Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014
Russian icon of the Prophet Isaiah.
On the second Sunday after the Epiphany, the Gospel gives us another perspective on the baptism of Jesus, this one from the Gospel according to John. First, though, our Old Testament reading tells us more about Isaiah’s vision of the Suffering Servant, a figure that the prophet understood as God’s savior coming to lead the the people back to Jerusalem from their Babylonian exile. But Christians can’t help imagining Jesus in the prophet’s words, a servant, once despised, who rises up and extends God’s saving power to all the nations, to the ends of the Earth.
Psalm: Psalm 40
Like the people waiting in ancient exile for their servant savior, the Psalmist waits with patience and faith for God to act. Although surrounded by too many evils to count and blinded by iniquities until his heart fails, the Psalmist remains firm in the hope that God’s faithful, steadfast love will eventually bring mercy, deliverance and safety.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
In these opening verses of his first letter to the people of Corinth, a major Greek trading and seafaring city. Paul’s friendly greetings give us insight into the letter that follows. The congregation in Corinth probably wasn’t large, but it was divided into quarreling factions, each with its own ideas about Christian practice. Faith in Christ has already given them gifts that have made them strong, Paul reminds the people of the church, urging them to stay strong and to remain blameless as they await the day of Christ’s coming.
Gospel: John 1:29-42
Last week in Matthew’s account of the baptism of Jesus, we heard John the Baptist ask why Jesus shouldn’t be baptizing him. Today, John’s gospel takes another approach to this sticky question: why would Jesus need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins? John’s answer is simple: John, baptizing in hope that the Lamb of God would be revealed, saw the Spirit coming down to Jesus, showing that Jesus is the Son of God. Then the first disciples recognize Jesus as the Messiah and start to follow him.