Resistance and Permission

Below is a rough translation and some preliminary comments regarding Matthew 3:13-17, the Revised Common Lectionary gospel reading for the first Sunday after Epiphany.    

For an exploration of the baptism stories and Matthew’s story in particular, see my article in the Politics of Scripture blog. http://www.politicaltheology.com/blog/the-politics-of-baptism-stories-matthew-313-17-d-mark-davis/

¹³Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν 

Ἰωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 

Then Jesus comes from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 

παραγίνεται: PMI 3s, παραγίνομαι, 1) to be present, to come near, approach 

βαπτισθῆναι: APInf, βαπτίζω, 1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge

1. V.1 had indicated that John was in the wilderness of Judea baptizing. Here the Jordan River is added as the location.

¹⁴ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων, Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ 

βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με; 

But John was declining him saying, “I have a need to be baptized by you and do you come to me?”

διεκώλυεν: IAI 3s, διακωλύω, 1) to hinder, prevent.

λέγων: PAPart nsm, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

ἔχω: PAI 1s, ἔχω, 1) to have, i.e. to hold

βαπτισθῆναι: APInf, βαπτίζω, 1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge

ἔρχῃ: PMI 2s, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come  

1. Eugene Boring says διεκώλυεν is a ‘conative imperfect, indicating attempted action.’ For Boring, the verb indicates John’s attempt to dissuade Jesus. However, thebible.org says “διά in this compound does not denote effort as is commonly said, but separation, ... to separate by shutting, shut out.” I take that to mean that John was not trying to refuse baptizing Jesus, but was in fact refusing to baptize Jesus. As an imperfect, not an aorist, διεκώλυεν carries the meaning of an ongoing action, not just a single attempt.

¹⁵ ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν, Ἄφες ἄρτι, οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον 

ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτόν. 

But having answered Jesus said to him, “Permit now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.  Then he permits it.” 

ἀποκριθεὶς: APPart nsm, ἀποκρίνομαι, 1) to give an answer to a question

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak

Ἄφες: AAImpv 2s, ἀφίημι, 1) to send away  ...  1c) to let go, let alone, let be  ...  2) to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person

ἐστὶν: PAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

πληρῶσαι: AAInf, πληρόω, 1) to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full

ἀφίησιν: PAI 3s, ἀφίημι, 1) to send away  ...  1c) to let go, let alone, let be  ...  2) to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person

1. The word πρέπον (“fitting”) is fairly rare in the NT and this is the only use in the gospels. I’ve often heard this word and text interpreted to mean that the baptism is just aiming at an apparent fulfillment of righteousness, more or less a gesture, since Jesus has no real need for repentance and baptism. But, πρέπον means what is right, what is fitting, or proper, not what is apparent. It is right for Jesus to be baptized, just as it is right for saints to act like saints, for doctrine to be sound, etc. as we see in other uses of πρέπον in the NT:

I Corinthians 11:13  Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled?

Ephesians 5:3 But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints.

I Timothy 2:10  … but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.

Titus 2:1  But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine.

Hebrews 2:10   It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 7:26  For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

2. These are the first words that Jesus speaks in MT. Boring says they indicate both Jesus’ control of this encounter with John and Jesus’ obedience to God’s will.

3. The word ἀφίημι is extremely versatile in the NT. Here, I have translated it “permit” because of the contrast to John’s resistance (διακωλύω) in v.14. One popular translation of ἀφίημι, however, is “to forgive.” I am guessing that if this were anyone else other than Jesus, translators would be quicker to imagine that forgiveness might be at stake with this baptism, rendering it, with the baptizee saying, “Forgive now, for in this way it is appropriate for us to fulfill all righteousness.” And of the baptizer, the narrator saying, “Then he forgives it.” But, since this is Jesus, nobody will go there, I reckon.

4. The concession in this verse seems quick and easy, but if we take the imperative verb of v.14 (see n.1 above) as indicating John’s ongoing resistance to Jesus, then this concession might just be the end of a long argument.

¹⁶ βαπτισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐθὺς ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος: καὶ ἰδοὺ ἠνεῴχθησαν 

[αὐτῷ] οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδεν [τὸ] πνεῦμα [τοῦ] θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ 

περιστερὰν [καὶ] ἐρχόμενον ἐπ' αὐτόν: 

Yet Jesus having been baptized, immediately went up from the water, and behold the heavens were opened up [to him], and he saw [the] spirit of [the] God descending as a dove [and] landing on him;

βαπτισθεὶς: APPart nsm, βαπτίζω, 1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge

ἀνέβη: AAI 3s, ἀναβαίνω, 1) ascend  1a) to go up  1b) to rise,

ἠνεῴχθησαν: API 3p, ἀνοίγω, 1) to open

εἶδεν: AAI 3s, ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes

καταβαῖνον: PAPart asn, καταβαίνω, 1) to go down, come down, descend

ἐρχόμενον: PMPart asn, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come  1a) of persons

1. For whatever reason, this verse has been worked over quite a bit in the manuscripts, as indicated by the bracketed words.

2. The verb ἀναβαίνω (to go up) is the futball that has been kicked all over the schoolyard in debates over immersion v. sprinkling v. washing v. whatever forms of baptism. For advocates of immersion, it means that Jesus, having been immersed, is now plunging up out of the water. For advocates of other forms of baptism, it means that Jesus, having been baptized, now steps out of the river. I don’t know that anything grammatical or historical can aid this conversation and “experts” only give it a ring of authority that masks their own opinions.

3. I have interpreted ἐρχόμενον as “landing” on him, because of the preposition ἐπ' (on).

¹⁷καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λέγουσα, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ 

ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα. 

And behold a voice speaking out of the heavens, “This is my beloved son [or, “my son, the beloved”], in whom I am pleased.” 

λέγουσα: PAPart, nfs, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 

ἐστὶν: PAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present

εὐδόκησα: AAI 1s, εὐδοκέω, 1) it seems good to one, is one's good pleasure

1. The saying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am pleased,” is Matthew’s interpretation of Isaiah 42:1. He will quote it two more times. In 12:18-21, Matthew offers an interesting quotation of Isaiah 42:1-4, as a way of explaining why Jesus ordered the crowds not to make him known. (Go ahead; compare them. It will be time well spent.) Matthew’s final use of this quote is on the mountain of transfiguration, when the words again come from a voice out of the heavens. If Matthew anticipates that the readers are aware of Isaiah 42, then this is not just an indication of approval but also an indication of Jesus’ calling.