Epiphany 4 – 31 January 2021 – Year B

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 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 21 – 28:

²¹ And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. ²² And they were astonished at his teaching,  for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. ²³ And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ²⁴  “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” ²⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” ²⁶ And the unclean spirit,  convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷ And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this?  A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸ And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

 

What does it mean to be “new”?  That may seem like a pretty stupid question.  After all, it’s not that hard to figure out.  We use the word all the time, and I think it’s safe to say that we have a fairly good grasp and understanding of what it means to be “new.” And yet…how often do we still misuse the word?  I would think that all of us have repeatedly heard the old ‘adages’ “you’re never too old to learn” or “you learn something new every day”. Well just think about how often you’ve heard something that’s “brand new” to your ears, only to learn that it really wasn’t new at all.  Just because the message is new to us doesn’t mean that it’s a new message, does it? My take on it is that you spend your whole life trying to learn all things new to us,  and around the time you are just getting on top of it, it’s time to ‘check out’!  

That’s what I like about the Gospel lesson for this morning.  Jesus is in the local synagogue, teaching and preaching.  Even before the demon-possessed man tried to disrupt the worship service, we’re told that the people were astonished at Jesus’ teaching because He taught them with authority, and not like the other teachers and preachers.  This was all brand new teaching to the people.  They had never heard such a message.  They had never heard such a message proclaimed with such authority.  How new and mysterious this worship experience was to them!  And before we go any further, we need to clarify what this means.  It does NOT mean that Jesus simply was brash and bold and loud and forceful.  That would be power in action; the strongest, loudest voice commanding all the attention.  That’s often what we witness today in our world.  The loudest voice calls the shots, even if the loudest voice is in the minority and dead-set wrong.  The loudest voice wins.  That’s NOT what this text means when it says that Jesus taught with authority.

Authority is different from power.  Any person with enough hacking skills may have the power to change or gain information using their computer, but that does not mean that they have the authority to do so.  When Jesus taught with authority, He was teaching “this is the Word of the Lord.” You see, the scribes and Pharisees didn’t teach that way.  They taught in matters of opinion and conjecture.  They were more concerned about what different rabbis and commentaries had to say than with what God had to say.  A typical sermon in those days would sound something like: “Rabbi X said this about this portion of Scripture, as did Rabbi Y.  Rabbi Z, on the other hand, wrote this in his commentary.  Let us consult yet another commentary to see what yet another rabbi had to say about these differing opinions.” Honestly, would you get anything out of such teaching?  That’s not authoritative teaching.  That’s simply reading over a number of different opinions.  Who’s right?  Who’s wrong?  Who’s to say?

This is what set Christ’s teaching apart from everyone else’s.  “This is the Word of the Lord.” You can almost hear the people, “I’ve never heard that before!” Well, let me be honest with you: That’s one of the greatest compliments you can pay a Christian Minister.  I love to hear it, especially from “life-long, cradle-to-grave” Anglicans who aren’t too proud to admit that you’ve never heard certain things before.  I love to hear it, not because I taught you something radically new, but because it means that God is doing exactly what He promised, creating and sustaining faith through the hearing of His Word.  I love to hear this because it means that you actually heard the authoritative teaching of the Word of God Himself; a Word which is so often stifled nowadays in favour of differing opinions and feelings and emotions and agendas.

And that brings us to our main point today: This is God’s Word.  What you see and hear and receive here today all comes to you in the stead of, and by the command of, and with the authority of Christ Jesus Himself.  Believe it or not, but there’s nothing new here.  Just because you may not have heard it before doesn’t mean that it’s brand-new.  It’s not brand new.  Maybe you were never taught it.  Maybe you never listened.  The teaching—the doctrine of repentance and salvation by faith alone in God’s grace alone because of Christ Jesus alone is not new.  In fact, this authoritative Law and Gospel message of the Word is eternal.  It’s just brand-new to our sinful ears.

