Baptism of the Lord, second sunday in ordinary time, cycle a
Lectio Divina Commentary. Sunday 18th January John 1: 29-34
John the Baptist appears in the wilderness of Judea, echoing the prophetic tradition of Elijah. His clothing—camel’s hair and leather belt—and his diet—locusts and wild honey—evoke the image of a desert ascetic like Elijah. His ministry signaling a break from the religious establishment and a return to prophetic religion after a break of 400 years. His central message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This call to repentance was not merely about feeling remorse but implied a radical reorientation not only of one’s thinking about God but also of one’ values, beliefs and practices by turning away from sin and by aligning with God’s will and reign. Matthew identifies John as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”, quoting Isaiah 40:3. This identifies John as the forerunner of the Messiah, preparing the way for Jesus.
People from Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordan region flocked to John, confessing their sins and receiving baptism. This ritual immersion symbolized purification and readiness for the coming kingdom. While it is possible that John was a member of the Essene community scholars suggest that while both practiced ritual washings and shared an apocalyptic worldview, their purposes and contexts were quite different. John’s baptism marked a shift from temple-based rituals to a more personal, prophetic call to transformation.
When Pharisees and Sadducees arrived at the Jordan where John was ministering, he denounced them as a “brood of vipers,” and warned them not to rely on the fact that they were descended from Abraham. He demanded “fruit worthy of repentance,” by emphasizing that true conversion must be made visible in ethical behavior.
The image of the axe at the root of the trees underscores the urgency and severity of divine judgment. Trees that do not bear good fruit—symbolizing unrepentant lives—will be cut down and burned. John distinguished his baptism with water from the one to come: Jesus will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” This anticipates Pentecost and the refining, purifying work of the Spirit. The winnowing fork and unquenchable fire are apocalyptic images of judgment. Jesus will separate the wheat (the righteous) from the chaff (the unrepentant), gathering the former and burning the latter.
The Baptist divides his hearers into two categories-the fruitful and unfruitful, the wheat and the chaff. This sort of dualism runs throughout Matthew: things are usually black and white. There are those who act on the words of Jesus and those who do not; there are good and bad sheep and goats (Mt 25:3I-46). This division of humanity, which also characterizes the Dead Sea scrolls and Jewish apocalyptic literature, reflects the nearness of the eschatological judgement, during which only two sentences, salvation and damnation, will be passed.
While John the Baptist and Jesus both proclaimed the coming of God's kingdom, their messages diverged in tone, focus, and theological depth. John emphasized urgent repentance in the light of impending judgment, while Jesus proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom as good news, centered on divine mercy, healing, and inclusion. For example, John would have used the symbol of fire to represent a painful form of judgement, whereas Jesus used the same image to represent the illuminating and cleansing energy of the Holy Spirit. Arguably, it was this divergence of views that led John to have doubts about the identity and mission of Jesus when he was imprisoned in Herod’s goal. So, he sent messengers to Jesus to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Mt 11:3).
St Chromatius Aquileiensis (4th cent), wrote, “Prepare these ways in your heart, in your senses and in your soul. Pave within you the way of chastity, the way of faith, and the way of holiness. Build roads of justice. Remove every scandal of offence from your heart. For it is written, “Remove the stones from the road” (Is 62:10). And then, indeed through the thoughts of your heart and the very movements of your soul, Christ the King will enter along certain paths.”
Lectio Divina Mon the 12th of Jan 2026
