Jan. 12, 2003
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Mindekirken Jan. 12, 2003 The Baptism of Jesus and of Us Mark 1:4-11 W. Shakespeare describes in his play Macbeth what the lust of power can do to a human. Lady Macbeth is the instigator when Macbeth kills the king of Scotland, and takes power in a very blood-stained way. As the evil develops further, Macbeth becomes more hardened in his brutality. For her part, Lady Macbeth feels more and more guilty. In a pathologic state of bad conscience, she tries to wash away the blood on her hands. Desperately, she finally takes her own life. Lady Macbeth is not the first one to have blood on her hands. A bad conscience due to guilt is as old as the human race. The trail of blood from Cain, who killed his brother Abel, leads us through the generations all the way to our own. It is said that humans are incurably religious. Maybe it has to do with our need to wash ourselves clean, our need of atonement, in order to endure ourselves. The Bible says that the human feeling, of falling short morally, is universal. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts. Romans 2:15. We all have a conscience, an inner voice that accuses or excuses us for what we do. Lady Macbeth was forced into a compulsive washing-mania. Psychologists may tell us that this is not unusual. A sex offender may be excessively clean. A victim might feel dirty and guilty. Sometimes one may feel a strong desire to clean oneself. Assaults are infamous among other things because they plant the feeling of guilt in the victim. One might need long lasting therapy to get help to place the guilt where it belongs, in this case on the offender. In general, I think we live in a culture that has made bad conscience into something which can be treated with therapy. It would be beneficial for our mental health if we spoke about sin. Sin is not the same as Psin. A crisis psychologist and atheist said: I’m envious of you pastors who can, on behalf of God, lay your hands on the head of people and tell them that their sins are forgiven. He was not concerned about theology, but the mental bonus of faith. He knew what it meant to a human to leave after confession, standing tall with the load off one’s back, and a clear conscience. It’s wonderful when people get unburdened, but the forgiveness of God is there also for a human who struggles with life-long anxiety, depression, and a bad conscience. Whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater that our hearts, and he knows everything, 1 John 3:20. God knows that atonement of sin doesn’t happen by our own piety. The atonement happened when Jesus died on the cross. Here, Christianity is different from most other religions. Man doesn’t need to do anything to atone for sin. We receive it as a gift, by grace. Today’s text tells us how people coped with their sins. They went in huge crowds to confess their sins and to be baptized by John in the River of Jordan. It must have been a strong revival. In 1 John 1:9 it says: If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession, forgiveness and cleansing, that was what John preached. It must have been a fantastic experience for people who cried over their sins to walk out into the river to be baptized. They were cleansed and could go happily on, with forgiveness for their sins. It’s not without reason so many religions have a bath of cleansing. The Jews themselves had numerous rules of cleaning in the OT. When a non-Jew would go over to the faith of the Jews, they were baptized with what was called the proselyte baptism. In the Christian church, we baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, exactly like Jesus told us. The NT says there is salvation in baptism. He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 Today’s text pays special attention to a candidate of baptism. Jesus himself came to be baptized. Matthew tells us that John protested. The baptism of John was for the cleansing of sins. But Jesus was clean, he had no sin to wash off. Even so, he got baptized. Why? Some say Jesus wanted to please his mother and his brothers. In many families, there are strong expectations and traditions. Behold the mother of the Lord and his brethren said to him: John the Baptist baptizes for the remission of sins; let us go and be baptized by him. But he said to them, What have I committed, that I should go and be baptized by him? This is quoted according to the Gospel to the Hebrews, which failed to be included in the NT. Why would Jesus want to be baptized? 18 years ago I stood with a newborn baby. To become a father counts definitely as one of the great experiences of life. The midwife gave me a pair of scissors. Like a mayor cutting the ribbon for a new road, I cut the umbilical cord with the words: I hereby declare you officially opened. When Jesus was baptized , a new part of his life’s path was opened. It was the installation of his life in public work. Behind were the years as a carpenter in Nazareth, ahead lay the work he had come to the world to do. The triune God was present at the baptism of Jesus. The spirit came down upon him like a dove. Jesus himself was the Son, and the voice of the Father came from heaven: You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. With these words Jesus was presented. It’s difficult to recognize these words for us. But here two verses from the OT are put together. You are my son is from Psalm 2:7. It’s about the Messiah, the king who would reign with great power on behalf of God. With you I am well pleased is picked from a totally different context. It’s from Isaiah 42;1, the song of the suffering servant of the Lord, the song which reaches its highlight in Isaiah 53 where it tells about the one who gave his life as an offering for the sin of his people. Yes, Jesus would be King, but he would be the suffering king. His throne would be a cross. He would conquer the world, not by power, but by the love that gives life to others. Jesus was the clean one, the one without sin. He didn’t need to be cleansed. When he was baptized, the opposite of what happens to us when we are baptized, happened to him. With his baptism, he got the sin of the world placed upon his shoulders. That’s why he says: I have a baptism to which I was baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Luke 12:50. The baptism of Jesus was, with other words, completed on the cross. But in a special way, the baptism of Jesus in Jordan opens the way of suffering to him. The gospel of John doesn’t tell directly about the baptism of Jesus. Instead, the baptizer points at the Master with the words: Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29. And Paul says: For our sake, he made him who knew no sin, to be sin,, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21. The white baptismal gown symbolizes that baptism cleanses from sin. God looks at us as if we were his own dear son.. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Gal. 3:27 You are baptized. You are well-dressed. You are clean, all thanks to him who was baptized for our sake. Glory be to God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. |
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