Year C. The Baptism of Our Lord
Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22
Lord of the Lake Lutheran Church
Web page http://lordofthelake.org
By The Rev. Jerry Morrissey, Esq., Pastor
E-mail pastor@southshore.com
Title; “God’s Beloved”
Heavenly Father we do not fear, for You have redeemed us; You have called us by name, we are yours, we belong to you, we are your beloved children. Amen.
John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not the Messiah. After Jesus is baptized and is at prayer the Holy Spirit descends upon him and the Heavenly Father declares him to be his Son as well as Servant.
John compares his baptism to that of Jesus in verses 15 and 16 and declares Jesus to be mightier than he in verses 17 and 18. John is put in prison in verses 19 and 20 and Jesus is baptized in verses 21 and 22. Strictly speaking this is not a narrative about baptism. Instead we have a divine manifestation, the opening of heaven, descent of the Holy Spirit, and a heavenly voice, occurring after baptism during prayer.
In verse 15 whether John might be the Messiah: John knows who he is and who he is not. The difference between him and Jesus is like water and fire. John’s message and popularity raised the question whether he was the expected Messiah; the inaugurator of the New Age, which he preached, was imminent. He answered that there was no comparison between him and his water baptism and the Messiah and his Spirit and fire baptism. He was preparing them to meet him. A renewed life of repentance was the best way to come out of the ordeal spiritually on fire but “unharmed by fire.”
In verses 16, “I am not worthy:” In comparing what he was doing with what the Messiah would do John states that his baptism is merely of water, meaning that people can repent, but that is as far as it goes. To have the Spirit of God requires something from God’s side that no human can do. The Messiah can give that; John cannot. Now, Christian Baptism will involve water, but much more. It will have the effect of fire, which purifies, separating the alloys from the real metal. It will have the effect of Spirit, empowering not just good works but great ones. The term “Holy Spirit” was known in the Old Testament and in Jewish thought. So was the association of Spirit with fire to indicate both judgment and refinement, condemnation for the unrepentant and refinement for the repentant. It could go either way depending on the person. John himself claims a personal unworthiness to perform even the task of slave when it came to the Messiah. He himself was that repentant. No popular excessive flattery was going to confuse him as to where he stood in relation to the Messiah.
In verse 17 his winnowing fan: Using a metaphor from harvesting where a fork-like shovel tosses grain into the wind so that the light chaff would blow away, leaving the heavier kernels to fall to the ground and be gathered, John says the Messiah will separate the good from the bad. The bad will be burnt bad. He uses the metaphor of a big fire, perhaps, the one on the outskirts of town – the garbage dump, called “Gehenna,” which burned incessantly, to make his point.
In verse 21 after... Jesus also had been baptized: The text does not say that John actually baptized Jesus. Clearly he has done so, but his role is now over and Jesus moves to the forefront. Because John’s baptism was for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus was sinless; it was difficult for the early church to reconcile Jesus being baptized by John. So, the picture is that John is now “out of the picture.” In fact, verse 20 tells us that John is in prison! His baptism is over. Jesus is the last to receive his baptism but the only one to receive the Holy Spirit because he is, in fact, unique as God’s Son.
“And was praying:” The attention is now focused on the post-baptismal experience of Jesus at prayer. It is then, especially during prayer, that Jesus realizes his unique relationship with God. Luke intends to teach Christians what happens to them after Baptism as a result of prayer, that is, heightened awareness. The implication of this great historical event, the day we were baptized, unfolds over time as awareness grows under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
“Heaven was opened:” Baptism opens communication with heaven, that is, with God. Being earthbound is no longer a barrier.
In verse 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him: The “Holy Spirit” is God’s power, energy, love and drive. Of course, strictly speaking, Jesus already had the Holy Spirit. He is the Holy Spirit. Luke is teaching a confirmation lesson. He is describing what happens to Christians at their Baptism. This, then, is not a divine “begetting of” Jesus, let alone an adoption, but rather an equipping of him for a task, his mission.
