Lectionary: Baptism of the Lord, Year C
Texts: Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
 |
| Baptism of Christ |
But this verse raises a question that is not answered by
today’s gospel reading. The question is this: why did the people want to
believe that John might be the Messiah? To come to some possible answers, we
need to read the text that came before. Some of these verses were read during
the Advent season, but it will be helpful to read them again to remind
ourselves of the setting.
Luke 3:3-6 reads,
3 He [John] went into
all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness
of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The
voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make
his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and
the rough ways made smooth, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation
of God.’” (Luke 3:3-6)
What is the region around the Jordan? The regions include Judea,
Samaria, Perea, Decapolis, and Galilee. We don’t know for certain that John
went to all these regions, but we have a pretty good indication that people
from these areas heard about John and came to see and hear him. A key point to
note about this is that the areas mentioned include Jews, Samaritans, Romans,
Greeks, and other ethnicities that made up the Roman empire. The ancient Jewish
prophets saw a time, often associated with an anointed one, when the nations
would be gathered and come to Israel. What was happening with John at the
Jordan may have been seen and interpreted as fulfilling what the prophets foresaw.
When John saw the crowd,
7 John said to the
crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you
to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruits worthy of
repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our
ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children
to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees;
therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown
into the fire.” (Luke 3:7-9)
The message John gives follows in the footsteps of the prophets
of old. It is a message of repentance and judgment. It is a message where those
opposed to the ways of God will be removed and an ideal society remains to be
enjoyed by those who follow God. It is an apocalyptic message and a messianic
message. And following in the pattern of the ancient prophets, the message is
one where belonging to God is not based on one’s ancestry, ethnicity, or
nationality, but on God’s selection and choice, which means belonging is open
to all.
The people want to know how they can prepare so they can
belong to this new society.
10 And the crowds asked
him, “What, then, should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them,
“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has
food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized,
and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to
them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14
Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not
extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with
your wages.” (Luke 3:10-14)
The society John describes is not where everyone is
identical. Each still has their role and purpose, but each exists for the
greater good. Each member of society is looking out to make sure everyone else
is taken care of. Taxes are collected, only as needed, in order to promote the
common good. Self-interest and greed have no place in this society. Equitable
justice is the principle on which this society is based. Once more, this vision
of an ideal society reflects that which was envisioned by the ancient prophets.
It was a society that God’s anointed was expected to inaugurate and preside
over.
The stars were lining up[1],
one might say during Epiphany season, for the appearance of God’s anointed one,
aka the Messiah. Therefore, “The people were filled with expectation and all
were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Messiah.” (Luke 3:15)
But John dismisses their expectations about himself.
16 John answered all of
them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I
is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his
hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but
the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:16-17)
I would like to pause to make an observation regarding
John’s attitude toward power and influence. John had a great deal of influence
over the people. He may have had some degree of assumed power from his ancestry and ties to
the priesthood, but he seemed mostly to be an outsider. Yet he wielded a great
deal of power of the people. In spite of that, he knew his relationship with
God and that any influence and power he had was granted by God. He knew that he
was not and could not be the Messiah; that God had someone else in mind for
that role. John did not try to hold on to his influence and power but pointed
toward someone who would be greater.
We need to keep this foremost in our minds when we look at
leaders, especially those who hold or claim to positions of spiritual and religious leadership.
Self-aggrandizement is a key sign that they are probably not fit to be a
leader. Those who seek position wholly or in part to increase their own power
and influence are not following God’s way of leading. When we examine Jesus’
life and ministry, even as God’s anointed, the Messiah, he did not seek power
or influence for himself. His work was entirely dedicated to empowering the
powerless and restoring them as complete human beings in society.
We now get to the text where Jesus is baptized.
21 Now when all the
people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the
heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in
bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the
Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22)
In Luke’s version of Jesus’ baptism, when Jesus is baptized,
he is not recognized explicitly nor does John mount a protest when Jesus arrives. Jesus is merely one among
the many whom John baptizes. Jesus does not draw attention to himself. The text
notes the Holy Spirit descending as a dove and a voice from heaven. Did anyone
else see or hear what happened? The gospels are ambiguous on this point. Jesus
himself saw and heard, and the texts seem to indicate that John saw and heard
also. But did anyone else among the people experience this anointing and
inauguration of Jesus to public ministry? The answer is unclear.
A point to think about that we can draw from this is that
even as Messiah, Jesus did not make any special attempts to draw attention to
himself. Even as he went about in his public ministry, Jesus often tried to
keep his works and preaching from becoming too public. Jesus did not want
special treatment. He needed to live life as a human being experiencing the
trials of life that go along with it. Unlike the other gods of the Roman
empire, Jesus would experience the entire gamut of humanness and thereby
qualify himself to be the prototype (as the epistle to the Hebrews puts it) for new humanity in a new society.
When the voice speaks about Jesus, one of the allusions is
to text found in Isaiah 42:1-9.
1 Here is my servant,
whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out or lift up his voice
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
This is what it means to be God’s anointed, the Messiah. The
influence and power of the Messiah will not be carried through physical force,
military might, or political threats and favors. It will be through gentle and
humble service. It will be through activity that seeks to bring justice where
the powerful of the world have acted unjustly. It will be through activities
that cause the world’s powers to eventually crucify him. It will be through the creation
of a new society that continues to make peace and establish justice in the
world, not by might but through love.
When each new individual joins this new society, one that is
sometimes referred to as the global Christian church, when the Holy Spirit
anoints this new individual, this is the path they are called to walk.
Each of us who have been baptized into Christ and received
the Holy Spirit continue the work of Jesus Christ. We have been anointed as
children of God to bring the good news to the poor, to open the eyes of the
blind, to confront and correct injustices of the nations, and to identify as
the body of Christ. Baptism is not primarily about “being saved,” particularly
in the individual sense, but instead about joining the community and body of
Christ and to be with and to work in harmony with all other members of the
body.
When Jesus was baptized, he joined humanity. When we are
baptized, we join Jesus in the new humanity that he began.
Bibliography
Bartlett, D. L., & Taylor, B. B. (2009). Feasting
on the Word: Year C, Volume 1 (Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary).
Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Dunn, J. D., & Rogerson, J. W. (2003). Eerdmans
Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co.
Howard, J. K. (1970). New Testament Baptism.
London: Pickering & Inglis LTD.
1 comment:
I like your point about the emphasis of baptism is not being saved as an individual but about becoming a part of a community, namely the body of Christ. A point too often either missed of never emphasized by the church.
Post a Comment