Baptism and Plunge

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The Sunday gospel (Luke 12:48-53) comes out “blazing” with talk of fire and judgment. Before one can catch their breath, Jesus pushes on: “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” (v.50)  The word baptizō used here is the same as that used for water baptism elsewhere in the NT.  However, clearly Jesus is not referring to a water baptism (Luke 3:21-22) as that has already occurred. The verbal form of the word means to “plunge” offering several possible meanings: 

  • Jesus’ plunge into humanity (the Incarnation) is completed with Jesus’ experience of human death
  • At the end of the journey, Jesus will plunge into the fullness of the Father’s will as he willingly accepts “death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8)
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…their angel in heaven

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Today’s gospel is from Matthew and has an interesting verse: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” How should we understand these words? A good place to start is the immediate context.

On the whole, Matthew 18 is a discourse about humility, care for the “little ones,” and reconciliation within the community of believers. In verses 1–5, Jesus identifies “the greatest” in the kingdom as one who humbles themselves like a child. Verses 6–9 warn against causing these “little ones” to stumble.   

This raises an intermediate question: how are we to take the meaning of “little ones”? The options are likely either literal children, who exemplify trust and dependence or spiritually humble disciples, who, like children, rely on God. Most scripture scholars offer that Matthew intends both senses—beginning with literal children, then broadening to include all vulnerable believers. Verse 10, then, is a direct call not to despise (Greek: kataphronēsēte, meaning “look down upon, treat with contempt”) the humble or vulnerable believers symbolized by children.

The most discussed part of the verse is “their angels in heaven.”

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Achieving Colonial Ambitions

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The effect of the military development efforts associated with the Meiji Restoration were realized in the first Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). Victory over China ceded Japan the island of Taiwan and established Japan as a regional power. That status was solidified during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) fought over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. Japan’s victory shocked the West and solidified its status as a major military power – and especially as a naval power with the utter defeat of the Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima – a battle that would shape Japan’s own war planning. 

In 1910 Japan formally annexed Korea. A few years later, Japan was technically a member of the World War I allied alliance against Germany. Japan’s military, taking advantage of the great distances and Imperial Germany’s preoccupation with the war in Europe, seized German possessions in the Pacific (Micronesian islands) and German holdings in China, but there was no large-scale mobilization of the economy needed to support their ambitions. Politically, the Japanese Empire seized the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence in China, and to gain recognition as a great power in postwar geopolitics.

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A Call for Decision

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Our gospel text (Luke 12:48-53) is not one you find on many refrigerator doors or on greeting cards. The image of Jesus in these texts is upsetting to one who only seeks the meek and mild Jesus. Having begun with an exhortation to courage in the face of tribulation, continuing with a warning against avarice in the face of fear, Jesus now raises the issue of judgment.  The people are called to conversion before it is too late.

The twinned images of baptism and fire were present in Luke’s gospel early on: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire’ (Luke 3:16). What differs here is that this baptism refers to Jesus himself, not to anyone else.

Interestingly, in the NT only rarely does “fire” (pýr) denote the earthly phenomenon. If Luke’s usage is not literal, then what are the possibilities? What is the fire Jesus comes to cast? Some possibilities from Luke/Acts (from Brian Stoffregen):

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The Feast of St. Clare of Assisi

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Peter said to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.”  (Mt 19:27-29)

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The Rise of Japan’s Militarism

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The roots of Japanese Militarism can be found in the Meiji Restoration (late 1860s). In brief, the Restoration ended the rule of the Shoguns which had dominated Japan for centuries. The leaders of the Meiji Restoration started to reform the system of the country, acting in the name of Japan’s emperor with the goal to restore the emperor’s powers and position – in government and in the identity of Japan. But, the leaders also kept to themselves a number of powers. Even after the Meiji Restoration a small group had the real power and ruled in the name of the emperor. While the governmental form was a constitutional monarchy with the Emperor as leader of the nation, the real power lay in the hands of the military.

Japan rapidly industrialized and modernized its military in response to Western colonial ambitions in the Western Pacific and Asia region. While the process and history is far more complex than this article can describe, it is ironic that Japan’s ambitions – apart from leadership of the Asiatic sphere – was to establish colonies of its own. Japan lacked natural resources (oil, rubber, iron), making it vulnerable to embargoes by western powers and so expansion into Asia was seen as essential for economic security, survival, and growth as Japan took its place among world powers. At the same time rising population in the Japanese home islands led to calls for “living space” for its people. Colonies were viewed as necessary to settle Japanese farmers and laborers – or simply as sources to supply natural resources, including food. One result was the development of an ideology of the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” which promoted pan-Asian unity under Japanese leadership. This became the justification for imperial rule as a way to liberate Asia from Western colonialism, though the result would be a different form of colonialism.

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The Day of the Lord

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This is the third straight Sunday in which the gospel reading has been taken from Luke 12. Throughout the chapter Jesus has continued to call for people to “see,” a message that has been present since the beginning of the mission of the 72 disciples told at the beginning of Luke 10. A message made clear upon their return: “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23-24).  Along the continuing journey to Jerusalem each person becomes an opportunity for Jesus to help them (and the crowds) to see more clearly, more richly: the scholar of the Law in Luke 10:25 ff; Martha and Mary (vv.38-42); the disciples in Luke 11, as well as the Pharisees in that same encounter; and Jesus continually speaks so that they will become “rich in what matters to God” (Luke 12:21).