Now, that’s worth noting.  Notice what the people say after Jesus heals the demon-possessed man: “A new teaching with authority.” Did you hear that?  Not a new teacher, but a new teaching.  The divine, healing authority wasn’t in the messenger, but in the message!  At first glance, we see Jesus and think, “well…of course the demons responded to Jesus.  He’s almighty God!” Did you know, this sort of thinking has a real and sad way of working itself into today’s ministry?  “That was then.  That was with Jesus, in the flesh.  Today is different.  Jesus isn’t here.  What makes you right and me wrong?  What gives you the right to preach to me?”

In a word—authority; not my authority, but Christ’s authority.  After the confession of sins in the service liturgy, the ordained servant announces forgiveness of sins. The liturgy has many variations in wording, but in true essence what is being said is; “I, as a called and ordained servant of Christ Jesus, in His stead and by His command and authority, forgive you all your sins.” I or any ordained Christian minster, including the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, don’t have the power to forgive sin.  I don’t have the power to make atonement for sin—your sin, my sin, a single sin, let alone an eternity’s worth of sin.  Only Christ has this power; power which He displayed on His cross when He proclaimed with all authority, “It is finished!”

Brothers and sisters in Christ: It is Christ’s authority—the authority of the Word of God Himself made flesh—that confronts us in our sin, calls us to repentance, and proclaims the joy and peace of complete forgiveness to us.  ^{(Luke 10:16)} “Those who hear you hear Me and hear the One who sent Me”.  ^{(Matthew 28:19-20) “}All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me; authority which I now bestow upon you.  Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in My authoritative name—the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” 

Notice here; We’re not called to teach anything other than what Christ has commanded and taught.  “Repent!  You are that person!  You are in sin.  What you are doing is sinful in the eyes of the Lord.” That’s not my opinion.  That’s God’s authoritative Word.  “Baptism now saves you.” That’s Christ’s authoritative Word.  “This is My body.  This is My blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sin.” That’s not my opinion or my take on a particular passage.  That’s Christ’s authoritative Word and promise.  Let the Word do the talking.  Let the Word work.  It is this Word, and this Word alone, that has the authority to bring about repentance and salvation.  This Word—this doctrine; this teaching—has the authority to kill and to make alive.  God keeps His promises.  His Word does not return to Him void and empty.  It accomplishes that which He purposes.

Just look around you today.  Look at all the reasons to give thanks.  We haven’t done anything radically new here.  We simply let God work—Word and Sacrament ministry.  That’s it!  No programs.  No gimmicks.  No smoke and mirrors and laser-light shows;  No rock bands. – I read three of many articles on the internet on how to use smoke, lasers and special effects to enhance Christian worship - Those things may have the power to make disciples, but disciples of what?  Those things don’t have the authority to make faithful disciples of Christ.  Only His means of grace—His Word and His sacraments—have that sort of authority.  Ironically, shunning the popular models of “ministry” and simply letting God work does seem radical and new to many people, just like it was for those folks gathered in the synagogue listening to Jesus.  It’s not new though; not at all.  It’s just new to a world that has been blinded and corrupted by the power of sin. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ: My prayer for you is that this life-giving, life-saving Word of Christ; this Word and teaching that alone has the authority to kill and to make alive—eternally, has authority over you and all that you say, think, and do.  This teaching—this Word made flesh—does great and mighty things.  Just look at all that He’s done for us already.  Just look at all that He’s about to do for us with His own body and blood in just a few minutes.  May your eyes and ears of faith be opened anew so that you too can behold the joy of Christ in your midst, not doing anything new or different from what He’s always done—making us new and alive and complete in Him through His life-giving, life-changing Word and Sacraments. Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Epiphany 3 – 24 January 2021 – Year B

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 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 14 - 20:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;  repent and believe in the gospel.” ¹⁶ Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰ And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

 

This past week, the United States of America inaugurated a new president.  Whether the residents of the US agree with the policies of Joseph Biden or disagree with them, he is now their president.  God’s Word as written in the Holy Scriptures is very clear in its’ direction that the citizens of the US are to pray for the new president and his administration.  They are to pray that they will govern wisely and that the country will prosper under their guidance. As written in ^{(1 Tim 2: 1-2)} “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way”. Out of interest, I did a quick ‘Google’ search and found that there are some sixty odd references in the Bible about how we should pray for and be subject to the earthly authorities. 

