Joining Us in the Water

Transcript

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[0:00] Our sermon text today comes from Matthew chapter 3, verses 13 to 17. 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.

[0:27] 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 alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love. With him I am well pleased. Let's pray.

[0:52] Our God, we thank you for your word. We ask now your blessing upon it. Would you open our ears, our hearts, and our minds to receive whatever message you have for us. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[1:11] So the baptism of Jesus has always been a difficult subject to think about. John the Baptist had come with a message for the people as he called them to repentance. John offered people a way in which they could receive forgiveness, through baptism.

[1:30] John lived his message. It was not only his words, but also his actions that showed up in his life. He lived in the wilderness. He wore clothes made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.

[1:50] And the message that John brought and proclaimed as he traveled was one that struck right at the heart of people's hearts. He was confronting people with a choice and a decision that they knew deep down they had to make. People knew they had slipped away from God's way. They knew they had needed to change. So John was only telling them what they were already aware of. Turn around, repent, and start again.

[2:23] But Jesus is the sinless one. So he has no need for baptism or for forgiveness. He hasn't sinned, so he doesn't need to repent and receive God's mercy. So I guess that John would have been startled, to say the least, when Jesus approached him. And he tried to deter Jesus from baptism. John was clear in his own mind that it was he, not Jesus, who needed to be baptized. If it was not for forgiveness, then why did Jesus come to John for baptism?

[3:07] One was for an opportunity for God to identify Jesus as his son. So first and foremost, the baptism of Jesus was a revelation by the Father to Jesus and to all the people around about who Jesus really was. The baptism enabled the Father to proclaim, loud and clear, to Jesus and to all the people, that he was the Son of God, the Messiah, the long-promised one. Here, standing before the people, was the very person that John the Baptist had been preaching about, and that prophets long ago had been proclaiming. The one that was long hoped for and longed for, the one who would fulfill all the hopes and dreams of the people. So in a very public and a very obvious statement, but also in a personal and intimate way, God pronounced Jesus as his son. So we have the different gospel accounts of Jesus' baptism, and we find different aspects laid out in them. In Mark and Luke's accounts, we see a very personal part of the baptism is stressed. Where Matthew's account, we see it as a demonstration to those around him. In Matthew, God said, this is my son, as God told the whole world who Jesus was. But in Mark and Luke's gospel, God says, you are my son, in this very personal and intimate revelation.

[4:48] So the baptism of Jesus is both this private disclosure and a public testimony of who Jesus is. And God speaks to us in the same way. He reminds us that we too are his beloved children. He reminds us that he loves us and cares for us and holds us in his loving arms and will never let us go, no matter what we go through in life. But it's also our public proclamation of who we are in Christ. And this is something important in today's world, where so often we feel anonymous, or we feel like just a number or a reference. People today need to know that they're loved and special and cared for. And they have that. And in that baptism moment is one of those times when God really makes it intimate and personal that we are his beloved.

[5:51] So the baptism of Jesus, Jesus also shows how much he identifies with us in this life. Jesus had no sin to repent of. Yet he steps into the same waters as tax collectors and soldiers and sinners. He does not separate himself from broken humanity.

[6:13] He joins us. So earlier we read, Adele read a text from Isaiah known as one of the suffering servant texts. These texts prophesy about Jesus as God's servant to his people who will suffer on our behalf. And right here in Matthew, we see that Jesus is acknowledging his role as the suffering servant by taking this step of baptism.

[6:43] This is the heart of servanthood, identification. Jesus does not save us from a distant, and say, okay, you're good now. He enters fully into our condition himself. The baptism of Jesus points toward the cross where he will take upon himself not just this appearance of weakness, but the full weight of human weakness.

[7:13] Isaiah 42 helps us understand what's happening here. God says, look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one who pleases me. I have put my spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth.

[7:48] This is, you'll, you'll recognize some similarities between Isaiah 42 and Matthew 3. But here we see that the servant does not shout or cry out, and this is a look ahead toward the cross. He does not crush the bruised reed or snuff out the smoldering candle.

[8:10] He comes gently, humbly, identifying with the people and meeting people where they are. He's taken on our flesh and blood, our experience, our joys, our concerns, our trials and tribulations, so that he can help us, so that we know that we're not alone, and we know that we're loved.

[8:34] So Corrie ten Blum tells the story of a Dutch Christian family, her family, who were concerned for the Jewish people during the war. Her grandfather started a weekly prayer group in 1844, in Holland, for the salvation of the Jews. This weekly prayer meeting continued until 1944, when the ten Blum family were sent to a concentration camp for helping the Jews to flee from Nazi, Nazi persecution in Holland.

[9:09] She tells about her father, Caspar ten Blum. When the Jews were forced to wear the Star of David, Caspar also lined up for one. She says, he wore it because he wanted to identify himself with the people that his family had been praying for all those years. He was prepared to be so completely identified with the Jews that he was willing to wear the sign of shame and suffer the persecution for the sake of the people he loved. He didn't have to wear the Star, but he chose to.

[9:47] That's Jesus for us. He didn't have to become human. He didn't have to take on our sin. He didn't have to be baptized. He didn't have to take on our brokenness. But Jesus entered this life in the midst of all its pain and sorrow and cares and love.

[10:09] So the world may not be friendly at times. It can sometimes be harsh or hurtful or difficult or hostile. Maybe even at times full of terror. But in the midst of it all stands Jesus who cares for us and our situation.

[10:30] Jesus doesn't fire the terrorist's bullet or plant their bombs, but he stands and he weeps and he bathes the wounds physical and emotional that these things cause. Jesus says his baptism is necessary to fulfill all righteousness. This is not about public image or religious ritual. It's about obedience.

