Sermons - The Baptism of Jesus

Sermon: The Baptism of Jesus

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Isaiah 42 1 – 9
Acts 10 34 – 38
Luke 3 15 – 16, 21 – 22

The Baptism of Jesus

During the 12-days of Christmas the liturgical color is…white. 6 January is the feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany is from the Greek word epiphaneia, which literally means “appearance” or “manifestation.” Epiphany marks the appearance of Jesus to the Gentile community, which occurred in the visitation of the magi. In the Epiphany God is proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the savior of the whole world. The Epiphany extends the covenant beyond the parameters of the Hebraic community and appropriates the covenant for all of humanity. The liturgical color for Epiphany is green, because green is the color of growth. Epiphany is a feast day because it is a day of celebration. The season of Epiphany extends until Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

Today is a special day within the season of Epiphany. It is the day in which we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. The Gospel of Mark, which is the primary Gospel focus in Year B of the Lectionary, opens with the baptism of Jesus. Some scholars believe that Mark had what might be called an “adoptionistic Christology.” That is, they think that Mark believed that Jesus became the Son of God at his baptism, when the dove descended upon Him and a voice from heaven stated, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” None of the birth narratives contained in Matthew and Luke are found in Mark’s Gospel. Since we are in Year C of the lectionary the Gospel lessons are drawn primarily from Luke. Luke placed a great deal of emphasis on the birth of Jesus and what theologians call the incarnation of Jesus, that is the birth of Jesus being the time that God became flesh and dwelled among us. Thus, Matthew and Luke would present more of an “incarnational Christology.” The Church has historically held to this incarnational view. So, where then does the adoptionistic part come in?

The purpose of baptism is to ritualistically wash away all our sins. Did Jesus really need to be baptized in order to wash away his sins? The answer to that question is “no.” Jesus was without sin. He did not need baptism as a cleansing ritual. Jesus was baptized for two reasons. First, Jesus was baptized in order to be obedient to his Father in Heaven. At the conclusion of his baptism, God expressed his approval. God identified Jesus’ Sonship for the whole world in the words, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Luke tells us that the people were filled with expectation. They shared a sense that there was something cataclysmic that was happening here, and what it was they were not exactly sure, but they were looking to John the Baptist for some clue about what was happening here. You know how it is when you are in the presence of the Almighty God, and you have a sense about that presence? The people felt that, and they were trying to make sense out of it. They are expecting something to happen! They don’t what, but something. They also recognize that John the Baptist has some answers. So, they listen.

We often make the mistake of opening our mouths when we don’t know what’s going on. A better strategy would be to open our ears, but being the good Americans we are, we open our mouths instead. I attend a lot of meetings in schools with a lot of parents across the broad spectrum of socioeconomic and educational strata. Do you want to know what the litmus test is for stupidity? The really stupid ones come in with their mouths flapping. They’re mad; and they’re going to retaliate; and they’re getting a lawyer; and they’re going to give us a piece of their mind, which in most cases is an egregious error, because they really have no mind to spare. They desperately need all the mind they can cling to.

Recently, I was invited into a meeting with parent who wanted her child tested for dyslexia. Of course, she had no earthly idea what dyslexia is, but she knew she wanted her child tested for dyslexia. I explained to her that dyslexia is nothing more than a reading disability. I explained the process for arriving at a diagnosis of reading disabilities. When I finished, she looked at me and asked, “Can you test for dyslexia?” I can tell you that the internet is a horrible thing, because it provides information to people who have absolutely no context for understanding many of the concepts that are discussed on-line.

In contrast to the really dumb ones, the really bright people come in, and they are listeners. They sit quietly, because they want to understand. A few weeks ago I was in a meeting with an family that brought an attorney to the meeting. The attorney did not say a word. The family asked questions with the purpose of understanding what was going on. There was no ranting or raving. When really bright people don’t understand what’s going on, they listen, and they try to figure it out.

Interestingly, our central nervous system comes equipped with mechanisms to help us figure it out. Below the level of the cerebral cortex, which is composed of gray matter, because it is gray in color, there is white matter, and in that white matter there are millions of mirror neurons. When we allow them to work, those mirror neurons help us to identify and imitate what others are doing around us. That’s why we yawn when someone around us yawns.

