January 13, 2008

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church

Pr. Per Inge Vik 

Text:Matt 3,13-17       

Jesus in line to be baptized

We are in the time of Epiphany. From different angles we can see glimpses of God’s glory. Through his only Son, God shows us who he is. Last Sunday Jesus’ glory was revealed by the gifts he got as the wisemen opened their treasure chests. Gold, frankincense and myrrh reveal the identity of the receiver. That he is our King, our God and our Brother.

This Sunday Jesus’ glory is made clear by his baptism in the River Jordan. The voice from above sounds: This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. We can hear a nice echo from the angel’s song on Christmas night: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!

God the Father favors, he is well pleased with his Son. And because of him, God can also be pleased with us humans. Christmas brought heaven down to earth. Because God’s only begotten Son merged with us sinful humans, God is well pleased also with you and me. As we array ourselves with Christ and his righteousness, God can be pleased with us.  

All the 4 gospel writers tell about Jesus’ baptism. It is the first time they convey his adult life. So there is a gap from his childhood and until Jesus is about 30 that we know very little about. Except that it was a time for waiting and a time for maturing.

How do we, in these fast food times, relate to this? Do we respect that things need to mature? Or do we expect that we can harvest as soon as we have planted? Do we demand to have all our needs satisfied immediately? So many things go wrong in our life, in marriages and homes, at work and in church, if we do not practice our patience, let processes have the time they need, wait till time is due.

The baptism is Jesus’ act of consecration. It is the starting point of his public performance. At our Bible study last Tuesday we discussed whether Jesus’ baptism took place in full public. In the art and paintings that depict this scene, John is standing there alone with Jesus.

It seems as if only those two were present. I think that is a wrong perception. Jesus’ baptism took place in full public. Our Master came down to Jordan together with crowds of others wanting to be baptized.

He stepped into the line for baptism. And John gives every single candidate for baptism personal treatment. It was not a mass baptism without question. It was a personal conversion baptism that John performed.

This is the reason why the Baptist protests when he discovers Jesus in the line. Matthew is the only one of the 4 gospel writers conveying that the Baptist refuses. “You here, Jesus? This is not the place for you!” We can understand John’s objection when we consider what kind of baptism he performed.

Those who came to John asking for baptism, were sinners wanting to start a new life. So the Baptist meant that he himself should rather be baptized by Jesus. Even the ascetic preacher of repentance from the Judean desert needed forgiveness for his sins. John had self insight, and understood that he was not clean and free of sin. Jesus is the only clean one, who does not need forgiveness of sins.

Jesus responds to the objection: Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness. What kind of righteousness is this, that the one who is free of guilt mingles in the line of the guilty ones? Paul puts it this way: He who didn’t know about sin, was made sin for us. Jesus took our place. It started as he went into the line together with sinners to be baptized. He went there instead of you and me.

While the prophet used these precious words several hundred years before it happened: He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

What is the difference between our baptism and Jesus’? Jesus took our place when he was baptized. He took our sins upon himself.

As we get baptized, the same process continues. At baptism, a human child is made God’s child. We share in Christ’s righteousness. We become God’s beloved sons and daughters in our baptism, and God says that he is well pleased with us!

In the 4th gospel, the Baptist himself interprets what is taking place, as he the next day points at Jesus with the words: Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). While with the Synoptics (3 first gospel writers) the voice from heaven interprets the event: This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.

Jesus’ baptism has been used as an argument in the baptism discussion between different denominations. “Since our Master waited for 30 years, being baptized as an adult, we should do the same,” it is claimed. What is forgotten here, is that Jesus’ baptism is oriented the opposite way around to our baptism, as I just explained.

By the Jordan river Jesus mingles with sinners, and consecrates his life to save us. Christian baptism was established after Jesus’ resurrection and before his ascension. Then Jesus gave his apostles the baptism, and mission commandment. In our baptism we become co-heirs, God’s beloved sons and daughters. As the gospel is proclaimed, and new people baptized, the Church expands, and the kingdom of God widens its borders. 

Huge crowds of human beings in the world have still not gotten the chance to hear the good message. But God has put a longing for him in the human hearts. Symptomatic was the longing that the wisemen, the astrologists from the East were feeling. Every human bears this. We heard the prophecy from Is 42: the coastlands wait for his teaching (v.4). And later I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations (v.6).

It is in the very essence of the gospel that it is on its way out to all humans. The one who hears it and welcomes it by faith, is invited to share it with our neighbors.   

The apostle Peter had to break an enormous barrier  when he as a Jew was called to step into the house of the non-Jew Cornelius in Caesarea. 

We heard about this in the second reading today. It took a heavenly vision to remove the obstacles. After that Peter declares: Now I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

At first the apostles thought that the gospel was only for the Jews. It seemed as if they had forgotten the old prophecy: the coastlands wait for his teaching.

It is meaningful to me to be here, far away from “my own coastland” to share the good news with you! I wish to convey glimpses of God’s glory that shine from Jesus’ face.

Today there are more envoys for Jesus on other continents than at any previous time . Communication is so much easier and faster in our time. We have so many new ways to reach out. Let us bring the baton further. The Holy Spirit is with us, he who came over Jesus at the River Jordan .

Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, who was, is and shall always be one true God from eternity and to eternity.

(Congregation) Amen!

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716