The Baptism of Jesus and Ours

Jesus is nearly 30 years old. Until recently he has been content working in the family carpentry business and supporting his widowed mother.  But of late a restlessness has come upon him.  He feels drawn to the larger world but he’s not sure when or where he should actually go or what exactly he is being called to do? But he is being called; he knows it!  

Then Jesus hears that Cousin John has a ministry in the wilderness that is causing a sensation.  He is at the centre of a great spiritual revival drawing large crowds on the banks of the River Jordan.  Listening to his call to repentance, a great variety of people: soldiers, tax collectors, the rich, the poor, are accepting his invitation to be baptized “confessing their sins.” (Mat.3:6)  Hearing the news of this revival Jesus is convinced that now is the time to leave his home.  

And so after a day or two of walking and, no doubt, praying, Jesus arrives at the banks of the Jordan River.  He moves with the crowd until finally he is standing in the water before John.  However, when Jesus presents himself for baptism, John demurs saying, “I’m the one who needs to be baptized, not you!”   

What a strange scene!  Like John we can’t imagine why Jesus is asking to be baptized. John’s baptism is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, whereas Jesus is without sin. Perhaps he is beginning his ministry by identifying with the sinners around him in the same way he ends his earthly ministry by being crucified between two sinners.  It’s true that from his baptism to his execution Jesus identifies with us at every point, becoming as completely one with us in our humanity as we believe him to be completely one with God in eternity,(Buchner, pg.101).   John, however, doesn’t see Jesus as a sinner; in fact, John had predicted that the Christ would be the baptizer, baptizing with Spirit and with fire, not as a recipient of baptism.  

But Jesus insists, saying, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” (Mat.3:15)  Jesus doesn’t answer John’s concerns directly nor does his answer reveal any sense of sin.  He says that his baptism will “fulfill all righteousness.”  So how does his baptism “fulfill all righteousness?”  Righteousness is a central theme in Matthew’s gospel, and for Matthew it means acting in accordance with the will of God.  Here, then, at the river Jordan, Jesus is acknowledging God’s claim on his life and his willingness to say, “I want to do the will of God more than anything else.”   

“And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Matt.3: 16-17)  It’s as if the prophet Isaiah’s plea ‘to tear open the heavens and come down” (Isa.64:1) has finally been answered as Jesus is declared the long awaited promised one through whom the whole divine world has opened up.  All four gospels make it clear that at his baptism it is made manifest that the Old Testament prophesies are fulfilled in Jesus.  Firstly, “This is my Son” echoes Psalm 2:7 where God declares the Davidic king to be his son.  Secondly, “with him I am well pleased” echoes Isaiah 42:1 where God declares “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.”  At his baptism Jesus now knows that he has been anointed as the servant Son of God; his mission begins.  

However, In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ baptism isn’t just a private anointing; it’s a public announcement to the whole watching world that Jesus has been installed, anointed as the Christ.  As Bruner says, “Jesus baptism was God’s visual and aural way of saying to history, “Dear world, this is it; here he is!” (Bruner pg. 107) In Paul’s accolade, “…in him every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.”(2 Cor. 1:20)

For most of us our baptism pales in comparison to Jesus’ experience; the heavens weren’t torn open and no divine voice of benediction was heard; in fact, most of us were too young to even remember that sacramental moment.  I was baptized when I was 6 weeks old at St. Augustine’s in Whitton, London.  I have the certificate to prove it, but other than that the event is a total blank.  What I do know is that my mother had no say in the baptism.  To my mum’s huge annoyance, her sister-in-law, my auntie Eileen, arranged the whole thing without saying anything to my parents.  Eileen was determined that I was going to be baptized in the Church of England in spite of the fact she herself never went to church!  And, yes, she designated herself as my Godmother!  

Some 24 years later I started to question my baptism. God had unexpectedly demonstrated his love and care for me, but I didn’t feel that I had said my “Yes” to him.  I had been confirmed when I was 19 but that, in retrospect, was merely an opportunistic acknowledgement of faith so that on an upcoming visit to England I could receive communion with my grandmother if she took me to my baptismal church. She didn’t!  

While I think confirmation is a rite in search of a theology, I think it’s a marvellous opportunity to say yes to God, to consciously be able to commit oneself to Christ.  But I had missed that opportunity and I so wanted to formally dedicate my life to Christ.  With some trepidation I asked my parish priest if he would baptize me by immersion.  He was very reluctant and reminded me that there was “…one Lord, one faith, one baptism…”  (Ephes. 4: 5)  But I wasn’t satisfied.  I wasn’t convinced that my baptism “had taken,” – so to speak!  To my delight, Doug reluctantly agreed and arranged to baptize me by immersion at the local Baptist church.  I was so excited.  I was looking forward to having an amazing spiritual experience.  At the very least I expected to have a divine encounter; I even hoped to see an angel or two. And what did I feel?  Wet!  No angels, no divine voice, just wet.  I was so disappointed.    

Like most of us I had underestimated Christian baptism of infants.  It took me a long time, many years in fact, to realize that when I was baptized as an infant I received all the gifts that Jesus received.  I had received an open heaven waiting to receive my prayers, the Holy Spirit to empower me to serve Jesus, and, perhaps the greatest gift of all, the assurance of a Heavenly Father who loved me unconditionally. All I had to do was to unlock my heart where these gifts had been stored, and for me the key to the lock was a mother’s faith shared, and unexpected Grace!  From my own baptism and that of a friend who has said many times that, as an abused child, the only gift her parents gave her was infant baptism because she is convinced it saved her life, I have learned that no matter the intention of the parents when they present their child for baptism, God honours that sacrament by bestowing upon that child all the gifts received by Jesus at his baptism.   

For me the most important words of all in Jesus’ baptism are the words of the Divine Voice to Jesus: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’”  Such love, such pleasure, such appreciation.  To this point Jesus has done nothing to please God except to turn up!  This same outrageous love God conveyed to Jesus at his baptism is conveyed to us in our own baptism.  The bestowing of this gift of love and indeed the gift of an open heaven and the Spirit is something God does for us even before we can do anything for God.  

A final word to those who are baptized: you are called, you are empowered, you are loved. 

Today as you come forward to receive communion Susan and I invite you to dip your finger into the water that has been blessed and make the sign of the cross on your forehead, as an acknowledgement of your own baptism and as an opportunity to reaffirm your yes to God.