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Luminous Mysteries: The Baptism of Jesus
00:18:14
Do you desire to grow in your understanding and devotion to the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary? Join Taylor Kemp and Dr. Michael Barber as they walk through these biblical mysteries and seek to grow in love for Christ through them. This episode on the Baptism of Jesus is the first episode of a five-part series on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.
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- [00:00]
A
Hello and welcome to Form Now I am Taylor Kemp, the form platform manager here at the Augusta Institute and with me today is Dr. Michael Barber, who is a professor here at the Augusta Institute Graduate School for Sacred Scripture. I just want to take a quick second to thank from the bottom of our hearts, the Mission Circle members. Mission Circle is our small monthly giving society that enables us to do all of these shows to have our graduate school and it just helps us do so much. So I just wanted to say thank you for all of those who do contribute to the Mission Circle and for those who have never heard of it or are not contributing. If you would just consider, consider looking into it as a way that you can give back to us so that we can keep making these shows and keep, keep doing so much work and hopefully be an instrument of God in this world today. So thank you again. Well, today everybody, we are starting a five part series on the luminous mysteries of the Rosary, specifically in relation to scripture. The luminous mysteries were presented by St. John Paul II to the church in 2002 in a document can very easily look up. And the luminous mysteries are. They're beautiful mysteries. They take you from, they're through the public ministry of Jesus from the baptism all the way to the Last Supper. And they really are just, they're wonderful mysteries. They're mysteries of light. And so today we're going to jump into the baptism of the Lord, the first mystery, Michael, where I wanted to start and maybe we can take a look at the text. But the first question that I wanted to start with as someone who was a convert and I'm coming into the faith at 25 and I remember learning about baptism and the first thing you learn about baptism is that it takes away sin. And then close behind or close before that is you learn that Jesus was without sin. And I remember as so many have before, well then why was Jesus baptized? I think this is just a wonderful place to start. That Jesus public ministry started with baptism. So I wanted to begin there because that was the first question I ever had right now.
- [01:59]
B
That's a fantastic question. I think it's really important for us to actually talk about the biblical bases for these mysteries. I'm so glad, I'm so grateful that you're doing this and that people are tuning in to watch it because you know, for a lot of people the rosary is something that's difficult to pray. You know, people often get distracted while they're praying the rosary and I think the major reason for that is we don't actually know the Mysteries of the rosary well enough to think about them for ten Hail Marys. Right. And so for a lot of people, the rosary becomes almost just mechanical, where you're saying the words of the Hail Mary, but you almost check out. And Paul VI in his letter on the rosary, said that if you do that. And John Paul II actually quotes this in his letter on the rosary. He says that praying the rosary without meditating on scripture is like a body without a soul. So. So the rosary without meditation is like a corpse, Right? That's what a body without a soul is. So if you really want your prayer life to come alive, you need to know the mysteries of Scripture. And so when I teach my kids how to pray the mysteries, I actually teach them the same way I teach my classes. I have a keynote presentation. So when we prayed the rosary at home, I'd say about once a week, I put up keynote slides on my TV and show them pictures, Sacred Heart art of the various mysteries. And I ask them each to ask me a question about the picture. And then by doing that, you know, so before we start this mystery, ask me a question about the. So by doing that, I invite them to ask and to seek, you know, to know these mysteries better. And then it gives you something to think about for 10 Hail Mary. So just what you highlighted right now, this. This puzzle, right? Why is it that Jesus of all people is going to be baptized? We celebrate the baptism of the Lord. If there's one person who doesn't need to be baptized, it would seem to be the Lord. Right. So what's going on here? What's really important is that Jesus is identifying with the sinners. Jesus is going out to be with sinners. And I think that is such a powerful lesson. And it's something that we see Jesus do through throughout the Gospels, especially in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus. Jesus ministry is especially characterized by mercy. So we see him, for example, go to Zacchaeus, the tax collector, and he basically invites himself over to Zacchaeus house. So anyway. Yes. So Jesus is there with the sinners.
- [04:40]
A
Yep.
- [04:41]
B
I remember.
- [04:42]
A
And this was. There's two things I remember being taught about this here through the graduate school. And I remember, I can't remember the exact painting, but there was a. It was an image of Jesus baptism, and there was like a tomb or a casket under and that I remember being taught that for the Jews and the ancient world in particular, that water was a symbol of death growing up. Now I just think of it more as a symbol of life, which it of course is in the baptism.
- [05:08]
B
It could be that too.
- [05:09]
A
Yeah. But that it was a symbol of death and that Jesus entering into the waters was, you're saying entering into the place, taking the place of sinners and sin, and the consequence of sin is death, and that he went into that place.
