to Jesus, we see his unflagging dedication to his mission and, although, he did suffer serious injury and even death, he was restored to an even fuller life with a glorified body in his Resurrection.
Coastlands: for Israel, the world to the west: the islands and coastal nations of the Mediterranean.
6 I, the LORD, have called you for justice, I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
LORD: remember, whenever we see “Lord” in our English translation, we are seeing Yahweh or Adonai in the original Hebrew; this, of course, speaks of God who calls the Suffering Servant.
I have grasped you by the hand: God holds the Suffering Servant firm as he leads him forth; he does the same for us.
7 To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
God send his Servant to heal all those who are afflicted so that they can return to the community and to free those who are unjustly imprisoned – referring here, of course, to those enduring the Babylonian Exile.
This saving work of the Suffering Servant anticipates the mission of Jesus which is inaugurated at his baptism; that’ what we hear in today’s Gospel.
Matthew 3:13 – 17
Although John’s Gospel does not explicitly mention it, as you noticed in the opening prayer, it is implied since John the Baptist is at the Jordan baptizing when he sees the Spirit descend upon Jesus. All three of the synoptic gospels do report Jesus’ baptism but the Matthean story of the baptism account, which we will hear on Sunday, is significantly different from the Marcan and Lucan (cf. Mk 1:9 – 11; Lk 3:19 – 22). All three share some testimony from God as Jesus arose from the Jordan. It’s important to realize that by the time the Gospel of Matthew was finalized somewhere around 80AD, John’s baptism of Jesus had become an issue that needed clarification. Why would the sinless Jesus participate in a baptism for sinners? Why would Jesus, who was superior to John both as a person and in his mission, submit to the Baptizer? These questions were complicated even further because some of John’s followers continued to cling to their conviction that he – John – had been the messiah. When each of the evangelists told of Jesus’ baptism, they did so fully aware of these issues. For that reason, Matthew includes a conversation between Jesus and John, with John protesting Jesus’ coming to be baptized by him (cf. vv. 13 – 15). Then, the evangelist used that moment in Jesus’ life to affirm Jesus’ identity and to inaugurate his messianic mission.
There is much discussion among scholars as to why Jesus participated in the rite at the Jordan. Some say it was to offer an example of humility that others might follow. Some have seen in Jesus’ action a sign of his willingness to embrace sinners so as to redeem them. Still others, citing verse 15 (unique to the Matthean account), understand it as a sign that Jesus is always going to adhere to God’s plan for him and for the world.
To affirm Jesus’ identity and his mission, a voice spoke from heaven. Voice — or, more literally, bath hoe, which means “daughter of a voice” — was a term used in rabbinic literature to refer to the means by which God revealed the divine purpose after prophecy had ceased. Here, the voice proclaims Jesus as God’s beloved Son with whom God is well pleased. Scholars see this as an obvious association of Jesus with the Isaian servant (as we heard in the first reading).
The image of an opened sky was probably meant to remind Matthew’s readers of Isaiah 64:1 (or in some translations, 63:19b): “O that you would rend the heavens and come down.” This cry summed up the hopes of the prophet and his contemporaries as they begged for messianic intervention. By referencing this Isaian text, Matthew was affirming that the era of the messiah was now beginning in Jesus.
This affirmation was further clarified by the presence of the Spirit of God coming upon and “anointing” Jesus. Just as kings, priests and prophets were anointed by God in order to carry out their respective duties, and just as the Isaian servant (Is 42:1-2) was anointed for his salvific mission, so was Jesus endowed with and empowered by God’s own Spirit. In addition to representing the presence of God, the dove was often regarded as a symbol for Israel as God’s beloved (Song of Songs [pg. 892] 1:15; 2:14; 4:1; 5:2; 6:9). Perhaps the author of Matthew’s Gospel would also want readers to recognize the dove as a symbol of the new Israel: that is, all the people of God for whom Jesus would exercise his saving ministry. With all of this background, let’s read the passage.
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”
15 Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.
John tried to prevent him, saying… righteousness: If you look at your footnote, you will see that this dialogue is peculiar to Matthew. It reveals John’s awareness of Jesus’ superiority to him. He is reluctant to baptize Jesus because his baptism is intended for sinners. But Jesus convinces him to do so to fulfill all righteousness. Although the term righteousness usually speaks of acting in conformity to God’s will and thus being in a right relationship with God, Matthew also uses the term to speak of the saving activity of God (cf. Mt. 5:6, 6:33). Jesus is announcing that, with his baptism, God’s saving activity, first announced to Abraham and revealed ever more clearly throughout Salvation History, is now being fulfilled.
16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him.