[10:57] Servanthood is not passive. It's deeply intentional. Jesus chooses the Father's will over personal status. He's the Son, but he submits. He's the Lord, but he obeys. And then notice what happens next. As Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens are opened. And here we see some of those similarities with Isaiah 42 again. The Spirit descends and the Father speaks, This is my Son, whom I love. With him I am well pleased.

[11:37] The pleasure of the Father rests on the servant. Not because Jesus has performed miracles yet. Not because he's preached crowds into repentance yet. But simply because he's obeyed. So this step into baptism is Jesus' obedience.

[12:01] Isaiah echoes this truth, I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. Obedience comes before empowerment. And humility comes before mission. So the baptism of Jesus, is not the end of his servanthood, it's the beginning of his public ministry. The Spirit descends not to reward him, but to send him. Isaiah tells us what this mission looks like. Opening blind eyes, freeing captives, bringing light to the nations. The baptism of Jesus was a moment of decision for him. For around 30 years, Jesus had stayed in Nazareth. He had faithfully carried on his work at the carpenter's bench. He earned money to keep his family in food and clothes. He carried out his duty at home as a good family boy and a good family man. And as he grew up, he was just waiting for a sign. A sign that now told him, now was the time for him to take up the next stage in his ministry. Where he would leave his home and his family. And he would become the traveling preacher and teacher and healer. On a journey that would inevitably lead to pain. Not just pain, but the cross.

[13:31] And the coming of John was that sign that Jesus was waiting for. The coming of John was his signal that his ministry was about to begin. Jesus saw this as a moment when he had to set up his ministry. He set out on his task to begin his preaching and healing ministry. The moment of decision came for Jesus was being baptized as a sign of his decision to move forward with his task. So in being baptized, it made clear that Jesus was committed to the task that he had been preparing for all along.

[14:13] Jesus in the act of baptism made a decision. And that's no different for each of us. For each of us there comes a time in our lives when we have to make decisions. Decisions concerning our own lives, our own families, our homes, our work, our Christian commitment, and our service for God. And we're often confronted by things that we'd rather not do. There are times when we wish we maybe didn't have to make those decisions. But Jesus was prepared to make those decisions and asks us to make them too. And yet he doesn't leave us alone in them. He doesn't call us into service and let us go on with it based on our own strength and our own will and our own way.

[15:03] Another aspect of the baptism of Jesus was that it was the time when he was equipped and empowered. So he made this decision and now he was able to do it. He was being equipped and empowered for the task that was coming.

[15:21] And he was receiving the Holy Spirit. They kind of go hand in hand. He received the Holy Spirit and at the same time was equipped and empowered for his service. We're told in Mark's Gospel that as Jesus came out of the water of the river, not only was there a voice saying that he was God's beloved son, but also heaven was torn open and the sea and the Spirit came down like a dove.

[15:48] In that act of baptism, Jesus was equipped for the task that he'd been called for and the whole reason he came to earth. And God offers us some equipping too. And empowerment. And even the Holy Spirit. So as we seek to do his will in this world, we're not left floundering. We're given everything we need to do the job. Sometimes we may feel inadequate or useless to God. Or hopeless as we try to follow Christ and serve him in the world. We may feel that we're not gifted or not smart enough or not good enough for God to use. Not strong enough to do what he calls us to do. And actually, to a degree, we're right. We're not. We're not strong enough without God.

[16:48] We can really do nothing on our own. We can do nothing on our own strength, but we don't have to. We are wrong to assume that because of our limitations, God won't or can't use us. Whoever we are, however partial our knowledge or understanding or ability, God can use us and he does use us effectively because he offers us strength and power and everything we need through his spirit.

[17:21] And the same is true for churches, not just individuals. But we can often feel overwhelmed or overawed by the world around us or by the amount of need there is both here and abroad. We don't know where to start or where to get involved. We feel a little afraid sometimes to tackle some of the things we're called to. Afraid of getting involved either as individuals or as churches in areas such as poverty or mission or politics.

[17:57] But the worlds of politics and social issues and economics and environmental issues and education and industry all need to be enlightened by a Christian perspective to help people in their situations. And those who are not, no way may feel inadequate in the face of all of this. God will equip us by his spirit for the task he has called us to as individuals and as churches. God sends his spirit to fill us, equip us, and empower us for his work. And that's a part of God's covenant promise to us. God's continued promise to always be with us.

[18:42] Jesus joins us on the road of our prayer. He's with us on our pilgrimage through life. And he's interested in all aspects of our lives. His identification with us at his baptism and more completely on the cross. As he takes on the whole of life and embraces loneliness and anxiety, pain, hurt, loss, emptiness, and promises to be with us always and everywhere.

[19:13] This passage is not just about who Jesus is, but it's about who we're called to be. If the Son of God serves quietly and faithfully, how can we ignore the call to serve? If the Father delights in the servant, then servanthood is not loss. It's a pathway to God's pleasure. To follow Jesus is to step into the water with him, to identify with the hurting, to obey the Father's will, to trust the Spirit's power, and to serve without fear. At the Jordan River, we see the kind of Messiah God sends and the kind of people he calls us to be. Jesus is the servant in whom God delights. And when we follow him in humility and obedience, we too participate in his life-giving mission. May we learn to recognize true God and to be in the midst of all greatness where God reveals it, not on thrones of power, but in waters of submission, where heaven opens and God's purposes begin. Let's pray.

[20:22] God, thank you that you sent your Son to be our example, to identify with us in the good and the bad. God, we pray that we would follow that example, that we would be your servants, in this world, humbly living for your glory. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.