2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Biblical studies reveal two main groups in the Gospels. The Sadducees were the most powerful and influential. They were the ruling class and made up the Sanhedrin. They did not believe in the resurrection, nor did they believe in Angels. They believed in the Pentateuch, the Law or first five books of the bible but denied the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. They came from the tribe of Levi, the priestly clan and so they had priestly power. They ran the Temple, the center of trade, commerce, politics, governance, and society. They also had treaties with the Romans to keep them in power.
The Pharisees, the separatists, were the middle class. They were the scribes and teachers and synagogue officials. They believed in the resurrection and angels. They believed in the Pentateuch, the Law of Moses, but also the Prophets and Wisdom Literature of the Bible. In Scripture we often read about the Law and the Prophets. This is a synonym for the Old Testament.
The Pharisees connected with all the Israelites; yet excluded the Gentiles. They taught purity through many rituals. Separating themselves from sin and pagan ways, they thought themselves pure, holy. To keep the people pure, they imposed many laws concerning hygiene, culinary, and social customs. Jesus challenged many of those rituals, declaring them hypocritical because they were manmade not God’s ways.
Both groups challenged Jesus because He not only claimed but demonstrated a divine way with divine authority. The people saw his authority and understood. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, saw this and commented, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2, see also Matt 7:29). Jesus heals the sick, cleanses the lepers, and raised the dead. Most controversial, Jesus claims to be God forgiving sins. Because of his wild claims, which both groups saw as blasphemous, they wanted to kill Jesus, declaring him possessed by Beelzebub (Matt 12:22).
The Essenes were the third group. Many believe this group to be on the fringe, but this is a grave misunderstanding. They lived in community out in the wilderness, in Qumran, the place they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. They believed in celibacy and monogamy. They had a heightened sense of purity and used the mikveh: a ritual bath, to keep clean.
St. John the Baptist preached this bath of repentance. His requirements to receive this bath included a right disposition of mind and heart. It was not merely external purity as many of the Pharisees and Sadducees believed. Only with a clean mind and heart and sure signs of repentance, could they receive this baptism.
In the Essene community once baptized in the mikvah way, they were clothed with the white garment, a priestly garment made of linen, signifying their readiness to receive the Shekinah or as we know, the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist is considered an Essene for he, celibate, went out into the wilderness near Qumran, the Essene Community Center. Qumran was near the crossroads connecting Rome and Jerusalem with the Middle East. Here all the nations crossed as traders passed through. John the Baptist preaches at this crossroad, crying out,
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Is 49:6
John the Baptist cried out telling the nations, God comes shining his light upon the darkness of our sinfulness. Sin for many is a legal term: it is breaking the Law of Moses and the result is death — hell. For others, sin is depravity. We wallow in our debauchery; nothing saves us except grace which merely cloths us as a garment. It does not change our heart or mind.
However, another understanding of sin exists. Sin is a disordered desire, concupiscence. We are good, created and sharing God’s nature. Sadly, we long to satisfy our deepest passions and do so in ways that leave us empty, shameful, even broken! We are diamond covered in coal.
All three insights of sin contain truth. Yet, if we examine the Scriptures and delve deeply into the nature of sin, the last insight concerning sin makes the most sense. God sees our divine dignity and goodness through disgraced by evil. He understands our woundedness, our fallen nature. Instead of condemning us because of our lack of grace, He comes to save, heal, and redeem our innate goodness.
Our disgrace cries out for healing not condemnation. Our addictions plea for freedom, not enslavement. Because our wound, incurable and shameful, God promises a Savior, a Light for all the Nations, not just the Israelites. Jesus becomes our Light. He has the power to heal our wounds and covers our shame. He cuts the chains of our addictions and restores us with his grace. No longer defiled, we become clean in heart, mind, and body through Christ’s baptism.
Baptism has the power to not only to purify our hearts and minds, but also to make us temples of the Holy Spirit. Cleansed by the waters of baptism and sealed with the fire of the Holy Spirit, God dwells in our very bodies. St. Paul reveals this mystery,
Do you not know that you are God’s temple?
That God’s Spirit dwells in you?
I Cor 3:16
Satan’s deception wants us to believe we are pitiful. God will never love us on account of our sins. So depraved are our sins, He will not and cannot forgive us. We are depraved permanently. This, of course, is his condition, not ours. He is completely depraved and shamed. He cannot be redeemed. We can be.
Because of his own hurt, he wants to dis-grace us. St. Peter, however, answers this lie telling us
Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith.
1 Pet 5:8
We have faith in the baptism of Jesus Who sends his Spirit into us so we partake, become sharers again in the Divine Nature of God (II Pet 1:4). This is the mystery of baptism. God glorifies us through this bath. How?
To destroy this devouring lion, God sends us his Son. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as we read in Revelation:
“Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has conquered.
Rev 5:5
He devours this depraved creature, Beelzebub. Jesus the Lion comes but comes as the Lamb of God, standing though slain (Rev. 5:5). John the Baptist declares Jesus to be this Lamb.
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jn 1:29
Jesus offers himself as the lamb of sacrifice at the Passover Meal, Holy Thursday. On Good Friday at Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, Satan slays Jesus. Yet, as Jesus dies, Satan is crushed because the Lamb though slain, rises from the dead. By the blood of the Lamb, Jesus’ passion and death, we are washed clean, purified, freed of our incurable wound, Original Sin. This is baptism and when we are baptized into Christ’s death, the Spirit of God comes and declares to each: You are my beloved son. You are my dear daughter.