Sunday thoughts for the Baptism of the Lord, Sunday, 13th January 2019
” . . . when Jesus also had been baptized” Luke 3:21
The letters A, B, C and D can help thoughts about the story of the baptism of Jesus: A for “all”, B for “baptized”, C for “Christ”, and D for “dove.
A is for “all.” Saint Luke uses the word “all” three times in the verses of the Gospel reading: “all were questioning in their hearts concerning John”, says Verse 15; “John answered all of them,” says Verse 16; and “when all the people were baptized”, says Verse 21. The desire for change, the desire for a different sort of religion, is not something felt by only a small number of people, it is a popular movement. The questions are being asked by the crowds and John speaks openly to the crowd. The word “all” suggests that not only was there a large number, but that they came from all sorts of backgrounds and that there was no discrimination in how they were treated.
The word “all” is a challenge to people now. Would all the people now ever ask questions about Christian faith in the way that all the people asked about John? John answers all of them. Is there anything ever said by the church that is heard by all the people? There was such a desire for change that all the people were baptized by John, is there ever such a desire for change among people now?
B is for “baptized”. “I baptize you with water”, John tells the crowd in Verse 16. Baptism for the Jewish people was a sign of washing away their past and beginning anew; it was an outward sign of repentance, of a desire to get rid of the impurities of one’s former life and begin anew. The people who went to the Jordan to be baptized by John went for a baptism of penitence. It was not a baptism that was undertaken once and for all, but rather was one that might be repeated if the penitent person felt it was necessary. John the Baptist is baptizing people who know they have sinned and who want to outwardly show that they are sorry and that they want to start again.
Is it possible to imagine people gathering in crowds to declare that they know their life has gone wrong and that they want to begin new lives? People are concerned with material happiness, it is hard to imagine them people publicly declaring that they want to give up such lives. John calls people to a baptism of repentance, is such change imaginable?
C is for “Christ.” Verse 15 say that the people were “questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah.” The word “Messiah” is Hebrew for “the anointed one”, in Greek the word is “Christ,”some translations of the Bible use one word, some use the other. John declares he is not the Christ, telling the crowd in Verse 16, “one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” How will the Christ be recognized? In Saint Luke Chapter 7 John sends his disciples to ask Jesus, are you the one who is to come or should we wait for another? In Chapter 7 Verses 22-23, Jesus answers, “‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.”
The people in John’s time were wondering whether he might be the Christ; clearly, they were uncertain what the Christ would be like. What sort of person might be expected? Looking for signs that Christ was at work today, what would people expect to see? When John’s disciples came to Jesus to ask if he were the Christ, the answer was probably not what they expected. If people looked for Christ’s presence among now, would they be looking for the things about which Jesus talks?
D is for “Dove”. Verse 22 says, “and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'” The dove appears many times in the Old Testament, as a sacrifice, as a thing of beauty, but most importantly as the bird that brings a sign to Noah in Genesis Chapter 8 that the flood is over, that new life has begun. At the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes down in the form of a dove, declaring that Jesus brings new life.
The people watching would have seen the dove as a sign of new life, Do people get up in the morning and think, “here is another day, another chance of living a new life?” Saint Luke says that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus “in bodily form like a dove”, it was a sign of new life that was clear and unmistakable. What clear and unmistakable signs of new life are visible now?
All, baptized, Christ and a dove – an A,B,C,D to helps thoughts at the beginning of a new year.
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