 

When we take the time to think about it, the transfer of power in democratic countries is really quite amazing.  There is a procedure.  In the US, the old president steps aside and the new president takes his place.  Historically, this has been a civilised and amicable process. Even though the events surrounding the transfer of power in the US over the past few weeks set an unsavoury precedence,   it is still really quite a contrast with most of human history.  For most of human history, the transfer of power usually meant somebody had to die.

 

In the most benign situation, the king died of natural causes and his son, the prince, became the new king.  Although this transfer of power is still relatively peaceful, the average subject had no say in the matter.  Whether the prince was a genius or dim-witted, he was the new king.

 

In other cases, rulers stole their authority by assassination.  Rulers had to have food and wine tasters to assure that they were not poisoned.  Kings had to keep an eye on the members of their own families.  A certain amount of paranoia helped many kings maintain their thrones and their lives.

 

Then, of course, there were the conquerors – people like David of Israel, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Cyrus and Darius of Persia, Alexander the Great of Greece, Hannibal of Carthage, Julius Caesar of Rome, and the like.  These people built their kingdoms by raising armies, conquering other kingdoms, and joining the kingdoms together into empires.  These rulers built their empires at the price of a great deal of blood.

 

There is one thing that all of these rulers have in common.  Whether these rulers came to power through the peaceful transfer of the modern democracy or the violence of war, they do not have the authority to rule within themselves.  They must receive the authority to rule from outside of themselves.  From an earthly standpoint, they must have people, land, and other resources in order to govern.  The lands they rule sustain them.  Earthly rulers ultimately receive their authority from the empires, kingdoms, or countries that they rule.

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaimed, “The kingdom of God is at hand.”  The Kingdom of God is different from earthly kingdoms because it does not rely on outside resources or people.  Instead, God rules, and His ruling creates and sustains the kingdom.  While earthly kings depend on their kingdoms, the Kingdom of God depends on God, its king.

 

Not only does God’s Kingdom exist in a different way, but it also reveals itself in a different way.  The Kingdoms of this earth put on an extravagant show.  Kings live in palaces.  They have personal guards and servants, food and drink tasters, as well as other support staff.  Even our own democratic leaders have multiple highly trained people to guard and care for their person at any given moment – not to mention the multitude of people who serve in the public administration.  This week’s inaugural celebrations in the US were incredibly expensive.  They were grand.  They were glorious.  That’s the way it is done here on this earth.  Earthly kingdoms tend to do everything big.  They reveal themselves in very public and very extravagant ways.

 

On the other hand, when God reveals His Kingdom, most people see just a man – the apparent son of a common labourer.  He has no servants.  His clothing is simple.  When someone asked about His home, ^{[Matthew 8:20]} Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of paradoxes.  So much is the exact opposite of what we expect.

 

There is a reason that the Kingdom of God is so much different from the kingdoms of this world.  As Jesus told Pontius Pilate, ^{[John 18:36]} “My kingdom is not of this world.”  Jesus did not come to rule, but to submit.  Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  The king who ruled over heaven and earth left His throne, hid His glory, and joined His subjects here on this earth.  He suffered as we suffer.  He was tempted as we are tempted.  Never the less the king did not sin as we sin.  For the writer to the Hebrews says, ^{[Hebrews 4:15]} For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Then – even though He was sinless – He suffered the punishment and death of sin.  The king took on the sins of His subjects – you and me – and then endured whip and crucifixion so that we – His subjects – might have eternal life.  The king endured the punishment His subjects deserved and gave them the royalty of His righteousness to take its place.  We are now kings and queens in his kingdom.

