Sermon: God's Beloved

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

Today’s gospel reading began with “As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah.” (Luke 3:15 NRSVue) Through this verse we learn that the expectation for a Messiah was high. From what we have regarding the history and literature of that period, apocalyptic sentiments were heightened.

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.

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[1] Metaphor definitely intended for the season of Epiphany.

Sermon: An Epiphany of Christ

Lectionary: Year A, First Sunday after Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord

Texts: Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17

Introduction

Baptism – an action that ought to unite Christians, but like many other facets in Christianity – is a source of controversy and division. Usually not within a denomination, but typically between them. Literally life and blood have been shed in arguing the proper time and form of baptism.[1]

I am not here this morning arguing whether one form is better than another, or if there is an age criterion, or anything along those lines. Because that argument ends up sounding quite like the argument about the necessity of circumcision among the early Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote an entire letter to the Galatian Christians on this topic. A good summary of where Paul and where he believes Jesus stands on the issue is summarized in Galatians 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.”[2] Therefore, I  think that is a good position to take in regards to the mechanics of baptism: that whether one is baptized as an infant, a child, or an adult, and whether one is sprinkled, poured over, or fully immersed, that the act is symbolic of something that is far deeper that is of greater importance. And that is where I would like to take this sermon this morning.

Jesus’ Baptism

Today’s gospel narrative begins with a “Where is Jesus 30 (or so) years[3] after we last heard about him?” From the miraculous birth of Jesus and the flight to Egypt and return, we jump to a mature, adult Jesus. And we find him in the wilderness, at the Jordan, asking to be baptized by John, who is the latest prophetic sensation that has shown up among the Jews.

In the text that comes right before what was read this morning, we read that John was baptizing people as they confessed their sins and committed to repentance. Even some of the leadership of the Jews came to him, but he accused them of hypocrisy, commanding them to show actual results of repentance, beyond merely going through motions. John then predicts that another individual will show up that is far more prestigious and powerful.

It is in this context that Jesus shows up, asking to be baptized. John recognizes Jesus immediately (after all, they are relations, and both had probably heard about their respective miraculous birth stories). It is a surprise that Jesus shows up and asks to be baptized, and therefore, knowing who Jesus is, it is no surprise that John is reluctant to go through with it.

Jesus responds, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15)

Meaning of “Righteousness”

This is another of Jesus’ sayings whose meaning isn’t obvious, and where scholars have suggested several possibilities. The problem word here is “righteousness.” We are accustomed to hearing and using it in terms of morals and ethics. We use “righteousness” as the antonym for “sin.” But Jesus is without sin, so he could not have been baptized to be cleansed of sin or of any need to repent. So, in this respect, what Jesus said makes no sense.

“Righteousness” has a somewhat different usage and meaning in Matthew. It is still related to ethics, but “In the OT and early Jewish literature, when used for human character and behavior, ‘righteousness’ and related words refer to one’s ethical response to God: obeying and doing God’s will.”[4]

The author of the letter to the Hebrews notes that Jesus “learned obedience…” (Hebrews 5:8)

So, we now must ask, what is it about baptism of Jesus that fulfilled and placed him in obedience to God’s will? Why did God respond, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased?” (Matthew 3:17)

For us, repentance and baptism are conceived as primarily individual actions. Certainly, baptism is symbolic of new birth into a new, spiritual family. But in our cultural setting, there usually isn’t much emphasis on how baptism relates to larger groups.

Fulfillment of Righteousness

In contrast, Jesus’ baptism is all about the larger group; specifically, all of humanity. Christmas was certainly God becoming incarnate into humanity, but Jesus’ baptism is the revealing, or epiphany, of this God-becoming-human to the world.

Matthew’s gospel portrays Jesus as representing new Israel. That is why Matthew is so careful to describe specific echoes and parallels between historical Israel and Jesus: a miraculous birth, a sojourn in Egypt, a return to Israel, and now a baptism. Within this pattern perspective, the baptism has parallels to Israel walking through the Red Sea and through the parted Jordan River. It also has echoes to the anointing of kings.

It is here again that our distance to when monarchy was the norm may be an obstacle to understanding what monarchs represented. Yes, they ruled over subjects, but they were also mediators between their subjects and their deity or deities. Monarchs embodied the entirety of their subjects.

Although Moses was not a king, his actions reveal some of the expectations of ideal ancient monarchs as they related to their subjects. At Sinai, when the people craft and worship the golden calf, God tells Moses that God will destroy the people and instead make Moses a great nation. But Moses intercedes on behalf of the people, and God relents.[5]

Josiah, king of Judah, is another example. He is recorded as being one of the righteous kings. He ordered the restoration of the temple, and in the process the Book of the Law is found. As the book is read to him, Josiah tears his robes because “our ancestors did not obey the words of this book…” (2 Kings 22:13b) Their sin is understood as having accumulated over time and over the entire people. Even though Josiah himself is not responsible, he identifies with and takes responsibility for the past and for all his subjects and repents. As a result, God delays the judgment that will eventually fall. Josiah continues to lead a reign of reformation and repentance, and the period of his reign is relatively peaceful and uneventful.[6]

I am now quoting two extended paragraphs by Timothy Beach-Verhey, in a commentary on Matthew 3:13-17:

Kings have always claimed to have a special relationship to God. Part of their legitimacy comes from being God’s representative among the people… On the other hand, monarchs have always seen themselves as the representation, in one person, of the whole people. This has been the other source of their legitimacy. Monarchs exist as mediators between God and the people, presenting God to the people and the people to God…[7]