Spirit of God descending like a dove: As I mentioned earlier, this descent of the Holy Spirit is a sign Jesus’ anointing.
17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” As Jesus prepares to begin his public ministry, he is given the assurance that his heavenly Father is with him.
Acts 10:34 – 38
This passage is presented on Sunday to provide a summary statement of the mission Jesus accepted when he was baptized. As we will see, Luke simply and eloquently describes that mission as: “he went about doing good.” That’s not just a nice statement about the good deeds he performed but affirms that, from the first moment that he began to teach and preach about the reign of God, Jesus, who was God’s good agent, set himself at odds with evil. His actions were not merely acts of mercy but an assault on all that was unholy, “for God was with him,” as Luke has attested.
The few verses that we will hear on Sunday, however, are from a very important pericope and I would like to spend some time with it because it speaks of the foundation for the expansion of the Christian community from just Jews to all people. Allow me to give a little background and then let’s read all of Acts 10.
Cornelius, a Roman soldier in charge of 100 men stationed at the garrison in Caesarea, was also a God-fearer, i.e., a devout gentile who attended synagogue services, worshiped the God of the Israelites and observed the Decalogue. But, he did not submit to circumcision or adhere to Jewish dietary laws. As the narrative of Peter’s visit to Cornelius’ home unfolds, it becomes evident that this was a watershed moment in the history of the early church. Not only was Cornelius converted to the faith by Peter, the recognized leader of the community, but Peter, too, was undergoing a transformation. He welcomed Cornelius as a brother in the faith and ate with him in his home!
Let’s read the chapter.
Apologetically, Luke used the Cornelius event to put to rest two of the most difficult challenges that faced the early Church. First, rather than going to Christ through Moses — that is, rather than being forced to embrace Judaism in order to become Christian — gentiles should be free to come to Christ without restriction. A second challenge was especially difficult for many Jews who had grown accustomed to avoiding gentiles. Through the Cornelius episode, Luke offered the assurance that contact with gentiles does not result in ritual defilement.
In accepting Cornelius with the declaration that “God shows no partiality” (v. 34), Peter moved beyond the boundaries that he, as an observant Jew, had regarded as sacred and inviolable. In accepting Cornelius without reserve, Luke taught (through Peter’s speech) that Christianity placed no restrictions or barriers of acceptability based on race or former beliefs. In Christ Jesus, all such limitations and exclusivity had become obsolete, meaningless and, indeed, counterproductive.
Having acknowledged God’s acceptance of Cornelius as well as all those who fear God and act uprightly, Luke has Peter offer a short summary of the Christian kerygma. Just as the word or good news of salvation had been preached among the Israelites, now it would be proclaimed among the gentiles. This simple statement in verse 36 may have been intended as a clarification. Some accused Paul and others of preaching a “diluted” Gospel to the gentiles, but here Luke leaves no doubt that the same Gospel was preached to Israelites and gentiles alike.
In the kerygma that follows (vv. 38-40), Luke assures readers that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power. All that Jesus did and said was foreordained by God for the salvation of humankind. Strengthened by the Spirit and the power given him from God, Jesus went about doing good. Had the entire kerygma been quoted here (vv. 38-43), it would have included references to Jesus’ salvific death and victorious resurrection, without which the kerygma is incomplete. This same kerygma continues to be preached and professed by every baptized believer.
With this background, let’s examine the passage that we will hear on Sunday:
34 Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
35 Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.
36 You know the word [that] he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
37 what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached,
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power: Very clearly, the early Christian community recognized that Jesus was the anointed one, given the power to save by God the Father through the Holy Spirit.
In all three passages this Sunday, we learn about Jesus, the servant foretold by Deutero-Isaiah, affirmed by God as “my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” and the one who calls all people to God. That’s how we end the Christmas season and return to Ordinary Time: fully aware of God’s work being done through Jesus, his beloved son, for the good of all who would come to believe in him.
This is also a good time for us to reflect on our own baptism. Through the Sacrament of Baptism – the first sacrament we received – we were cleansed of the stain of original sin. If you were an adult, you were also forgiven of all your sins. Through baptism, we were welcomed into the family of God, allowed to call God our Father, as we do every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer. Like Jesus, we had the Holy Spirit given to us as we were anointed by the same sacred chrism that would be administered when we received the fullness of the Spirit at Confirmation. You will notice that we are never baptized again since the sacrament can never be absolved. Although baptism does not guarantee our entry into heaven, it marks us for Christ in a way that can never be erased. As we return, once again to Ordinary Time, that is, time ordered by God, let us continue to unite ourselves to God so as to deserve the title, children of God.