 

When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, He opened the entrance to this kingdom.  That way is now open and will remain open to the end of time.  The proclamation of Jesus in today’s Gospel tells us how we enter this kingdom.  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  

 

Repentance begins with confession.  We acknowledge our sin and our sinful nature to God.  Then repentance asks God for the desire and power to change our sinful ways.  As we repent, we believe that God will remove our sin and guilt for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ.  As John wrote in His first epistle, ^{[1 John 1:9]} “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Those who repent and believe in the Gospel find themselves in God’s kingdom.  Those who refuse to believe cannot enter God’s kingdom and so find themselves in the dungeons of hell.

 

We cannot repent and believe in our own power.  Even these elementary actions of the Christian are the work of the Holy Spirit in us.   They are a continuous, living, active part of our relationship with God.  We sin every day, and so we repent every day, and every day our saviour-king comforts us with the eternal truth that our sins have been and always will be forgiven.

 

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  This is the message Jesus proclaimed.  This is the message that He passed on to His Apostles when He made them “fishers of men.”  This is the message that the church has proclaimed down through the centuries.  This is the message that the church proclaims today.  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  Amen.

 

The love and peace of our Great trine God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 

  

Epiphany 2 – 17 January 2021 – Year B

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 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 43 – 51:

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,  you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

 

If somebody could tell you something about yourself—a secret—that you thought nobody else could ever know, would you be surprised?  In this age of social media, I guess you shouldn't be.  After all, anybody with even the most rudimentary of computer skills can go on Facebook, Instagram, Google etc. etc. and find out a fair amount of information about almost anyone.  It seems that most people are more than happy to make everyone else's job easy by posting all their most intimate details online for the whole world to see.  It is sad to see the feeling of devastation people experience when such information, sometime in the future, causes them to miss out on a scholarship, job or promotion.

With this in mind, the response of Nathanael to Jesus isn't all that strange or out of place, is it?  "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" And Nathanael responds no different than you or I probably would: "I'm sorry.  Do I know you?  How do you know me?" Put yourself in his shoes.  Would you be a little suspicious?  I can readily admit to you that my first instinct would be to think, "What's going on here?" The fact is though, Nathanael's suspicion was already in play long before he ever laid eyes on Jesus or heard Him make such a bold statement.  Remember: Philip is the one who sought out Nathanael in great joy and excitement, relating to him, "We found Him!  The one whom the Law and Prophets all wrote about.  The Messiah!  He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph the carpenter!" And how does Nathanael respond?  Probably the same way we would!  Hang on!  Can anything good; that is, heavenly and righteous, come out of such a place as Nazareth?"

But then Nathanael does something that probably wouldn't sit right with us, given our understanding of people knowing intimate details about our lives.  When Jesus displayed His insight by telling Nathanael that He saw him under the fig tree, long before Philip had even arrived to tell him the good news of Christ, how did Nathanael respond?  "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!" This was a significant and immediate turn-around?  Then to follow up with such great and lavish praise for a man he had just met and, as we have seen, was initially sceptical and suspicious of?  Was Nathanael being gullible and foolish?  We wouldn't be so gullible and blindly accepting, would we?  

So why such an abrupt and immediate about-face with Nathanael?  The answer is in this text!   You see, in Jewish culture the religious leaders taught and encouraged everyone to take some time out of the day—every single day—to find a special quiet place and get into God's Word and pray.  We can fairly safely assume that this is exactly what Nathanael was doing when our Lord saw him under the fig tree.  Now, who here hasn't read the Scriptures and struggled with the meaning from time to time?  Who here hasn't asked God for some help; for a sign?  Hopefully, we all have.  It's not a bad thing.  In his writings Dr. Martin Luther states that this struggling is actually very good and beneficial to the Christian.  He professes that there are three things that go into making a faithful Christian and theologian: Oratio (prayer), Meditatio (meditation on God's Word), and Tentatio (suffering / struggling).  Prayer leads us to listen to God and His Word.  We don't always like what we hear, which causes struggling and suffering, which gets us back talking to God in prayer, which gets us back in His Word – a cycle of enlightening meditation.  