If the first purpose of Jesus’ baptism was to be obedient to God’s expectation, the second is to serve as an example to us. We see Jesus being baptized, and we imitate his example. Then we too can be obedient to the Father’s requirement. That white matter enables us to imitate the Savior’s example. Jesus was baptized. We are baptized.

So why is baptism important? Well, first of all, we were born into original sin. Adam and Eve’s disobedience led to them becoming disenfranchised. They were expelled from the Garden of Eden, a garden of eternal bliss, and were separated and alienated from God. God attempted to re-establish a covenantal relationship with humanity, but each time our forefathers messed it up with their disobedience. Therefore, the family of creation was alienated from God. We abandoned and betrayed our essential nature, which was to be in covenantal relationship with God. How can we fix that? We can’t. That’s why the incarnation was necessary. God said, “I’m going to send my Son to fix all this,” and Jesus did just that. So, the first thing that happened is that we needed to get cleaned up. How does one get cleaned up? You take a bath or a shower with clean water. How does that happen liturgically? Baptism!

Through baptism we are adopted into the family of God. Some people believe that we are all one big happy family, because we are all part of God’s creation, but that’s not true, because that family did not work out so well. There was a great divorce, and that family fell apart, because of our disobedience. How can we get back into God’s family? The answer is baptism. Without baptism, it is not possible to become a part of God’s family. Consequently, I am a part of the human family by birth. I am part of God’s family by adoption. If one is going to be adopted by God, what does one do in order to prepare for that? One goes through the waters of baptism. In baptism we repent of our old ways, and we enter into a new covenant that was sealed and delivered by Jesus Christ. The old me has passed away, and all things have become new.

How does this happen? It’s a mystery. That’s why we call it a sacrament. Why would God be interested in slug like you or me? That’s a mystery. How is it that these new provisions were made for us. I don’t know. That’s a mystery. What is the precise mechanism that now makes us acceptable when we weren’t acceptable previously. I don’t know. God did it. It’s a mystery. Baptism is a sacrament, and sacraments are mysteries. How does Jesus become real presence in the Eucharist? I don’t know. It’s a mystery. How do a man and woman become one flesh in a marriage? I don’t know. It’s a mystery. All I know, is that when I take that chrism and make the sign of the cross on a person’s forehead immediately after baptism, they are now a part of God’s family. They are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.

Does one ever have to be re-baptized? Nope. One gets booster shots with the use of Sacramentals, like Holy Water. We keep Holy Water beside our back door. Before exiting I’ll put my fingers in the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross across my chest. It’s a booster shot. It’s my way of putting on the whole armor of God before going out into the world. On Maundy Thursday we wash one another’s feet in obedience to Christ’s instructions when he washed the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. John’s Gospel explains that process thoroughly. Peter wanted Jesus to wash him all over, but Jesus told him that those who are already clean don’t need to be washed all over. Having one’s feet washed is a booster shot. When we become sick or when we are struggling, or when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, we take oil, and lay hands on you. That’s a booster shot, a reaffirmation that you are the child of a King, not by birth but by adoption.

This week Brit Hume told Tiger Woods that he needed to get his life straight. He told him he needed to bag this Buddhism and get himself right with God through Jesus Christ. He told him that Jesus could clean him up and make him acceptable. And Jesus can do that for Tiger Woods or anything else, but you know people hate Britt Hume for telling Tiger Woods about redemption in Jesus Christ. The world hates it every time that one more person is redeemed from their world of sin and is adopted into the family of God. They resent us, and they hate us for it. I’m a child of the king, and the world hates me for it. The cross of Jesus Christ made it possible for me to be a child of the king, and the cross is a hated symbol. Paul says that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What is really neat about all this is that all of us have the same opportunity to be adopted into God’s family.

When Peter was talking with Cornelius and his family and friends, Peter says that he knows that God shows no partiality. In every nation, Jew or Gentile, anyone who fears Him and is obedient is acceptable to Him. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power enabling Jesus to go around and do good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

All of us are members of one of two families. We are either a part of the devil’s family or we are a part of God’s family. Our scientific minds do not like to think in those categories, but that is the reality, nonetheless. Which family are you in? We can be resistant and oppositional. We can be resentful of those who have been redeemed into the family of God. But what about each one of us? Which family are we in? Baptism marks the beginning of our journey with Christ. I don’t know how it all works. I just that know that it does work. It’s a mystery.

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