An atheist said, “If Christians are the light of the world, somebody has forgotten to turn the switch on.” “Since 1960, there has been a 560% increase in violent crimes, more than a 400% increase in illegitimate births, a quadrupling of divorce rates, tripling of children in single-parent homes.” The speaker was William F Buckley, Jr. The world, according to him, does seem to be going to hell in a hand-basket. But was the world of Jesus really that different when He was baptized by John in the Jordan? Listen to John as he answers that question in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. “Turn away from your sins. You snakes. Don’t collect more than is legal. Don’t take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely.” The world of Jesus’ time seems to resemble our own. John the Baptizer could very easily
recycle
his Jordan sermons to speak to our problems. Listening to him, contemporary preachers might be tempted to whisper, “I could use John’s material. He describes our times.” The crucial question is how the Christ responded to the dry rot all about Himself.
The answer is to be found in the cleansing waters of the Jordan and in today’s feast. It is important to note that all four Gospel writers refer to the baptism of Jesus. So, in their minds, the baptism is e-mailing an important message. It is our job to discover what that message is. The baptism was important to Him. He uses this dramatic event to commence His public life and work. If one could say Jesus had an inauguration, this was it.
The silent Jesus waded out to the spot where John stood in the Jordan river. He asked for baptism. John went into immediate shock. He intuitively knew that this baptism was not designed for the Man from Nazareth. He waved Him off. He had no desire to hold a fully grown tiger by the tail. Yet, Jesus insisted and gave him no choice. John knew who it was standing in the cold rushing water before him. The reluctant John baptized Him, but he must have sensed the Saviour had a method in His apparent madness. He did and we find the answer in art, courtesy of Henri Daniel-Rops. Artists from day one have wrestled with the Master’s baptism. You will find drawings in the catacombs, in early sculptures, in books on liturgy, in mosaics, and in stained glass. Curiously though, the artists have invariably treated the subject in a minimalist style. One finds neither embroidery nor embellishment. What you see is what you get.
Even the untutored eye will find this minimalism in the stained glass window at the Chartres cathedral outside Paris. It is the case even more so in a famous medieval psalter by the Dane, Ingeborg. His work portrays Christian subjects in rich and opulent colors with one exception. Yes, Jesus’ baptism! But why? Jesus is telling us that we must first direct our attention to our own personal lives with little ceremony and less pomp. We must cleanse ourselves with rough brown laundry soap in clean waters as He did. Then and only then can we properly address ourselves to the many human problems referred to by Mr Buckley. Every reformation must first begin in one’s own home and with oneself. It must be done as simply and quickly as possible. It was St Paul who told us that “He was like unto us in all things except sin.” And yet that sinless Christ took it upon Himself to enter the waters and wash Himself before He set out to reform anyone else. Can anyone of us do less? The Teacher is a doer, not a talker. He wants action, not pious platitudes or vague resolutions. The Associated Press breathlessly reported that a British astronomer speculated that the Christmas star was the “coming together of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces in 7 BC.” Perhaps and of course perhaps not. Yet might we not all agree that one can still see traces of that Christmas star in the night sky?
But this time it is illuminating not the creche but the confessional in your church. Why not step in there and first purge yourself of your sins? Then, like the renewed Christ, tackle the problems in your families, community, and the world. St Peter of Alcantara puts the case this way. “Truly matters are in a bad state. But if you and I begin to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made.” Remember the monk’s dictum. To show His love, Jesus died for us. To show our love, we must live for Him.