“In bodily form like a dove:” Like the baptism of Jesus, the Baptism of a Christian is an historical event, which takes place not merely in the realm of the spiritual world. It is “visible” and “tangible” in its results. The Christian behaves differently after Baptism under the influence of the Holy Spirit. This behavior is an objectively seen reality as well as an inner experience. The “dove” is Luke’s way of describing the Holy Spirit as a seen and felt phenomenon. The “dove” as a symbol for the Holy Spirit does not seem to have any Old Testament precedents. Obviously, Luke’s readers understood it so.
In verse 22 a voice from heaven was heard: This is a roundabout way of referring to God’s voice. As a result of Baptism each Christian can “hear” the “voice” of God at prayer; remember for Luke all this is happening while Jesus is at prayer.
“You are my beloved son:” In Matthew 3:17 God is quoted as saying, “This is my beloved son.” In Mark and Luke it is “You are...” In other words, here Jesus seems to be addressed rather than John or any witnesses. If there was any doubt in Jesus’ mind as to his identity, and there may or may not have been, it is removed in this scene. Jesus may well have had more to learn about the implications of being God’s beloved and special son, but he seems to have known it from at least this point on. God is not conferring on Jesus a new status here. He is simply declaring what Luke has told us in chapters 1-2 to be the case. More important for Luke is that Christians become God’s beloved sons at Baptism. Luke has turned this whole scene into a lesson about Christian Baptism.
“On you my favor rests: Or, “with whom I am well pleased.” Along with the above, where “son” is put instead of "servant" in Hebrew the word for son “ben” and the word for “servant” “ ‘ebed” sound very much alike, this constitutes a quote from Isaiah 42:1, our first reading and Psalm 2:7. Luke is bringing in the entire “Suffering Servant” theology by this quote. Son though he was, beloved and chosen, he would suffer for the remission of the sins of others. Baptism is thus linked with suffering, death and, ultimately, resurrection.
Luke uses the occasion of Jesus’ being baptized to teach about the meaning of every Christian’s Baptism. John’s fading from the picture and not even being specified as the one doing the ceremony teaches the relative unimportance of the baptizer. This comes out in Christian theology, which teaches that any Christian can baptize. It is the effect of Baptism, which matters. Even though each person’s Baptism is an historical event for which there are witnesses and records kept, it is not merely a ceremony, which fades in one’s memory. This event should profoundly affect one’s prayer, one’s experience of the “opening of the heavens,” the spiritual realm. Baptism changes and prayer reveals our identity, face to face, with God. We are his new creation, symbolized by the dove, Spirit, voice, Word as at the first creation, a special child of God, with a mission. Fortified with the Holy Spirit we have the wherewithal to accomplish that God-given mission, whatever it is. That mission is revealed throughout our lives through prayer; remember that prayer is conscious contact with God. Baptism reveals our identity, as it did Jesus’. It tells us not so much “who” we are, but “whose” we are, God’s.
Being possessed by the Holy Spirit makes no difference unless we are aware, constantly aware, of that fact. Prayer does just that. Being possessed by the Holy Spirit is not just an inner, invisible experience. It shows up in this world through our attitudes and actions. That’s the meaning of the “dove in bodily form.” Immediately after his baptism Jesus began his ministry. We are saved to serve. It is not enough to just have water poured over us in a solemn way. This historical event of salvation must continue in history, our personal history, and both affect everything and have an effect upon the world. It is, as it was in the case of Jesus, what happens after baptism, which reveals its effectiveness in our lives. As God’s special children we have instant access to him and his grace. We have a share in his tireless energy. We cannot account for our drive, enthusiasm and energy in the expression of ideas, especially in artistic performance or composition otherwise.
Jesus underwent baptism not because he sinned, as we do, and needed forgiveness, but because he identified so much with us; and our condition that he wanted to save us. He became like us in all things but sin, so that we, too, could become like him without sin. The Father accepts all his children, baptized and not. But he “approves,” “is pleased with” his children’s behavior when it mirrors that of his special, unique, “only” son. Amen.
