The Baptism of Jesus

Nephesh Chayah

Respiration. Inspiration. Aspiration. The Bible has one word for breath, spirit and wind – ruach. At his baptism by John in the River Jordan, Jesus comes out of the water when something surprising happens: God opens up the heavens and breathes ruach into the world once again. Just as he had with a handful of mud in Genesis 2 and created a living being: nephesh chayah – which literally means “living throat.” But the throat is the organ of respiration, inspiration and aspiration. And it is respiration, inspiration and aspiration that gives life to ALL living beings - nephesh chayah . And at that moment in time in ancient Israel, the need for ruach was great for all three dimensions of life – respiration, inspiration and aspiration. [Matthew 3:13-17]

A lot has happened since the Magi chose not to return to Herod, but rather “left by another way.” They perceived the danger that lay in store. In a dream Joseph is warned that Herod is about to search for the child and destroy him, and that he, Joseph a son of David, must take the child and his mother to Egypt. Which Joseph does. They become a family of refugees.

Herod, who was Rome’s King of the Jews, is some mixture of furious and scared. He sends his troops to Bethlehem to kill all children under the age of two to make sure that the child born to be King of he Jews, according to the Magi, would not survive. The slaughter of all those innocent children recalls when that other power-hungry king, Pharaoh, ordered the killing of all baby Hebrew boys. But, as in this case, one was chosen to survive – Moses who would lead God’s people out of the brutality of the Egyptian Empire to new life in a new homeland. We know all too well that such slaughter of innocents continues well into our own time.

Joseph has another dream saying that it is safe to return for Herod has died. When Joseph learns that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was ruling in Judea, however, he chose to take the child and his mother to Nazareth in the region of Galilee. Jerusalem and nearby Bethlehem would not be a safe place for the child born to be king to grow up. The family are once again refugees.

Some years later, life under the brutal yoke of Rome had not improved. Outside of Jerusalem, on the banks of the River Jordan appears one like the prophets of old, dressed in camel-skin with a belt around his waist – John. John invites the people of the region to a baptism of repentance. We are mistaken if we think this is simply to confess their sins, which they do. Rather, it is to turn away from decades of Roman occupation, and even some collaboration by the Sadducees in Jerusalem, and to commit to a new way, another way. It is a commitment to be a resistance movement within the Empire. No matter how bad things look and how dark things are, there is always another way. Matthew tells us that all of Jerusalem and all of Judea come down to the river to commit to another way. To commit to the resistance.  

Matthew also tells us that even Sadducees and Pharisees come to join in. John confronts them to be sure that they know this is not just a feel-good ritual bathing in the very waters the ancestors had crossed into the land promised to Abraham and his seed forever. Either you are with us, or you are not, and from this day forward your actions must be committed to a new way of life. Those who produce fruit worthy of repentance will be gathered into a new community of the faithful. The rest will be consumed by unquenchable fire. For another is coming who will baptize with the Spirit-Breath of God and Fire!

It is into this atmosphere that Jesus comes to join with those who have to turned their lives around. John defers for a moment, but Jesus assures him that he must join with all those who have already committed to repent, to turn away from the brutalities of the Empire, to turn away from the sinful collaboration with the Empire, to turn away from acquiescing to the Empire’s rule. And to turn back toward the God of Life, the God of Breath, the God of Spirit, and of Fire!

That’s when the surprising things begin to happen: Jesus sees the heavens open and  he is breathed upon by God’s Spirit-Breath – the same Breath that hovered over creation in Genesis 1; the same Breath that animated the first being, Adam; the same Breath that the Risen Lord will one day breathe upon his frightened disciples to animate them as Apostles, those who are sent to proclaim the News – you can turn away from brutal regimes of this world and become a “living being” again, a nephesh chayah. Isaiah imagines it is this same Spirit-Breath that placed upon his beloved servant to bring forth justice in the nations. [Isaiah 42:1-9]

It will be this same Son of God, this same God’s Beloved, who will baptize the whole creation with fire, burning away all the rubbish of evil, and purifying as gold all deeds of justice, mercy, humility, peace, forgiveness, hope and love. [Thomas Long, Matthew: Westminster Bible Companion, p 31] As the prophet also declared long ago: Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out… who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness… I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. [Isaiah 42:1-9]

This will be the Aspiration of all who follow Jesus throughout all time – to turn their backs on the falseness and evil of this world, while embracing the One whose property is always to have mercy; to proclaim hope in a world that rarely offers evidence that such hope is justified. The inspiration and aspiration of all who accept the invitation to follow him is to rid the world of the rubbish of evil and embrace justice, mercy, humility, peace, forgiveness and love for all people, everywhere, all the time. This is the resistance to which John calls people, and which Jesus lives.

Matthew’s audience knows all too well what the fire looks like. They have seen this fire in the eyes of their fellow country men and women who have rejected the Empire’s machinations. Matthew’s audience has also seen the smoke and fire rise over Jerusalem when Rome destroyed the Temple and slaughtered thousands more than either Pharaoh or Herod had in the past. The city, its Temple and its people, lies in smoldering ruin as Matthew proclaims the news: Jesus joins with John to declare, this is not the end. This is just the beginning.

This is the Good News: The world need not be like this. We are called to be those people who, like Jesus, are inspired to aspire to better days ahead for all people everywhere. Respiration. Inspiration. Aspiration. This is the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is the invitation open to all who dare to hear this story – the whole story – and join with him in the healing of the world and everything therein. This is what it means to be a “living being,” a true nephesh chayah. We too can breathe with new life. We too can receive the Spirit-Breath. When we do, we too will hear the words uttered that day long ago: You are my child, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. As Matthew’s Jesus repeatedly says, “Those who have ears, let them hear!” Amen.