Now, John doesn't tell us what was being said or studied under that fig tree when Christ saw Nathanael.  He leaves it a special little secret between Jesus and Nathanael.  However, do you think that Nathanael could've been struggling with the promise of the Holy Scriptures?  "Lord, when is today going to come?  We're dying here!  When are You going to send Your King; Your Son?  Let me see some sign that You're faithful to Your Word!" This was at the forefront of the Jewish believers thinking at that time!  Do you see oratio, meditatio, and tentatio at work here?

That profound statement of true, saving faith that explodes out of Nathanael speaks volumes to his true faith and trust in God and the sheer joy in recognising the open door standing before him; the very answer to his prayers and the prayers of all God's faithful people.

And that's where we come in today.  You see, nothing has changed!  Our Lord and Saviour still hears our prayers.  He still sees us and sees our heart, even when we think nobody hears or knows what we're going through; even when we think we're getting away with something and He can't see us.  He knows!  As scary as this may rightfully be to some of us, there is great Gospel goodness here.  God knows us.  We are known and loved by Him—intimately, mercifully…Fatherly.  He knows our pains and sorrows and worries and cares.  He knows what we need to support our body and life and He daily and richly provides us with all this and so much more.  He comes to us this very day because of His unconditional love and compassion for us, showing that He is faithful in His promise to us to give us His absolutely free gifts of eternal life and forgiveness and citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven as His child and co-heir; gifts He gives us in His own Word, in the life-giving waters of baptism, and in His own body and blood, that we eat and drink at the alter rail of grace.  

My friends in Christ: With this sure and certain faithfulness of God continually being played out before our very eyes, how can we not, like Nathanael, respond in the true faith of God's precious children: "You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!”  

And that's just it.  Trust in this Immanuel reality does produce a response; a right and faithful response to God and His gifts.  Like Nathanael, when the reality of Christ Jesus is faithfully recognised in our lives, change happens; an abrupt and purposeful about-face.  However, this change—this repentant about-face—is not something that can be forced or coerced or legislated.  True repentant faith isn't fake or contrived, putting on a good show for everyone else.  Faith doesn't require proof before it will change or believe.  If it did, it couldn't rightly be called faith. 

 

That's why we're here today.  I can't make you faithful.  I can't make you repent and believe and rejoice in your absolutely free and unmerited gift of forgiveness because of God's grace alone, which is yours because of Christ alone.  I can't make you change.  I can, however, point you to the reality of Immanuel—Christ Jesus in our midst, not just here, but always and ever.  God is the one who grants us the gift of saving faith; the gift of opened eyes and ears that recognise the reality of God with us; a gift that He gives to us through the hearing of Him and His Word.

It's amazing how often people talk about their struggles whilst recognising Christ in their life.  They feel alone.  They feel distant and removed and out-of-touch.  The very purpose of the means of grace (Word and Sacrament) is to reassure us that Christ is there with us.  He's always there with us.  Turn around.  Turn to Christ.  The problem is not that He left us, but that we are frequently headed away from Him.  Nobody ever said life is going to be easy, especially Jesus.  In fact, He told us to take up our crosses and follow Him.  And here is our challenge…we are to follow Him, not usher Him into corners in an attempt achieve our own will.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Your heavenly Father is faithful to His Word and promise—always and ever.  He has sent His one and only begotten Son into this world to live and die for us.  Because of Christ Jesus—the King of kings and Lord of lords—we are completely forgiven and redeemed.  The kingdom of heaven is open to us and to all who believe in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.  

May this Good News of the Gospel bring about the faithful, necessary, and lifesaving change in us as it has in all of God's precious children of promise.  May our eyes be opened to God's goodness so that we too can see heaven opened—right now—and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man, who dwells with us as we speak; in His Word, His body, and His blood.  May our eyes be opened to the reality of God with us and miraculously working among us, calling us to turn and follow Him and Him alone, our sole source of light, life, and salvation.  To Christ alone be all the honour, praise, and glory. Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond a human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

  

Baptism of Our Lord – 10 January 2021 – Year B

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 1^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 4 – 11:

⁴ John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸ I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

 

There are dates and times in our lives that we remember. We remember our birth date and subsequently our birthday each year. We remember when our children were born. We remember our wedding anniversaries – well gentlemen I hope you do!!  Special dates are important to us, they mark milestones in our lives, and we like to celebrate them, or on some we contemplate or even mourn. But here’s the thing! I wonder how many of us remember probably the most important date in our lives? Our baptismal birthday! I did not cheat and rife through old files to find the certificate; so I will confess that I think mine is in October sometime. Our baptism is that happy day when all our sins were washed away and we became a child of God. So for those of us who don’t know our baptismal birthday, we might want to find out when it is and then celebrate it.

