Scripture Study for

In Isaiah’s text from the late exilic or early post-exilic period, the prophet hears a voice from the heavenly council cry out to prepare a path in the desert that lies between Babylon and Judah. The terrain must be made completely flat, to allow the Lord to lead the redeemed exiles back to their ancestral land. The final portion of the reading contains two apparently contradictory metaphors for God. The divine warrior who is returning with his people, who are his “reward” and “recompense” (the Hebrew words often refer to spoils of war) is also the shepherd who carries his charges with tender care.  The biblical witness to God envisions the Lord as simultaneously powerful and gentle.

The Letter to Titus urges readers to evaluate every aspect of their lives in light of the gospel, and to live accordingly. When the grace of God appears (in the person of Jesus Christ) in one’s life, that life must change. Whatever “godless and worldly desires” one holds must give way to temperance, justice, and devotion. This is called for, not by a harsh and demanding God, but by a God of kindness, generous love, and mercy. The changes one makes in light of the appearance of Christ in one’s life are part of the transformation that appearance effects as Christ justifies and makes heirs of all those who accept this gift. 

We are given no reason in Luke why Jesus went to be baptized by John. Certainly, it is not a question of needing a baptism of repentance. One likely reason is that the baptism by John marks a succession, in which Jesus claims his role, which John has announced and prepared. The opening of the heavens, an eschatological and even apocalyptic event, testifies that Jesus is the expected Messiah, as do the visible descent of the Spirit and the voice from heaven affirming that Jesus is not just beloved of God (others in the Bible, such as Abraham and Daniel were also called beloved), but he is God’s Son, a title that here points especially to Jesus’ role as God’s royal representative on earth (Psalm 2:7).