Grace to
you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The text
for this meditation is written in the 3rd Chapter of the Gospel
according to St Matthew: Verses 13 – 17:
13 Then
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John
would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you
come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to
fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And
when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens
were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This
is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
I am
sure that most would be familiar with a Christian Baptism. It’s the ceremony,
called a Holy Sacrament in many denominations, where the Priest or Pastor
applies water to the head of the person being baptised and speaks words from
the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Baptism is performed in the Name of God the
Father, God the Son and God The Holy Spirit. Such Christian baptisms performed
since the resurrection of Jesus Christ are done by His command (Matt 28) and is
in fact the process of Christ making us His very own.
Today in
the Holy Gospel we read about Jesus Christ being baptised by John the
Baptist. This can cause us some
confusion, as when people came to John to be baptised, it was because they had
come to realise they were sinners, and being willingly baptised by John was a
public proclamation that they were sinners and were repentant (sorry for) their
sins.
So in
our Gospel reading, we have John, looking very rugged dressed in animal skins,
standing in the waters of the Jordan River in Judea, fervently calling to all
who would hear to “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven has come near.” – John was calling to sinners to prepare them for the coming of the
Saviour.
In
the midst of all this, Jesus approaches John and asks to receive this baptism.
Does our Lord and Saviour need to repent of sin? Does Jesus need to be forgiven
his sins? – Quite clearly the answer to these questions is a resounding NO. So
why is Jesus seeking baptism from John? Even John is bewildered by the request
as John has recognised Jesus. John points out that Jesus has this all
back-to-front; it is John who should be baptised by Jesus.
How
could John know that Jesus was identifying Himself with mankind? Jesus is not
only one-hundred percent God, but He is also one-hundred percent man. It is
within His manhood that Christ chooses to be identified with us in baptism. In
the Old Testament, the Levites were chosen to begin their ministry as priests
when they were thirty years old. They were anointed, marked, and ready to begin
their ministry as intercessors between God and mankind.
The
baptism of Jesus is also an anointing that takes place when Jesus was thirty
tears old. His anointing and marking also inaugurates His entrance into the
ministry as intercessor between God and mankind. In fact, Jesus is to be the last
and most perfect intercessor for all mankind.
In
regard to sin, in this baptism by John, although Jesus had led a perfect,
obedient life and had no sins to be forgiven, Jesus became sin for our sake. St
Paul writes to the Corinthians, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”. Jesus was baptised by
John not only to demonstrate His humanity, but also to identify with His
sacrifice.
The
reality is that Christ’s humiliation was not just about the cross; Christ’s
humiliation began when God assumed human form and continued through all the
events that that lead to the cross of crucifixion. Jesus as God became man in
order to become a saving sacrifice for all mankind, for us personally. This
sacrifice was not anything like the animal sacrifice that went on day after
day: This sacrifice was once for all time.
In
His baptism, Jesus is replacing the ceremonies of old with a new reality. He is
setting Himself up as the last and final sacrifice. Jesus is perfect in every
way and did not deserve to be executed. In fact, He came to save. This is God’s
plan of redemption for us sinners. He who is perfect and without blemish, takes
on our sin in exchange for His holiness – In exchange for our sin, Jesus gives
us His righteousness so that we may stand in front of our Father in heaven.
This
is the mystery and grace of Christianity over every other religion in the
entire world. Our salvation is all about grace. He takes our sins and gives us
His righteousness so that we may stand tall in front of the Father, not because
of what we did, but because of what Christ did for us. Forgiveness and eternal
life is our free gift from our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ who became sin for
our sake.
In
addition to Jesus identifying with mankind through His baptism, His Father in
heaven is also setting Jesus apart during this baptism for coronation as King,
as prophesied in Jeremiah 23:5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for
David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the
land”. This had everyone’s attention, this is what the Jewish people had been
waiting for, a conquering king who would lead a great army to overthrow the
Romans and free them from oppression.
This
was very different from a normal coronation. In the Old Testament times, when
God made an appearance, the event was spectacular. On Mt Sinai, thunder and
lightning accompanied the presence of God and it stuck fear in the hearts of
the people. However at the baptism of Jesus, the heavens opened and the Holy
Spirit descends like a dove, the gentlest of all animals, upon Jesus. In
addition to the presence of the Holy Spirit, we hear from the Father as the
clouds broke and He spoke from above, “this
is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased”. The Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit were all present at the baptism of Jesus any everyone there
that day witnessed this coronation event.
At
His baptism, Jesus is not only preparing Himself as the sacrifice, but He is
also receiving the crown from His Father. This surely is the pinnacle of the
Epiphany Season. As the Father and the Holy Spirit rejoice in the humility of
Jesus as He takes on our form, so to can we rejoice in His royalty and kingship
over all His people on earth for all time.
Another
compelling point concerning Jesus’ baptism is that Christ is distinguishing a new
mark for His people. In Old Testament tradition law, the distinguishing mark of
a Jewish man who dedicated his life to God was circumcision. For all people
now, baptism is a new mark for all who are truly under the King. Baptism is a
seal in which Christ marks us as His own. In fact, during the baptism ceremony,
the Priest or Pastor says the words that indicate that the one being baptised
is marked with the cross of Christ forever. At baptism, He marks us as His own.
On
reading our Gospel account, we can only imagine how hose present reacted when
they heard this voice from heaven and saw the form of a dove descend on Jesus.
Surely they must have stood in awe. This underscores the fact that baptism has
nothing to do with the Priest / Pastor or the one being baptised. Baptism has
everything to do with what God does to us! In baptism the Priest / Pastor pours
water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; yet God does
everything; it is all His work. Essentially, God declares that the one being
baptised is His and marked with His seal. The baptised live in the kingdom as
His chosen people. Although the water is applied only once, this is not a one-time
event to be forgotten. In baptism we can rise each day with the reassurance
that our Great Triune God has claimed that daily, through Jesus Christ, and us
we are reborn into a life of righteousness.
In marriage, my vows, my wedding ring says to
my wife, “I am yours, I belong to you”. In the same way my wife’s vows and
wedding ring says to me “I am your wife I belong to you”. We belong to each
other; we are one – inseparable! This is the exact analogy that Christ has in
identifying us, because He is the bridegroom and the Church is His bride. Jesus
has marked us and claimed us and through baptism has said “You are mine; you
belong to me forever. This is a marriage we cannot break; surely we can walk
away from it, but when we turn to back Jesus in repentance he receives us with
open arms.
Jesus
Christ has sacrificed His life to save us from death and condemnation. Christ
is our King who will protect us from all harm. In baptism He has permanently
admitted us into the God’s eternal family. With that knowledge we can go
forward into each day reassured that Romans 8:38-39 “neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Amen
The love and peace of God that is
beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen
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