Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Jan. 18, 2026 (Epiphany 2A)

The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew (1308-1311). Tempera painting on wood by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319). National Gallery, Washington, D.C. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

In the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Epiphany, we hear another version of Jesus meeting John the Baptist at the Jordan, this time the intriguingly different narrative told by John. Our other readings offer perspectives on the idea of waiting with faith and hope for God. The first reading comes from much later in Isaiah’s prophetic book than last week’s passage from Isaiah: We hear the second of Isaiah’s four descriptions of the suffering servant, the savior who would lead the people back to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. Although once despised, Isaiah foretells, this servant will eventually rise up, bringing God’s saving power not only to Israel and Judah but to all the nations, to the ends of the Earth.

Psalm: Psalm 40:1-12

In verses that resonate with Isaiah’s view of the people waiting in exile for their suffering servant savior to come, Psalm 40 envisions waiting patiently and with deep trust and faith for God to act. Though the people were once left desolate in mire and clay, alone in a pit, the Psalmist sings, “God will place them on a new, secure footing and give them a new song of praise.” Although he remains surrounded by too many evils to count and blinded by iniquities until his heart fails, the Psalmist remains firm in hope that God’s faithful, steadfast love will eventually bring mercy, deliverance, and safety.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

During the remaining Sundays after Epiphany, we will read from Paul’s first letter to the Christian community in Corinth – a major Greek trading and seafaring city. In these opening verses, Paul’s friendly greetings offer a view of the letter that follows. The congregation in Corinth wasn’t old, and it probably wasn’t large; but it was already splitting into bickering factions, each with its own ideas about Christian practice. Faith in Christ has given them gifts that have made them strong, Paul reminds the people of the church. He urges them to hold on to those gifts and be steadfast as they wait for Christ’s coming, an event that many in those days thought would happen soon.

Gospel: John 1:29-42

John’s perspective on Jesus’s baptism is very different from the narrative that we heard from Matthew last Sunday. Now, according to John, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming, immediately declares him the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” and tells the crowd that Jesus both came before him and ranks above him. Then it is John the Baptist, not Jesus or the crowd, who tells of seeing the Spirit coming down like a dove and remaining on Jesus, revealing him as the one who would baptize not with water but with the Spirit: The Son of God. The Gospel doesn’t mention an actual baptism, but through John’s prophetic testimony, Jesus’s first disciples recognize Jesus as Messiah and start to follow him.