In his baptism, Jesus shows himself to be the one true king, who represents God to humanity and humanity to God. He is invested with divine authority and power through the descent of the Holy Spirit and God’s proclamation to the whole world… He also embodies and represents lost humanity, by appropriating the human responsibility to repent and turn toward God in the face of the impending kingdom of heaven. In his baptism by John, Jesus identifies himself with the human condition and represents them in his right relationship with God. This baptism, therefore, not only bestows upon him the mantle of divinity; it also marks his kenosis (self-emptying) on behalf of humanity. He is the king, the true and only mediator between God and humanity.[8]

Representing God

If Jesus represents God, and if we are baptized into Christ, and if our lives and characters are to reflect that of Jesus Christ, what does that look like? Today’s text from Isaiah offers some suggestions.

It is the first of the four sections in Isaiah known as “Servant Songs”. These four sections, in Christian tradition, are interpreted as prophetic texts identifying Jesus as Messiah. The connection between God’s response to Jesus’ baptism and the opening of the Isaiah text cannot be missed:

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. (Isaiah 42:1)

But that is not the only plausible interpretation for these texts. The identity of the servant has been debated among Jewish and Christian scholars, and multiple potential identities have been suggested.

The penultimate king of Judah, Jehoiachin (or Jeconiah), is one individual that is suggested as the servant referred to in Isaiah.[9] Many of us might find that identification surprising, but there is some fit when rabbinic sources are considered where Jehoiachin repents and becomes an example and leader of righteousness and obedience to the Torah for the exiled Jews.[10]

Another identification is in the Second Servant Song and names Israel itself as the servant.[11]

Others have suggested that these texts don’t point to any specific entity but portray an ideal response from those called by God.[12]

There are likely others, but here is the list of identifications just given: Jesus, Jehoiachin, Israel, and an ideal response. We have individuals and communities offered as possible entities that could fill the role of the Servant. Richard Ward, commenting on today’s Isaiah passage writes:

If the church opens only that part of Israel’s gift that defines its understanding of Jesus, then it misses its wider blessing. There is the portrait of the church’s Christ here, but there is so much more. Why confine the reach of this Song to one individual or even one servant community? It is a portrait, but it is also a silhouette. Anyone who “brings light and (God’s) promise of hope to the nations” (v. 6) stands in the place of the Servant.[13]

We Are an Epiphany

I think that the ambiguity is appropriate. We can read the Servant Songs and see multiple applications. Traditionally we have probably limited the application to Jesus and stopped there. But today, I would like us to re-read at first song as something that Jesus left as an example for us to follow in, as individuals and as a community.

42 But [you are] my servant, the one I uphold;
    my chosen, who brings me delight.
I’ve put my spirit upon [you];
    [you] will bring justice to the nations.
² [You won’t bring attention to yourself
    with loud speeches or gaudy parades].[14]
³ [You] won’t break a bruised reed;
    [you] won’t extinguish a faint wick,
    but [you] will surely bring justice.
⁴ [You] won’t be extinguished or broken
    until [you have] established justice in the land.
The coastlands await [your gospel] teaching.

⁵ God the Lord says—
    the one who created the heavens,
    the one who stretched them out,
    the one who spread out the earth and its offspring,
    the one who gave breath to its people
    and life to those who walk on it—
⁶ I, the Lord, have called you for a good reason.
    I will grasp your hand and guard you,
    and give you as a covenant [representing me] to the people,
    as a light to the nations,
⁷     to open blind eyes, to lead the prisoners from prison,
    and those who sit in darkness from the dungeon.
⁸ I am the Lord;
    that is my name;
    I don’t hand out my glory to others
        or my praise to idols.
⁹ The things announced in the past—look—they’ve already happened,
    but I’m declaring new things.
    Before they even appear,
    I tell you about them.[15]

Today, as many among us are reminded about our baptism into Christ and his body, and as others potentially consider their steps to baptism, let us ponder the fullness and revelation of Christ and what it means to be his disciples, following his path and becoming his ambassadors in this present life. What does it mean for us and the church to be an epiphany of Christ in this world today?

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[1] Anabaptism - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabaptism)

[2] All texts from New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition, unless otherwise noted.

[3] Luke 3:23a, “Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work.”

[4] Feasting on the Gospels: Matthew, Volume 1, page 141 (Kindle location around 1686).

[5] Exodus 33.

[6] 2 Kings 22-23.

[7] Feasting on the Gospels: Matthew, Volume 1, p. 135 (Kindle approximate location 1605).

[8] Ibid. (continuing)

[9] Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 1, approximate Kindle location 8301. “It would seem to the present writer that the person assigned the role of the Suffering Servant was most likely the exiled King Jehoiachin and his fellow exiles carried to Babylon in 597 BCE.”

[10] JEHOIACHIN - JewishEncyclopedia.com (https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8560-jehoiachin)

[11] Isaiah 49:3. “You are my servant, Israel…”

[12] Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 1, approximate Kindle location 7421. “Biblical scholar Paul Hanson finds in this passage not a reference to a historical figure or community but ‘a catalyst for reflection on the nature of the response demanded of those who have received a call from God.” [quoted from Isaiah 40-66, Interpretation series, p. 41.]

[13] Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 1, approximate Kindle location 7540.

[14] The re-writing of this verse based on The Message.

[15] Common English Bible, Isaiah 42:1-9, with my edits.