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Sunday after the Epiphany

1st Sunday after the Epiphany

1. The word Epiphany means disclosure, unveiling, showing something or someone in public for everyone to see. In todays readings we have 3 different disclosures:
When dealing with God, we could never say, I got it, I have complete grasp of God. God is infinite and our minds are limited. So these epiphanies, or disclosures, help us gets a different perspective of the infinite The first is the description by Isaiah of someone called the servant or the suffering servant. The second is a speech by Peter who give a description of Jesus and of his mission that resemble Isaiahs servant. Finally, the 2rd is the account of Jesus baptism in the Gospel of John, and of how Jesus identity was revealed at his baptism

2.

The first reading, from 2nd Isaiah, was written during the Babylonian exile. This is one of 4 passages that describe the servant of the Lord.
There is a great deal of debate about the identity of this servant. Some scholars see him as an individual (the king, or the prophet himself), while others believe that the servant is the personification of the entire people of Israel. Here we read that the servant is chosen and, like the prophets, he is endowed by the Spirit and sent on a mission to the nations to enlightened those who are ignorant, and free those who are enslaved. In the other passages the servant is described as (2) one who was deeply despised and abhorred by the nations, (3) one who listened to the word of God and endured much abuse for it, and (4) one who suffered to atone the sins of many. I would go out on a limb and say that for Isaiah, probably, the suffering servant was a symbolic figure representing all the Israelites exiled in Babylon. They had been chosen by God, but then had been defeated and abused, and exiled not just for their personal sins, but for the sins committed for centuries by the entire nation. Their atonement was nearly finished and they would soon be free. These oracles were written 5 and centuries BC for those in exile. However, the Christian church saw in the descriptions of the servant an uncanny similarity with what happened to Jesus, an innocent victim, who was abused and killed, and through his death brought about salvation. So the Church started applying these servant oracles to Jesus. These passages will become fundamental in the development of the Christian doctrine of atonement

1st Sunday after the Epiphany

3. Were these servant passages prophecies about Jesus? I think that we need to be intellectually honest: prophets were sent in specific historical times to help the people of Israel through specific situations. 2nd Isaiahs mission was to be a prophet for Israelites who were suffering during the Babylonian exile, not for Christians who would come 6 centuries later.
However, God is eternal and eternally committed to reveal himself as a loving presence in the lives of his people. So, the revelation of God in the words of the prophets, expresses themes and aspirations that go beyond individual historical events Prophecies that were written for specific situations, convey a timeless message that continue to speak to similar situation even in different historical eras. Human nature has not changed all that much: we continue to ignore God and to be selfish, to fear and to exploit others, and so the words of the prophets still speak to our condition today.

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In the second reading from Acts, Peter described Jesus and his mission with concepts that mirror Isaiahs description of the suffering servant
Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit (remember that anointed = Messiah) He healed the sick and preached Gods message, He was innocent, and yet was abused and killed, and his death atoned for the sins of others But God raised him from the dead The churchs mission now would be to continue what Jesus had done Finally Peter wrapped up by stating that all prophets testified about him, and that those who believe in him will receive forgiveness of sins. (atonement) Peters speech placed Jesus in the context of 2nd Isaiah servant songs and made the argument that Jesus was indeed the Suffering Servant described by Isaiah.

1st Sunday after the Epiphany

5. Finally, the passage from the Gospel of John describes the baptism of Jesus
On Monday we celebrated the Epiphany. In the Gospel of Matthew, the epiphany marks the first time when Jesus was shown in public, when outsiders first became aware that this child was not just a regular kid, but that he was the chosen one. Note that 2 of the 4 Gospels have infancy narratives, but the other 2 (Mark and John) start the narrative about Jesus at his baptism. That is because for them it was at baptism that Jesus true epiphany took place. At Baptism, we read that John the Baptist identified Jesus to his own disciples as the one to follow. In addition, people heard a voice from heaven proclaiming, this is my son, the beloved, in who I am well pleased and they saw the Spirit of God descending on him in the shape of a dove. Baptism was a watershed in Jesus life. Up to this point he had been a regular guy, working in construction, his fathers profession. But after his baptism Jesus quit his job, selected his disciples, and begun to preach and to perform miracles. Was Jesus aware of his mission all along, before the baptism, and just biding his time? Or did he suddenly gained this awareness as the Spirit descended on him and he heard the voice from heaven stating that he stood in a special relationship with God? For Matthew and John this event is an Epiphany: a voice from heaven was heard by all stating that this is my son. Mark and Luke have it as you are my son, as if the revelation from Heaven was private to inform Jesus about his identity and his special relationship with God Jesus is and will continue to be a mystery: was he just a guy on a mission like the prophets? Was he the Messiah? Was he suffering servant sent to atone the sins of all? Was he God? 3 of the 4 Gospels never use the word God to describe Jesus. But Johns Gospel comes right out and states that the Word was with God and the Word was God These 3 readings are epiphanies, manifestations of a mystery . We will never fully understand Jesus, but we can experience Jesus as our point of contact with God, the one who unequivocally disclosed that God is love.