Grace to you and peace from God our Father and 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 know that you would be familiar with and have frequently witnessed a Christian Baptism. What I often wonder about is how different people perceive Holy Baptism. Some of my experiences whilst administering the rite of Holy baptism has as best been ‘memorable’; with movie cameras suddenly appearing over my shoulder and children grabbing at the baptism candle etc. etc. Don’t misunderstand me, mostly, parents and sponsors have been properly instructed, and understand the significance; but for a lot of people “getting the kids christened” is one of those rites of passage like getting teeth, starting school, turning 18 or getting a driver’s licence: And it has to be duly celebrated.
Baptism is a Holy Sacrament! …. Mainstream Sacramental Denominations hold to the definition of a sacrament, which was formulated by St Augustine of Hippo in the 5th Century AD, as an outward sign of an inward grace that has been instituted by Jesus Christ. In the case of a Holy baptism, the Priest (ordained minister) 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 as written in Matthew 28, and is in fact the process of Christ making us His very own, by washing us clean with the water consecrated by Him at His baptism, and empowering us with the Holy Spirit.
Today in the Holy Gospel we read about Jesus Christ being baptised by John the Baptist. Now this can cause us some confusion, because 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; or 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? – One would think that 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. John was not just being humble in the presence of his Lord and Saviour, he was probably quaking in his boots out of fear.
How could John know that Jesus was identifying Himself with mankind? After all, up until now, Jesus had been that ‘good boy, with a bright head on his shoulders; you know that young carpenter from Nazareth’. Remember, Jesus is not only one-hundred percent God, but He is also one-hundred percent human. At this point in time the people were awaiting the prophesied, all conquering King to descend in a blaze of glory and drive off the Romans and set up an utopian paradise of earth.
That was not God’s plan, right at that moment Jesus is an unknown face in the crowd. It is within His human state that Christ chooses to be identified with us in baptism. The timing is significant as well. 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 years old. His heavenly 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, but, 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 show himself to be the good and obedient Son who does God’s will perfectly. You see, theologically speaking, in this baptism, Jesus repents, not in the sense of turning from His sin, but in fact offers himself up to repent for our sins so that he may be acceptable in God’s sight as our sacrificial lamb. In this act Jesus is dedicating himself to follow God’s will fully on earth.
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 in accordance with Old Testament Law: Jesus’ birth heralded a new order in God’s plan of salvation for all humankind, and this sacrifice was once for all time.
So, in His baptism, Jesus is replacing the ceremonies of old with a new order. 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 exclusiveness of Christianity over every other religion in the entire world. It is this exclusive nature that confounds our human thinking to this day. Our salvation is all about grace. Jesus takes our sins and givesus 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 are 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. What a spectacle; everyone there that day witnessed the awesome presence of the Holy Trinity at this coronation event, and in truth, probably went home shaken and confused – Jesus; The Holy Spirit; the sound of God’s voice – no conquering king in a chariot appeared – all that was left was just Jesus standing in the water. What they did not realise was that Jesus was centre stage being empowered by the Holy Spirit and blessed by God himself.
Do you notice in Matthew’s Bible account, John instantly fades into insignificance? This highlights the fact that baptism has nothing to do with the Priest or the one being baptised. Baptism has everything to do with what God does to us! In baptism the Priest 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; marked with His seal and empowered with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that the living word of God may be understood and accepted through faith. 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, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with the reassurance that we are reborn into a life of righteousness.
Unlike the people of the day, we now have the understanding of God’s Word, and for us, Jesus baptism surely is the pinnacle of the Epiphany Season. 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.
Today as we meditate on the Baptism of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we can leave this place of worship with the feeling of elation, the same feeling of elation we experience at our marriage. You see in marriage, the exchanged vows, the exchanged wedding rings say “I am yours, 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, in times of weakness, we can walk away from it, but when we turn to back Jesus, in repentance, we can rest assured that he receives us with open arms, to dwell with him into eternity. 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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