Welcome to the Family
Being baptized means being welcomed into God’s family. Now, when you’re “welcomed”, that usually means that you are arriving someplace. You are just getting there, just beginning the visit. You aren’t “welcomed” as you are leaving after a visit, right?
Baptism is a beginning. Baptism is about beginning anew. Baptism is a fresh start, not a destination. And baptism is not a trial-free membership, but a rite of initiation into a way of life in which Jesus promised there would be trials. Along with Jesus, our ministry begins with our baptism.
In our scripture for today, Jesus and John the Baptist meet in the water. John is busy preaching and baptizing those that respond, and Jesus comes to him to be baptized. This is recorded in all the gospels, but different details are in each one.
Of the 4 gospel writers it is Luke who deals most directly with the role of John the Baptist as subordinate to that of the coming Messiah. We need to remember that there have been 400 prophetless years and John the Baptist, while a bit rough around the edges, is pretty charismatic. He brings some spiritual intensity to people eagerly awaiting the Messiah.
The crowds were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah and questioned him about that. Now this was a crucial moment in John’s ministry -- the test of his ability to be a voice proclaiming preparation for the One who is to come, while resisting the temptation to elevate his own message. Too many, with an ego problem and that much power, might fall prey to that temptation.
John has spoken with authority to one and all. He has been bold enough to address mixed crowds that contained people with social status far above his own. He didn’t back down from proclaiming his message, but when questioned about his identity, John the Baptist firmly separates himself from the long-expected Messiah whose coming he announces. He makes it clear that the Messiah will be superior to him in a number of ways.
John notes that the difference is so great that he is not even worthy to be his slave. The most menial job that a slave could do was to untie someone’s sandal before washing their feet. It was a nasty job because people’s feet would be dirty and their shoes would be caked with donkey and camel dung from the streets. John is saying that he is not even worthy to do this lowly job for Jesus.
I can relate to John the Baptist. I remember a similar instance my first year here. It was on a Sunday that happened to fall on Trick-or-Treat night, so during the children’s chat I wanted to help prepare them for what they needed to do to receive their candy. I asked them what they would say when they went to the door of a house. Of course, they all knew what to say, after which I gave them each a piece of candy and sent them back to their parents.
As I’m walking back up to the pulpit, I hear laughter, and after the service I found out what caused it. It seems Riley had gotten back to Shawn and said, “Look, Mommy. Jesus gave me candy.”
Just like John the Baptist said then and I say now, “Don’t confuse me with someone far greater than me.” I’m not Jesus. I’m not worthy to untie his sandals, either.
John the Baptist has been calling people to repent and be baptized. Jesus, along with many others, responds to this call by coming forth to be baptized. But have you ever wondered, why did Jesus need to be baptized?” Baptism means that we’re giving up our old ways, our old life, turning around and starting to live as God would have us live.
In our baptismal service I ask those desiring baptism this question. “Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and it’s power in the world?” So, according to what we believe, does Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God need to repent? Of course not!
This is why John is so surprised when Jesus comes to him asking for baptism. John is thinking, along with the rest of us, “What sin are you confessing?” And John, argues against this, saying, “No, I need to be baptized by you,” but Jesus responds, “It is proper for us in this way.”
Jesus had no need to repent of His sins by water baptism. He was sinless! He had nothing to repent of! Jesus had no need to be welcomed to the family. Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God and that he lived a life without sin.
I do have some thoughts on why Jesus was baptized, though. Jesus’ baptism was a sign of his complete dedication to following the will of God. For those who came to John for baptism, this required a change in direction – a turning from their old ways and a turning to God’s way of life. Jesus’ baptism was simply a public declaration that He was following the will of God in His life.
Another reason that I think Jesus was baptized was that it announced the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus’ baptism endorses John’s ministry and marks the succession that was taking place. John’s work has been completed, and Jesus’ is just beginning" (Culpepper, 90).
Finally, I think Jesus was baptized was as an example, to his disciples and to us. Jesus taught his followers to be baptized – and here he is showing them that He would not ask them to do anything He wouldn’t do himself.
I’d like to draw your attention to a little detail that Luke tells us about the baptism of Jesus. Luke 3:21 reads, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven opened”.
You’ve maybe seen pictures in Christian art with that familiar image of John baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan, and the Spirit alighting on Jesus as this took place. But that’s not how Luke tells it. Luke tells us, all the people were baptized, then Jesus was baptized, then Jesus prayed, and then the Spirit came.
Luke does not picture everything happening at once, but gives us a sequence of events that take place. Heaven opens, not at Jesus’ baptism, but during his prayer following his baptism. Prayer is important for Luke, who frequently portrays Jesus at prayer (5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28-29; 11:1; 22:32, 41-45; 23:34, 46) or encouraging his disciples to pray (6:28; 18:1; 22:40, 46). He also portrays the church at prayer (Acts 1:14; 6:4; 8:24; 10:9; 14:23; 16:13, 16; 26:29). Jesus’ ministry was powered by prayer.
Jesus has been welcomed into the family. This was the start of His new life. His ministry is beginning, a ministry that would eventually lead Him to the cross.
There is much work to do, now that his ministry has officially started. He has people to heal, disciples and others to teach, dead to raise, water to walk on, miracles to perform, a lot of work. So He prays. And power and assurance comes. Power and assurance from the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and a voice from heaven saying, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Time and time again we see Jesus withdrawing from the busyness, withdrawing from all the things that needed doing, withdrawing from the people’s needs and the disciples clamoring to learn, withdrawing and taking time out to pray.
Remember also when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he knew that he was to die on the Cross, “Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done” (Lk 22:42) It’s not always easy to do the Father’s will. It wasn’t easy then and it still isn’t. But in his baptism and his prayer-filled life, Jesus gives us an example of how to live.
John was baptizing those who had decided to turn away from living life their own way and start living for God. They wanted their sins washed away. Just like us when we come to be baptized. We want our sins washed away.
But the water in the Jordan is not magic water. The water in our baptismal font is not magic water. The water in our font is just water from the tap. It will wash the dirt from our hands but it cannot take away sin.
We need something in addition to this water. We need Jesus. That’s why Jesus came to be baptized, too. He had no sin, he’s the clean hand, but he shared the sin of the rest of us. He took our dirt on himself, then died on the cross and rinsed that dirt away.
By following Jesus’ example of answering the call to be baptized, by responding ourselves to our call to be baptized, we are welcomed to the family. We become brothers and sisters in Christ, and heirs to the kingdom because God has claimed us through baptism to be his children, too. And we can hear the same response, “You are my children, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
In following Jesus’ example in baptism, we have repented. But our journey is not over, rather it is just beginning. Just as with Jesus, our baptism is the start or our ministry. After this welcoming to the family, our lives are to become a response to God’s saving grace in baptism.
Our response is that we must follow Jesus’ other example of becoming prayerful, spirit-filled children of God. We must dedicate ourselves to a life of following God’s will and trying to remain centered in God’s grace.
We know it won’t be easy. There will be trials. There will be tough times. But remember, we’re part of the family now. God’s family. And family helps family.
