Seeing ourselves in God's eyes
1st Sunday after Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord) Year A - Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17
When I came out, I discovered that I was one of the last to know. Most of the people I told already knew or suspected. One person had even tried to tell me about me years earlier, and I told them that they were wrong. I was not ready to understand who I was.
I’ve been wondering if Jesus knew who he was when he went to John for baptism. He knew some things. He probably knew that John’s message would also be his,1 but did he fully know who he was, or what role he would play in the emergence of the Realm of God?
How could he know? According to the prophets, the Realm of God was going to be different from anything that had come before. The prophet Isaiah said it would be ushered in by someone who walked gently and spoke softly.2 What would it be like to speak softly or walk gently in a world held captive — then as now — by those who shout lies and wield murderous violence?
John suspected that he knew who Jesus was, but he wasn’t sure. He would ask Jesus later, sending word from prison. (Mtt. 11:2) By then, Jesus had become clear about who he was, what God’s power was about and how he would live that. But in this Sunday’s reading, at his baptism, did Jesus know all of that? Maybe not. Maybe that’s why it’s only Jesus who sees the heavens open and the Spirit of God descending. Those signs were for him. And what they told him was enough for him to take what seemed to be the next right steps.3
In this life, we do not know all we would like to about who we are in God’s eyes. But we can hope for a growing awareness of who we are and what role we play in the emergence of God’s Realm. Whether we see the heavens opening over our heads or hear something in a friend’s voice, as long as we are willing to take what seems to be a next right step, we will find ourselves in a place that gives us a new perspective, a different awareness, and an opportunity to know ourselves, one another and God, just a little bit better.
Peace.
Pay attention, the realm of God is near! Mtt. 3:2 (John) and Mtt. 4:17 (Jesus.)
From this Sunday’s first reading: “He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” Isaiah 42:2-3.
The next right step was being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for a long fast and temptations. After that Jesus called his disciples and began preaching and healing. In Minneapolis, on Wednesday, after Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent, the next right step her neighbors and friends took was to resume the work she had been doing when she was killed. And showing up at the high school ICE was raiding with tear gas and handcuffs so that students could safely get on their buses. And delivering groceries to families who are too afraid to leave their homes. In the words of Minnesota House of Representatives member Aisha Gomez, “we respond to lawlessness the way we have always responded as human beings in the face of injustice and oppression: we have come together and taken care of each other.” Gomez interviewed by Nicole Wallace on MSNOW, January 8, 2026.