- [05:20]
B
Right. So the punishment for sin is, of course, the flood. If you're an ancient Jew, you know the story of Noah. And then you also know that in the book of Daniel, we have an announcement that there is going to be a period of great tribulation, of great suffering. And we read there that there will be a period of suffering and it's associated with a flood. Language. It will destroy the city, the sanctuary it's going will come with a flood. Daniel 9:26. So, yeah, floods are something you generally want to avoid. Right. In the ancient world and pretty much today too. Right. So, yeah, by entering into the waters, Jesus is pointing forward to his death. And in fact, elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus speaks of his death in terms of a baptism. He tells James and John, they come and they ask him, can we sit one at your right, one at your left when you come into your kingdom? It's a rich, strong. We could say so much about it. Watch the Bible study on Matthew I do with Dr. Gray. But there Jesus says to them, can you be baptized with the same baptism that I must be baptized with? So there we have a clear image of baptism as a death.
- [06:35]
A
Something on that that you know. Because it's interesting that this started his public ministry.
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B
That's right.
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A
This wasn't his first days on earth. A long time had passed. But something obviously changes here.
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B
Sure.
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A
And it makes me think of. This is From John Paul II's letter on the rosary. And he says here, as Christ descends into the waters, the innocent one who became sin for our sake, the heavens open wide, and the voice of the Father declares him the beloved Son, while the Spirit descends on him to invest him with the mission which he is to carry out. So I find that very interesting, that the baptism, it's like a launching pad into his mission.
- [07:12]
B
That's right.
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A
So it begs the question, though, so what happens at the baptism? So he identifies with sinners, but is there something else that kind of launches him into this mission?
- [07:23]
B
Sure. Well, we can say a lot about this. It's a very rich scene. One thing that we want to highlight is that Jesus in the water is. When Jesus is in the water, three things happen, Right. We have a voice from heaven, we have the heavens open, and we have the Spirit come Down and descend on him. Actually, I did it in the wrong order, Right. First you have the heavens open. Then. Then the dove comes down, the Spirit in the form of a dove. And then we have a voice. This is my beloved Son. In Luke, it says, in whom I'm well pleased. Okay, so let's break those three things down. Each of those three things is really important. First, heaven is opened, right? And if baptism is meant to point forward to Jesus death, then what happens at Jesus death? Well, heaven is open. We see that in a certain sense, when the veil of the temple is torn open, many people see the idea of access to God's presence as a result of Jesus death. So the baptism is actually interesting. The word in Mark's Gospel for the heavens being open, actually, it's torn. It's the same word. The word is schizo. It's where we get the word schizophrenic. Schizophrenic, like you have a rip in your personality, some kind of tearing there. That's the idea that heavens are torn open, right? And so because of Jesus death, which is foreshadowed in his baptism, we can enter into divine life. Second thing that happens is the Spirit comes on him in the form of a dove. Now, that is, of course, very important, because in the Old Testament, when David was made king, and when other people are made king, they're anointed, right? And when the Son of David is anointed, Solomon, he's anointed in a river, right? And so the beginning of the kingdom of the Son of David is in a river. When David is anointed, the Spirit comes down upon him. And we see there that anointing in the Old Testament is typically a symbol of anointing of the Spirit. So in Isaiah 61, the prophet says, the Spirit, the Lord has anointed me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, right? So the idea of anointing and being with the Spirit, by the way, Catholics, Confirmation. Right, Right. When you're a teenager and you're trying so hard to keep oil off of your face, Here comes the bishop with more oil. Come on.
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A
That's what you want?
- [09:53]
B
Yeah. Do we really need more oil? Yes, because oil is a symbol of the Spirit, right. In biblical imagery. So we have the idea of the Spirit as symbolized by the oil. And so what happens, Jesus, baptism reveals him as the anointed one, as the Christ. The third thing is we have that voice from heaven. This is my beloved Son in Luke, in whom I am well pleased. Now, Luke, it's interesting. Earlier in Luke's Gospel, we heard that language at Christmas. The shepherds are in the field, angels come down and they say, glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among all men. No, no, that's not what it says. That's what the Hallmark version says. Hallmark cards will say that. But here we read on earth, peace among. Among those with whom he is pleased. So those who will experience peace are those who seek to do God's will. Not all people are going to find peace, so it's going to be the people who. With whom he's pleased. Well, we might be left after we read that story, wondering, well, what does it look like to be a kind of person that would please God, Jesus, is that right? So Luke is showing us that in his baptism, Jesus is the divine Son. And he shows us what it means to be please, to be pleasing to the Father. And so Jesus, baptism becomes a model for ours.
- [11:19]
A
I remember reading in Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ, and I remember there's a particular line where he says. He asked the question, well, why must a Christian be baptized? And he kind of filters through all the theological kind of reasoning and he says, well, that is where Christ identified with us, and that is where we must then go identify with him.
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B
Beautiful.