You know there’s a baptismal birthday going on today? And that it’s one all of us can celebrate. Because today is the First Sunday after the Epiphany, the day in the church year when we celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord. This is the day we remember that event when our Lord Jesus Christ was baptised in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. So today is, in effect, Jesus’ baptismal birthday.

The Baptism of Our Lord is an event recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and also referred to in the Gospel of John. The accounts are very similar, except here and there one writer may include a detail that another leaves out, or one writer may use slightly different wording to describe the same event. So it is in our text today from the Gospel of Mark. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention that when Jesus was baptised the heavens were opened, but only Mark uses the exact word choice that we find today. He says: ^{(Mark 1:10) “}And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart”. 

“The heavens being torn apart.” That’s an interesting way to put it, isn’t it? The word that’s used here in the Greek is the word, “schizo.”  It’s the word from which we get our English words “scissors” and “schism,” etc. “Schizo” means to “split,” to “rend,” to “tear apart” or “rip open.” It has almost a violent connotation. So the heavens were being “split wide open,” “torn apart,” when Jesus was baptised.

How do we feel when we hear that the heavens were torn open? This sort of terminology creates tension and anxious anticipation! When the heavens tear open what are we to expect? Historically, when God splits open the skies like this, it is His harsh judgement that comes crashing down, like lightning striking the earth. Think of the time of Noah, when God opened up the heavens and flooded the earth. The clouds burst open, and it rained for forty days and forty nights. Massive, total destruction. A worldwide catastrophe. God’s extreme judgment on a wicked and corrupt humanity. In that case, the heavens being torn open spelled doom and disaster. Or think of the time of Abraham and Lot. The heavens opened up at that time, too and rained fire and brimstone. God sent fire and brimstone down as a judgment upon the perverse and wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

So the idea of the heavens being torn open is not usually a very pleasant or desirable event in biblical terms. The prophet Isaiah cried out to the Lord, ^{(Isaiah 64:1)} “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” Isaiah wanted the judgment of God to descend upon the wicked nations of the earth. “Oh, that you would rend the heavens! Split them open, Lord! Tear them apart and wipe out all the evil on this earth! Come down in judgment on sinful mankind!”

This background, then, should shape our expectations when we read that at Jesus’ baptism the heavens were torn open. We would expect that God’s judgment should come crashing down. After all, look at the people who were being baptised. It says that all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to John, confessing their sins. So these were sinners who were coming to John for baptism, and as all human sinners who have dwelled on this earth, they were ripe for judgment. For the wages of sin is death.

We are not innocent bystanders here today. We too are sinners, ripe for judgment. You and I have broken God’s commandments. We have not loved God with our whole heart or listened to his word as we ought. We have not loved and helped our neighbour as we ought. We also have earned God’s displeasure and wrath. His judgment should come crashing down on us. This should give us cause for sober thought!  Is that the eternal death sentence? And when the heavens are torn open on the Last Day, will that be the final judgment?

But back to our text. So here comes this man Jesus, coming to be baptised in the Jordan, just like all of those admitted sinners. Then, after he’s baptised, the heavens are torn open. And what comes down out of those heavens? Fire and brimstone? A wipe-’em-out flood? No, not fire and brimstone. Not a flood. But rather a voice and a dove. A voice and a dove? What kind of judgment is that?

Well, how does God judge and evaluate this man Jesus? The voice says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Yes, this is who Jesus is. He is God’s own Son! As amazing as it seems–and it’s the most amazing thing in the world – this man Jesus is the very Son of God. True God and true man. God incarnate, God come down out of heaven in the flesh. That’s who this ordinary man Jesus is.

