On the Back Porch

Reading, pondering and studying God’s Word is sometimes best done “on the back porch.” Each week we will try to offer something for you and your “back porch time.”

Baptism of the Lord, Year C

What We Celebrate

If asked to imagine the scene of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River, style aside, most people would describe something akin to the scene shown on this page. But if one is attentive to the text from the Gospel of Luke, it simply says: “After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22)

You might have noted that Luke has no description of Jesus coming out of the water. In an element of the baptismal account found only in Luke we simply find Jesus in prayer. At that point, the “heaven was opened”and there is a “voice from heaven.” Did any other person except Jesus hear the voice or see the Holy Spirit descend? This is a very different description than in Matthew’s gospel. Why?

As always, there is a lot going on in these gospels. Take a moment with a cup of joe and the bible on the back porch.

Full Text of the Sunday Readings

Detailed Commentary on the Gospel

Baptism of Christ |Pietro Perugino, 1482 | Sistine Chapel, Vatican City | PD-US

One the questions that usually arises in association with this Feast is “Why was Jesus Baptized?” The detailed commentary addresses this in detail, but it you’d rather watch a video on the question, the two videos below are pretty good starters.