Little
Johnny and his brother decided to go ice fishing one Sunday after church.
Little Johnny started drilling a hole in the ice when a voice from above said,
“Young man, there’s no fish down there.” Little Johnny asked his brother, “Who
is that?” His little brother said, “I don’t know.”
Little
Johnny started drilling again and the voice said again, “For the second time,
there’s no fish down there.” Little Johnny asked his brother, “Could that be
God?” His little brother replied, “I don’t know.”
Little
Johnny started drilling again and the voice said once more, “Young man, for the
last time, I’m telling you there’s no fish down there.” Little Johnny looked up
and said, “Is that you, God?”
The voice said, “No, I’m the manager and the rink’s closed”
Today
we read about Jesus’ baptism, which was the start of his ministry on earth.
Since baptism represents the washing away of sins, and Jesus was sinless, why
did he need to be baptized? It was because his baptism fulfilled God’s saving
activity as foretold in the Old Testament and culminating in his death on the
cross. In other words, Jesus came to bring salvation to everyone. Jesus was
willing to set a good example by doing God’s will, and it was God’s will that
everyone who believed in him be baptized.
John
the Baptist’s baptism emphasized repentance, or turning away from our sins. Baptism
represents the turning away from the old to the new, from our old ways of life
to the kingdom of God. The baptism of Jesus (along with the descent of the
Spirit, the proclamation of God and the witness of John) was a sign to both the
people of his day and to us of something extraordinary. It was a sign that God
wanted to become one with us and yet be different from us at the same time.
Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension gave baptism an entirely new
meaning. Jesus’ baptism was a complete indication of his identification with
the kingdom he was announcing.
Jesus’ baptism shows the glory of God’s plan and how all the
details are important to God. Jesus heard the Holy Spirit call him to speak the
truth and live with grace. Christ came to identify with sinners and give them
his righteousness. His baptism was a part of that righteousness, and it was
also a key part of Matthew’s plan to show his Jewish audience that Jesus is
“God with us”. Jesus entered the same waters that his Jewish brothers and
sisters entered, and by doing so they trusted that the God of Israel was still with
them and could deliver them from the forces of evil. Jesus had to join with
them to show them how far God would go to be a part of their lives so they
could be a part of God’s life.
Jesus
shows us the same thing. He shows us how far God would go to be a part of our
lives so that we can be a part of God’s life. When he insisted that John should
baptize him, Jesus wanted to melt into the crowd of the marginalized and
rejects of society. By being with them, Jesus would raise them up, meet them in
their despair, give them hope, be with them in their pain, comfort and cure
them, accept them in their shame and bring forgiveness to them. Since Jesus
also wants us to have right relationships with our Christian brothers and
sisters, he went out and preached, healed and reached out to those who asked
for forgiveness, who needed healing and who wanted to hear God’s Word.
Jesus was baptized so he could be one with us. Are we bold
enough to be one with him? Can we, like Jesus, go into the dark lives of people
to open their eyes and free them from sin? This can be hard to do if we are not
washed of our cowardice, but when we are washed in the faith, Jesus will give
us the strength we need.
Jesus’
baptism was for everyone, including the Gentiles. The reading from Acts
10:34-43 marks the acceptance of the Gentiles into the Christian community. The
Gentiles did not have to show any prior observances. God is for everyone. He
has no barriers to his love, and we must not put up any barriers to anyone who
wants to come to God in faith.
John
the Baptist did not want to baptize Jesus because John was faced with the real
authority of the Son of God. John did not know what to do. John had to be
faithful to his calling-preaching and baptizing in repentance-so that Jesus
could be faithful in his calling. We also have to be faithful to the calling to
which we have been called-preaching, singing in the choir, printing bulletins,
cleaning the church or some other task. God’s way is through humble service to
others, and Jesus is a good example. We have a choice-follow the wide gate to
an earthly life that will lead to death and destruction, or follow the narrow
gate to eternal life. By submitting to baptism, Jesus showed that God cares
about us. Jesus came to a place where he did not belong so we could go to a
place where we could not go otherwise.
Jesus’
submission to baptism was no simple act of personal piety. Jesus saw John’s
baptism and fiery preaching as a declaration that there would be a new world
order where God will set right what the evil world did wrong. By submitting to
John’s baptism, Jesus declared that he was ready for this new world order-a new
world order he starts with his ministry.
We
as Christians are called to live out our baptism. We can’t afford to make
ourselves comfortable or do only what will be appreciated or be satisfied with
the way things are. We have to struggle with what’s right and what’s wrong,
what’s important and what’s not important. Baptism changes us. It is a
celebration of grace and an enactment of the Word of God.
As
I mentioned earlier, Jesus’ baptism was the start of his earthly ministry. He
had to have a clear sense of God’s support and identity before he could begin
his mission. Our mission is the same as his mission, and before we can start
our mission, we need to have the support and identity that only our faith in
Jesus can provide. That identity is as a child of God.
Baptism
calls us to service. God had a purpose for Jesus, and he has a purpose for each
and every one of us. This purpose is to identify God with us in Jesus by
serving justice in the world until God establishes justice on the earth. This purpose will be made clear to us at a
time and place of God’s choosing. We can’t change God’s timetable. He does
things in His own time and in His own way. He gives us a vision. He reveals to
us why we do what we do. He gives us a purpose even in our pain. If we are
faithful, great things will happen. They might happen immediately, or they
might not happen for two or three generations. They might happen in our
lifetime, or they might happen after we die, but if we are faithful to God’s
calling, great things will happen.
Doing
what God requires is difficult. For some, it means becoming more humble,
because they have gotten too proud. For others, it means becoming more
forceful, because they are too meek. For
others, it means going out and helping the needy. We must also remember that
what we think is the right thing to do may not be what God considers to be
right. For example, Joseph thought he was doing the right thing when he planned
to divorce Mary after she became pregnant, but it wasn’t what God wanted.
We
must listen for our calling. We must not be afraid if God calls us to do
something great. We must not be ashamed if God calls us to do something small.
We must be faithful and prepare ourselves to see the heavens open and hear God’s
voice saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.
1.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible Software package.
2.
Augsburger,
M.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;
1982)
3.
MacArthur,
J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV
(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;2006)
4.
Jude
Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, The Baptism of Our Lord (A)”. Retrieved
from www.preacherexchange.org
14.
The Rev. Ben
E. Helmer, “Baptism of our Lord, 1 Epiphany (A)”. Retrieved from http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com
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