Matthew 3:13-17 (NIV)
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
May God bless this reading of God’s holy Word.
It may not be obvious to you, but it has become very clear to me this week. . . In addition to being the first Sunday after Epiphany, today is Pastor Appreciation Sunday. . . just like every Sunday. Trying to prepare a sermon for this morning has made me appreciate more deeply the efforts that are expended on our behalf each week to bring us God’s word.
If you haven’t said “Thank you” recently to Pastor Brooks or any of the other pastors in our congregation, I encourage you to thank them for this part of their life’s work which must be done, week in and week out, all year long.
The lectionary for this first Sunday after the Epiphany focuses on John’s baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. It is the beginning of the story of Jesus’ ministry.
The story is told in the Gospel of Matthew, from which our New Testament reading comes, and also in Mark’s [Mark 1:9-11] and Luke’s [Luke 3:21-22] Gospels. {also John 1:29-34} But especially in Matthew’s Gospel we encounter frequent references to Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled because Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience who question whether Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.
It is a familiar story, but I invite you to come along with me as we take a closer look at this passage.
Matthew begins by telling us, “Then Jesus came from Galilee…”. Curious minds want to know, what had Jesus been doing in Galilee? Well, it seems that he had been living there, in the town of Nazareth.
Galilee is the name of the region that wraps around the the western half of the Sea of Galilee, extending some 20 miles or so towards the Mediterranean Sea from its western shores. Nazareth lies about 15 miles west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. The River Jordan exits the southern tip and flows about 65 miles south into the Dead Sea.
Remember the story of the Magi? After they headed home by a route that would not take them back to Herod, an angel of the Lord told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt and to wait until Herod was dead, thus fulfilling the prophecy “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Some time passed before Herod died and the angel of the Lord gave them the OK to return to the land of Israel. But Joseph was warned in a dream that things in Israel weren’t safe for them in the region of Judea, where Bethlehem, their home town, was about five miles SSW from Jerusalem. So Joseph took Mary and Jesus farther north into Galilee and settled in the town of Nazareth. Matthew reminds his audience of the prophecy that “He will be called a Nazarene.” And that is where Matthew leaves things at the end of the second chapter of his Gospel.
Years must have passed before we get to chapter three, because John the Baptist is already at his work. John is only six months older than Jesus (remember Mary’s visit to Elizabeth from last week?). In the Desert of Judea, John is calling for the people to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” And he is baptizing them in the River Jordan.
John, wearing camel’s hair clothes held by a leather belt and who eats locusts and wild honey, draws crowds “from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.” [Matt. 3:5] Word of his preaching spreads far and wide throughout the region and may have reached Jesus in Nazareth, some 60 miles to the NW.
[ like from Vancouver, WA to Salem, OR ]
When Matthew tells us that Jesus “…came from Galilee to the Jordan…”, it was more than an afternoon’s stroll – it was a journey of some length. No one knows for sure at what point Jesus found John along the Jordan’s 65 mile run between the Sea of Galilee at the north and the Dead Sea at the south. Some traditions hold that it was nearer the north end, others place it closer to the southern end. Regardless of the location, Jesus sought out John and his baptism of personal repentance.
There, alongside the River Jordan, a crowd has gathered again today. People stand on the banks, people who have just been baptized, people who are waiting their turn, people who are just curious to see what is going on. I wonder, do they sense that something extraordinary is about to happen?
Throughout his preaching John had proclaimed to these people, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ” [Matt. 3:11] Matthew notes that John is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” [Isaiah 40:3]
At last, Jesus’ turn comes and he approaches John at the river. John recognizes that a pivotal moment in his ministry has arrived. Here, standing before him is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Here, standing before him is the “one who is more powerful than I…”.
Matthew tells us that, “… John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ “In John’s initial reluctance to baptize Jesus he acknowledges that in this man there is no sin, there is no need of confession, no need of repentance. Instead, John is ready, in that moment, to yield to Jesus and to be the first to be baptized in the Holy Spirit by him.
But Jesus defers, saying, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” In this act Jesus not only identifies himself with John’s message of repentance, Jesus also establishes solidarity with each of us down through the ages – who need both to repent and to be saved.
In the end, John consents. So, like many before him, Jesus enters the river where John baptizes him with water. And like so many before him, Jesus feels John’s arms lifting him back to the surface of the river.
But that isn’t the end of this story, for Matthew continues,
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
We should note, in passing, that these verses contain the first clear expression of the Trinity: the Spirit of God descending like a dove, God’s voice from heaven and, by the river, the Son of God.
But Matthew’s account differs in an important way from how Mark and Luke record this divine endorsement. In Matthew’s Gospel the voice from heaven seems to be addressing all who are gathered on the riverbank, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.“ It sounds like an introduction of sorts for the people gathered on the riverbank and a public endorsement of Jesus himself.
In the gospels of Luke and Mark, the voice from heaven seems to be speaking directly to Jesus, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”. [Luke 3:22b] & [Mark 1:11]
In either case the proclamation from heaven marks the end of the baptism and the real beginning of the ministry of Jesus.
So what did Jesus do with this divine endorsement ?
First, we’re told, he went off into the wilderness for forty days. He was tempted by the devil. And then he set about his ministry, gathering disciples, teaching them and teaching the people. He became a servant as well as Lord.
Let’s go back to the verses from Isaiah, read earlier this morning, and listen with Jesus’ ministry in mind…
Isaiah 42:1-4a (NIV) — The Servant of the Lord
1 ”Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4a he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.”
To me, this description characterizes the ministry of Jesus. He went about his business in a quiet, confident and straightforward manner. His was a humble ministry. He did not shout, he was not strident. He preached for those with ears to hear but didn’t drive away those who were not ready to hear. He reached out to all, not just to the chosen. He reached out to everyone as he met them on the road or in the towns. Crowds found him, but he did not seek to book the largest venues of the day for his preaching. Rather, his message drew people to him. Jesus didn’t limit himself to appearances with his most fervent believers. He reached out to all whom he encountered. Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. The Samaritan woman by the well.
What a contrast to what we see so often today. Today, we live in a country full of pundits, shrill in their self-assured righteousness about the one true way according to their own personal beliefs. In recent years we have witnessed a massive increase in enmity among ourselves caused at least in part by a closed-mindedness towards the beliefs of other that differ from our own.
Who among us could claim any higher authority for our point of view than the endorsement Jesus received at his baptism? With that kind of backing and today’s predominately intolerant attitudes, Jesus could have swaggered through his ministry with the best bully-pulpit ever created. He could have simply told everyone he met the plain unvarnished truth and demanded their unswerving agreement or left them to an unpleasant eternity.
It is precisely this vast disconnect between how Jesus actually went about his ministry and the loud, assertive, sometimes aggressive messages we so often hear today that piqued my interest when I initially read this passage.
I struggle with feeling that I do too little to help bring about God’s kingdom here on earth and yet must acknowledge that Jesus didn’t succeed in bringing it about either. Not yet. But what Jesus did do in his quiet, humble way has lasted down through the centuries for us to pass on to the next generation. Jesus did have a lasting impact.
Can it be that we are simply called to be witnesses to what we have learned and experienced? Can it be that we are simply called as one sinful beggar to tell another where to find the bread of life? And to not be so judgmental of each other along the way?
Perhaps the prophet Micah’s well-known verse sums it up best in Micah 6:8 (NIV):
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
AMEN