And God’s proclaims his judgment on him: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” God loves this man Jesus. And he loves what Jesus is doing, standing there at the Jordan, taking his place among sinners. The Father knows what his Son is going to do for the sinners of this world, starting here at the Jordan.  God’s own mission of redemption. Notice what he says: “With you I am well pleased.” God was well pleased to choose Jesus for this mission he is about to undertake. God is well pleased that Jesus voluntarily takes it up and enters into this mission. He’s well pleased that Jesus gets down into the water with sinners like you and me. God is very well pleased, in every respect, with this man Jesus.

But where is the judgment? Where is the displeasure and wrath? There is none. Just divine approval. Because Jesus has no sins of his own to confess. He is without sin. He is holy and righteous –  always, constantly, consistently, doing God’s will. Yet he takes his stand with sinners. He identifies with us. And here at the Jordan he undertakes his saving mission to rescue us from the death and judgment we all deserve.

So where and when will the judgment fall? Where is God’s displeasure and wrath? Not here. Not yet. But it will come. At the cross of crucifixion, the righteous judgment of God will come crashing down like a ton of bricks, and it will land on the head of this man Jesus, like lightning hitting a lightning rod. The lightning rod takes the hit, and those all around are spared. That’s Jesus, and that’s us. For the holy Son of God will take on himself the sin and the guilt of all mankind. At the cross, Jesus bore our sins in his body. He suffered the judgment we deserve, and in so doing, he took that judgment away from us. On that Good Friday, the heavens were not torn open, but rather they were shut closed and became as brass. The heavens were sealed shut to Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The beloved Son, the one in whom God was well pleased, takes the ultimate rejection and alienation from God once and for all. And he does it for us, that we would no longer come under that judgment.

And it all starts in full now, here at the Jordan in Jesus’ baptism. That’s what’s going on here. That’s what Jesus is saying yes to when he steps into the water. And it pleases the Father to no end that his Son takes our place, to give us life into eternity.

So here comes the voice of the Father, pronouncing his approval on his beloved Son and his saving mission. And here comes a dove, descending out of the skies. Think of the dove that brought word to Noah that it was safe to come out, that the flood and the judgment were over. There the dove became a symbol of peace. God was at peace with mankind. So it is here. In the person of the man Jesus, God was making peace with rebellious mankind. Jesus would establish that peace by his death on the cross. So here at the Jordan a dove descends.

But this is no ordinary dove. This is the Holy Spirit taking the form of a dove. The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity–the Spirit likewise gives his approval to Jesus as he embarks upon his mission. And the Spirit empowers this man Jesus for his mission. God here is anointing Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. God puts his Spirit upon his chosen servant to empower him for his task.

So here at Christ’s baptism, the heavens are torn open. But instead of fire and brimstone there’s a voice and a dove, the voice of the Father and the Holy Spirit like a dove. Divine approval and divine empowerment. Approval of Christ’s person and empowerment for his work.

Because Jesus carried out and completed his work, at our baptism into Christ, all our sins are washed away in those Christ-filled waters. In the same way, God says the same thing about us that he said about Jesus: “You – yes, each and every one of us, are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you for Jesus’ sake.” And in the same way, the Spirit descends upon us, making us a new creation in Christ and empowering us for a life of service in God’s kingdom.

So today we celebrate the greatest baptismal birthday of them all, the Baptism of Our Lord. It is his baptism that gives life and vitality to our baptism. Brothers and sisters in Christ, celebrate your baptism. Rejoice in it. Give thanks to God that you are baptised. Not just on your baptismal birthday, but every day. Remember what God did in your baptism, and continues to do: He joined you to Jesus forever, he made you his own dear child, and he gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Dear friends, by his baptism in the Jordan, by his death on the cross, and by his glorious resurrection from the dead, Christ our Lord has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Because of what Jesus began at his baptism and then carried to completion, now heaven truly is open. This is well summarised by ^{(John 20:31)}“these things are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name”. Amen

 

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen