Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17

John the Baptist has been living in the wilderness, wearing a garment of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist as the Prophet Elijah did.
John was calling for repentance, and then sealing the repentance with the baptism in the Jordan River. He made it clear that it was not the inheritance and lineage that counted but rather the true repentance and the rebirth through baptism. However, he also announced that someone more important than him would come and baptise the believers with the Spirit.

In today’s Reading, Isaiah announces the coming of the true servant of the Lord. This true servant will bring true justice to all nations, but not the way that common warriors would do. His leadership will be different, and his message of true justice and light will spread faithfully until it reaches all nations.

In Acts we hear of examples of this spreading of the Good News, the message of true justice.
Saul, the persecutor of the new believers has a powerful vision and subsequently turns into a strong believer and defender of the followers of Christ. Cornelius, a centurion and a Gentile, is sent to meet with Simon Peter. In both cases, a higher force, the Spirit, messages in dreams, initiate the conversions. It is not through a battle or through the military victory of some that forcefully changes attitudes and actions of the defeated.
Saul, who later becomes Paul, and Cornelius, who had been a secret believer, are now contacted by God through dreams or visions. They courageously confess their belief which shocks people around them as it seems to contradict their upbringing and culture. This is God’s work. God wants to bring all nations together to establish true justice and peace.

In order to create harmony between nations and cultures, the first believers also need to be prepared. They have to overcome their own traditions and cultures and open their hearts and minds to fully embrace the new believers. So, God educates Simon Peter before confronting him with Paul and Cornelius. In a dream, God reminds Simon Peter that all of God’s Creation is good. There is no clean and unclean and no circumcised and uncircumcised. God’s plan is to show that everyone is born equal. What counts is the faith in God and the actions that please God. There are no favourite nations, no chosen ones. All are chosen to follow God’s plan.
When Cornelius and Simon Peter meet, they realise that they were brought together by the Spirit. Their meeting was God’s plan. Both also realise that they are entering a new phase: spreading the message of Jesus Christ to all nations.

God has no favourites. This is also what John the Baptist expressed when he reminded the children of Abraham to show their belief in God through their actions. John didn’t baptise people because it was their right according to their ancestors but as a sign of repentance and commitment to lead a life that would please God.

When Jesus comes to John and asked to be baptised, John first refuses. How could he, John, baptise Jesus? However, Jesus reiterates his wish to be baptised by John and calls the action “all that righteousness demands”. John understands that it is God’s will. He does as he is told.
John is aware that Jesus is special. He doesn’t know why Jesus would like to follow in everyone’s footsteps. Does Jesus need to repent and be reborn through baptism? Isn’t he different to everyone else? Yet, Jesus insists. Jesus is not spared anything. God doesn’t have favourites among the nations.

Isaiah’s prophecy mentions a servant of God who will bring true justice. God’s chosen one who will receive God’s Spirit.
John baptises Jesus with water. He immerses Jesus in the Jordan River, and, immediately, after this action is completed, God speaks to John through the Spirit. When it comes to Jesus, God doesn’t communicate only in a dream or a vision, but in a very powerful way: the heavens open and the Spirit of God descends like a dove on Jesus. It doesn’t say in form of a dove, but the Spirit lands on Jesus in the same gentle way as a dove would do. This comparison is important as the dove symbolises peace, hope, love, beauty and the divine presence. In fact, the divine presence is confirmed when it says: “a voice spoke from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’”
It is interesting that the Scripture doesn’t say that God spoke from heaven. Maybe John was so captured by the Spirit of God resting on Jesus, that he didn’t look up to heaven, but he heard the voice coming from heaven.

Jesus is sent to be a messenger of peace, to unite the nations. God has no favourite nation, but God’s favour rests in Jesus, and through Jesus, God’s favour rests in us.
The key to God’s favour is in our actions. We are created in the image of God, and as a human family, acting together in a way that pleases God, we will be close to God.

BM