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A
And then it is from that place that you receive a mission. Because now, as a baptized Christian, as priest, prophet and king, you have a mission. You are now anointed to go, and you are now living in a place where the heavens have been ripped open, the veil has been torn down, the clouds have parted, and you are no longer alienated from God. And then this is how you can go, be sent out. There was. It was just this past week we had some friends over to the house, and one of them was not a Catholic Christian, he was a Protestant Christian. But they didn't do infant baptism in particular. But baptism was very much a public profession of one's faith, but not a sacrament mental understanding of it. And he was kind of asking the question, well, you know, if it's just a show, you don't have to do it. It's a nice thing to do, you should do it, but you don't have to do it. And all I kept thinking was this very thing that it's all about Christ. That is where he went, that is where we must go. And it is from that place that the heavens are opened. We hear the voice of the Father, we receive the Spirit, and then we are sent.
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B
Right?
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A
And it's real.
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B
Right. The reason we are Sent is because what happens to Jesus in his baptism happens to us. Jesus baptism reveals to us what happens at ours. So it's invisible. We can't see it. So Jesus makes it visible for us. And so what happens at our baptism? One, the heavens are open. We have access to the Father. Two, we receive the Spirit in our baptism. The same Holy Spirit that came down on Jesus comes down on us. Now we can't see it again, but it's visible in Jesus baptism. Three, the voice from heaven. This is my beloved Son. In our baptism, we are united to Christ, and so we become sons and daughters in Him. We share in his sonship with the Father. Right. So we are therefore transformed and enabled to go out.
- [13:37]
A
So I'm thinking about people are praying the rosary, and they're seeking to grow closer to God through these meditations. What are some things? So now that there's a deeper understanding of the baptism, what it meant for Christ, but also what it means for us, do you have any advice or ideas on what are some really great things for us to reflect on during the rosary for all of what we just said in relation to our own life?
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B
Right. I would just say the best thing to do to pray the rosary is to actually have your Bible open while you're praying the rosary. You can get these little scriptural rosaries. Those are fantastic. But to actually see text while you're saying the Hail Mary so that maybe your eye will land on some idea. And if you don't have your Bible in front of you, then just try to remember key elements of the story. And then just ask yourself, why is this important? And allow God to speak to you. So what a lot of people do is they don't actually meditate on the mystery. They meditate on their intention. All right, God, this is what I want you to do for me in this rosary. And then just think, okay, Jesus was baptized. The heavens were open. God, please open the heavens for me. Okay, nice. But what we really want to do is penetrate more deeply into our understanding of the mystery. So what I would say is just spend those ten Hail Marys reflecting on one simple idea. And of course, begin by asking God to bless that time. Because it's not like you're going to make the rosary powerful. God's going to do it. So ask him to speak to you through these mysteries and maybe just stop and say, the baptism of the Lord. What's the first thing that comes to your mind? Maybe it's the dove. All right, well, why are. Why would that dove be significant? Start going through your mind. You might think of Noah's flood, and then that might trigger this conversation we had about flood and death, but also flood and new life. Right. Because new life comes out of the flood. All right, well, how does that apply to me? In what area in my life do I need to be renewed? Right. Lord, help me with that. So just staying close to the mystery itself is going to help us be very fruitful in our journey.
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A
So I remember learning about this, and, well, when I was coming into the church, I had almost. I had not read the Bible at all. And so I didn't have even really an understanding of what these meant. But I had gotten for confirmation, someone had got me a Bible. It was a very nice Bible, had my name printed on it. And in the middle of it, they had the rosary in the Bible with images, and it was so great. It's like what you talked about doing with your kids. And I didn't know the story, but it was just so helpful to just look at the pictures because that is so good.
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B
Yep.
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A
And then. Yeah, and then coming here and just learning so much through the graduate school and the classes, and it just grows so much. And my love of the rosary has grown, thanks be to God. It's just. It's been so. God has blessed me in so many ways through the rosary, and I just. Yeah, I find myself reflecting once you understand them. Okay, I am a beloved son of God. Am I living that way? Am I open to the Spirit in my life? Am I living a life on mission? Christ goes on mission here. Like, he was hanging out at home doing a lot of stuff, but he goes on mission. And it's like, that's me. Am I going out on mission? Am I living a life detached from sin, for freedom and choosing to live? And then also from that place, you receive the grace to go into the desert and be tempted and to withstand those various assaults in the spiritual realm. And it's just. I love the luminous mysteries. You know, I wasn't around when they were first brought in, so I came in the church and opened them with open arms. But they're just such beautiful. They are.
- [17:26]
B
They really are.
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A
Yeah. I mean, John Paul II says they're mysteries of light, and I've just always found that true. And they're really beautiful. So we are almost out of time. Do you have any closing, parting thoughts?
- [17:37]
B
I would just say one of my favorite things about this mystery is that after this mystery, Jesus then goes out and he's tempted. And so we face temptations not just before baptism, but after it. And Jesus gives us a model for how to overcome them. Yeah.
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A
It's beautiful.
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B
Yeah.
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A
So thank you, everybody. Like we said, this was the first episode of a five part series on the luminous mysteries. This was on the baptism of the lord. Thank you, Dr. Barber, for being with us here today. Have a wonderful day. We pray that the rosary. That God blesses you through the rosary and that our love and devotion to the rosary increases. Thank you so much and God bless you.