Baptism of the Beloved Son
Baptism within a Long History
Lk comes to Jesus’ Baptism. Only 2 verses! Focused on 2 signs: Holy Spirit and Voice from God: Jesus as God’s beloved son, God’s delight. As with birth and crucifixion, Lk interprets it by the narrative surrounding it. Here, John’s ministry and arrest and a long genealogy. Wider, Recall Jesus in Nazareth (Lk 4): Reads Isa 61: Lord’s Spirit, Anointed. Gabriel to Mary (Lk 1): Mary’s Son, Son of Most High, Throne of his father David, Holy Spirit, Son of God. Glory & promise surround his baptism/plunging in water.
Lk puts John’s arrest before Jesus’ baptism. Not to distance Jesus from John, but the glory of God’s Son like the greatness of the prophet doesn’t protect from suffering. Like Mary isn’t protected from the sword through the soul. Jesus is baptized to affirm & embody the “change of heart & mind” that John proclaimed for God’s people.
Son of God, Son of David, Son of Mary and Joseph
Baptism brings together Spirit & Father around Son: comm-unity of Love in “Trinity.” Spirit is power in God embodied in Jesus. Power in Jesus’ ministry, Power in Acts. Signs are important: Dove (Jn 1), Wind, Fire (Act 2, Jn 3), Gift to include all people.
“You are my Son whom I love” echoes deep in scripture. Back to Isaac & Abraham (Gn 22); Israel in Exodus. David’s Son/Messiah (2Sam 7); Servant in Isaiah. Here the voice of God gives a simple emphatic statement: “In you I take delight!” What does it mean? Nothing bad can happen? The whole Gospel is answer! That’s the journey! God’s delight, Jesus’ delight, the Spirit’s power includes God taking on human sin & suffering, conquering death, creating new Life, bringing all peoples into one body.
Standing on the Shoulders of the Past
After 2 verses on Jesus’ baptism, 15 verses on genealogy. 76 generation back to Adam. Important for people then, also for Lk. It adds to the meaning of Son of God. Note: We can’t know the source. People compiled gens. We have gen. also in Mt 1. Overlap in names before David, but David to Joseph almost entirely different. Both gens. of Joseph as supposed father. Human kinship is important but challenging.
In relation to Mt, notable that in Lk, David is the only king in the list. Not a royal line but ordinary people, like Simeon, Anna, Mary, Joseph. The royalty comes from God. But through Joseph we look back on names, most unknown after David, that span Israel’s life with God. Then extend before Abraham to “son of Adam, son of God.” Jesus embodies all humanity’s relation to God as beloved children, God’s delight.
Those unknown names stretch out across history to tell of all that flows into Jesus. Pompey, Maccabees, Alexander, 2nd Temple, Babylonian exile, Temple destroyed, time of prophets, divided kingdom, etc. So many broken hopes wait on Jesus’ life!