Many people view the New Year as a chance to begin
again and make New Year resolutions. I will swear less, eat my greens, become
an opera singer this year. Beginnings are important in our lives and we often
celebrate them-birth with a blessing or christening, maturity with confirmation
or barmitzvah, marriage, and so on. I think maybe we don’t make enough of these
events. People like Rudolf Steiner realised that even cutting a new tooth was a
very important event for a child.
And so it is in our spiritual journey. At the
beginning of any major faith beginning there is a ritual of renunciation, a
turning away and of purification and commitment to a new way of being. For the
Jews this involved a purification in water, one of the lakes or rivers. Hindus
do the same in the Ganges. So as we begin our Christian journeys we are
baptised as babies or as adults (Ive done both!)
Luke sets the stage by identifying 7 personalities so
as to date the ministry of John the Baptist, and by implication, the
commencement of the ministry of Jesus, at AD 27-29.
The Word of God came to Zechariah's son John in the
desert - a place of reflection, retreat and revelation. Probably the wilderness
is the area north west of the Dead Sea, leading into the Jordan valley. John's
ministry covered the whole of Jordan, preaching - communicating, proclaiming. It
was authoritative-a baptism by immersion-used to describe water immersion, but
also overwhelmed in/by/with the Spirit. This represents repentance for the
forgiveness of sins expressed outwardly in water baptism, imaging cleansing.
Repentance in Hebrew involves a turning back /
returning to God, rather than an expression of sorrow. Good deeds are not a
necessary component of the inward act of repentance. Forgiveness does not rest
on the deeds (fruit), but on a turning toward God.
John was baptizing all Israel with water but one more
powerful was coming whose sandles he was
unworthy to untie. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
And the day of judgment is at hand to clean out, to gather up and burn with
unquenchable fire- a fire that can't be put out, alluding to the rubbish dump
outside Jerusalem that was constantly burning and often used to image the
horror of judgment, although not necessarily "eternal" judgment.
Serious
spiritual action is taking place on the margins, in the desert. We know who he
is even if others don’t. The Messiah is introduced with its contradictions.
The gospel
is good news of victory usually the glad tidings of empire!
Jesus goes
forward from the crowd to be baptized.
And we have the advent of an anointed leader who
proclaims a kingdom. A challenge to imperial gospel. And a voice from off stage,
the prophet Isaiah says ,”This is
my Beloved son”, quoting Psalms, the
Suffering Servant of Isaiah, Jesus of Nazareth! From Galillee a poor, marginal
place. Could this Jesus be the fulfillment of ancient prophecies? Jesus'
baptism was followed by the temptation and a call to the wilderness.
In Jewish and Christian understanding the Spirit
usually comes upon a person to set them apart to lead different lives from the
norm more in tune with God and the Spirit of God is often symbolised by a dove,
also a symbol for us of peace. So the Spirit comes to Jesus, sets him apart,
equips him for service, to proclaim good news to the lost, to heal the broken
hearted and announce freedom to the captives, Isa.61:1.
And so as we start this New Year we like Jesus commit
ourselves to Gods path and Gods resolutions even though its an up hill slog
because we are on a soul journey that takes a lifetime..