Luke 12 introduces one of the oldest messages of the Bible, Old Testament and New: the “day of the Lord.” It was a key theme of the post-Exilic prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Joel and Malachai. The “day” was one of rescue and salvation for the faithful and a day of judgment upon the wicked. Here is Luke 12, Jesus’ ongoing proclamation of the kingdom now contains the message of a coming judgment (Luke 12:4-10), clearly told in the parable of the Rich Fool (vv.16-21).  The theme and image is amplified in vv. 49-53 when the Word of God is described as a refining and purifying fire. The acceptance or rejection of that Word will be a source of conflict and dissension even within families. Our gospel reading has an ominous beginning:

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Why I Keep Reading

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People expect me to read the latest theology, spiritual, or scriptural commentary – and I try – but I am slowing down on those things. But I am working in a parish on a full-time basis. The people I serve are reading online news/opinions/articles/etc. from the different ends of the social/political divide and everything in between. I try to sample these things so that I can have some perspective on the perspective of the people I meet “on the sidewalk” after Mass. In our parish, we pretty much cover the spectrum with most people “in the middle” … more or less.

Boomers, Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen who knows and Gen Z – all have their own experiences, expectations, hopes, and the posture with which they face the future. It’s hard to keep up. I am a Boomer and can’t keep up with my generation. All my friends are retired and their world is morphing into something unknown to me.

Yesterday I read a fascinating article from The Free Press. The have White House credentials and an app – good signs of stability. If you want a Gen Z perspective on being an adult, take a “minutes” and read Admit It, Being an Adult Is Hard. It will give you some perspective.

I’ve shared it a few people and most of the initial reaction was “how could they not….” before pausing and realizing there was a point in time when we (boomers) did not know such things but we figured it out. Boomers and Millennials get to face: how does Medicare work? What is a RMD on by IRA? How could we not have known these things? Well… it wasn’t a need. I guess “need” is the mother of figuring things out.

Anyway… enjoy

Image credit: from the referenced article.

Know who, how and when to serve

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“By faith…” Abraham went out from a land not his own to a place he and Sarah were to inherit. And in that long journey they continued to move forward, against all odds and sense, but always in faith.  That journey was not only of faith, but also of service.  Three weeks ago our first reading was an example of how Abraham and Sarah welcomed three travelers with hospitality – and this adds to the accounts of Abraham’s service – to his family and clan, to Lot and his family, to the King of Salem, and so many others. The story of Abraham’s life is a story told in the outlines of faith and in the outlines of service – all part of discipleship.

Discipleship has been a focus of the summer gospels, all from Luke. Jesus has pointed out the importance of trust when engaged in mission (14th Sunday); compassion and the universality of the meaning of neighbor (15th Sunday); how anxiety can burden and impede discipleship (16th Sunday); the necessity of prayer (17th Sunday); the way earthly riches can interfere with discipleship (18th Sunday); and finally this week the parable of the reliable steward.

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Reflection: Leaders and Disciples

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This coming Sunday is the 19th Sunday, Year C. In the posts throughout this week Jesus is teaching his disciples to be ready to open to the Master “immediately when he comes.” The answer to Peter’s question (v. 41) directs the discourse toward the Christian leaders especially. The overriding image of authority in this text is one of service.  Something that Jesus applies in a special way to the Twelve as leaders of a restored Israel.  Where the servants are to stand in readiness for the return of the master, the stewards are responsible for their own work as well as that of the community as a whole.  The care of what has been entrusted foreshadows the parable of the sums of money (19:11–27). The sayings on the distribution of responsibilities or gifts in the concluding verse of the section are clearly pertinent for those in authority, but they have a wider application for all on whom spiritual and temporal gifts have been bestowed.

There is no inconsistency here among responsibility, mercy, and punishment. God’s mercy makes allowances for those who do not know what is expected of them. But the most severe punishment is reserved for persons who are entrusted with great responsibilities and who then high-handedly and irresponsibly mistreat others and fail the trust given to them by their Lord. In a time of permissiveness and daily reminders of the pervasiveness of immorality even within the church, these parables can still serve to remind, exhort, and warn Christians of the seriousness of their moral commitments. If much has changed since the first century, some things have changed hardly at all. [Culpepper, 265]

“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” (Luke 12:37)

But the message is not just for leadership. All disciples are urged  to remain watchful and faithful: lamps lit, loins girded, eyes alert—not with anxiety, but with readiness rooted in love and trust.

The core message is stewardship as all disciples are entrusted with the Lord’s household; our duty is not just to wait, but to actively care for what has been given to us. Jesus praises those whom the master finds “doing” — not merely believing, but living faithfully and responsibly.  In that we are accountable. Jesus cautions that those who know the master’s will and fail to act accordingly will be held to greater judgment. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much” (v. 48). Our gifts, time, and opportunities are not solely for our benefit, but for the service of others and the glory of God. We are called to spiritual vigilance—not fear, but purposeful living. The Christian life is not passive waiting; it is daily discipleship, knowing that Christ may come at an unexpected hour.

Image credit: G Corrigan | CANVA | CC-0