The Baptism of Jesus

Luke 3.15-17,21,22

Hymns: 79, 89, 294

During the Advent season we spoke of the ministry of John the Baptist. He is known as the "forerunner" of Christ. He was in a way like the advance person of a politician. That advance per-son schedules events in a city where that politician is planning to visit so that people know ahead of time that the politician is coming to their town and to make sure that there will be a crowd of people to greet him/her at the airport and at the con-vention hall or wherever that politician plans to deliver a speech and try to garner some votes.

John the Baptist was such an advance person. He began his ministry before Jesus began his ministry. John let people know that Jesus the Messiah had come, that they should now be look-ing for him to meet him and listen to him because the time to wait and watch for him had come to an end after 4000 years when God first told Adam and Eve that some day a Messiah would arrive in the world to pay the sin they had committed and which ruined the human race, condemning us all to death and eternal damnation in hell.

John the Baptism prepared the people by calling on them to re-pent of their sins in order to be forgiven of their sins. That is, he called on the people to admit, to confess to God that as sinful and imperfect human beings they deserved his disdain and dis-gust and his damnation. But that is not all of John’s message. He also offered baptism to those who would repent of their sins and that baptism, that is, having water poured over their heads, they were to know that their sins were forgiven. This is how God communicated with the people in a very personal way... with the water and with the Word. And it is the power of his Word, connected with that water, that assured repentant sinners that they were indeed forgiven and that God would not hold their sins against them and condemn them.

Several months later Jesus began his ministry and came to John to be baptized. Jesus did not need to be baptized. He had no sin. Why was he baptized? To give you and me reason to MAKE US OF YOUR BAPTISM EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE.

Matthew gives us some information about Jesus’ baptism that Luke does not (3.13-15). When the people went to John to be baptized by him they wondered if he himself was the Christ, the promised Messiah. He clearly said that he was not the Messiah and that, in fact, he didn’t qualify to untie the sandals of the Messiah. In other words, he as a sinful human being was unwor-thy to perform even the most menial task for him who is the sinless Savior of the world. By comparison it would be like saying that you or I are not worthy to shine the shoes of some great human being, or to say, "I would honored to shine the shoes of some great humanitarian or hero who made a major contribution to the world for the good of all mankind.

Is that how you feel about Jesus...unworthy to serve him in some menial or minor way? Or when you pray to him do you think that you deserve to be heard? And not only heard but do you think that God should give you what you ask simply be-cause you ask it and want it? If you get impatient with God or even upset with him because he doesn’t do for you what you want him to do, you fail to see the sin in your heart and in your life and just how unworthy you are. When John said he was un-worth to untie Jesus’ sandals, would you have volunteered as if to say, "Oh, I am; I’m worthy."

Jesus was baptized by John and insisted on being baptized not because he needed to be baptized to wash away his sin; he is without sin. But Jesus was baptized because he needed to be baptized for us, in our place, as the one who took our sins on himself and needed to have them washed away.

Think of it this way: You and a friend go out for dinner. When the bill comes you pick it up and say, "I’ll take care of it." Out of the kindness of your heart you pay for your friend’s meal ev-en though you didn’t eat the food you’re paying for. Because of his love for the world Jesus pick-ed up the debt of our sin and said, "I’ll take care of it." Our sin needs to be paid for and Jesus offered to do that even though he himself did not sin. So he had to be baptized to wash away OUR sin, not his. And we are forgiven; our debt is paid. 2 Cor 5.21.

The people who happened to be there when Jesus was baptized were given the privilege of seeing a miracle of God...of the Triune God, that is. We are told that the windows of heaven opened, a dove descended and landed on Jesus and the voice of God the Father could be heard saying, "You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased." The people saw and heard the voice and appearance of God...the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (the dove).

What are we to make of it? During the next three years of Jesus’ life on earth he went to many places preaching to the people, proclaiming that he is the Savior from sin, and doing miracles that proved that he was the Savior from sin. Jesus showed him-self to be the human Son of Mary and Divine Son of God. He is the Stand-in for the human race, the Substitute Payer for sin. He is the God of our salvation who is the source of the forgiveness of sins that is offered through baptism as vehicle that brings us in a personal way what Jesus did on the cross in paying for the sins of the world. (Rom 6:3-5 , read).

You are a Christian; you confess your sins, repent of them and know that you are forgiven because Jesus paid for them when he lived a perfect life and died on the cross. Your sins no longer condemn you as they should because Jesus was condemned in your place. However, as long as we live in this world we face the danger of losing the faith given to us if we fail to repent and fail to cherish the forgiveness we have in Christ.

But remember your Baptism every day of your life. Therein lies the power we have to survive this sinful world so that we can one day live with Jesus in heaven. Make no mistake. When you chose to sin you are putting your faith at risk because choosing to sin is like slapping your Savior in the face and saying, "I don’t care that you died for me. I love to sin more than I love you!" Only repentance corrects the ugliness of sin by looking to Jesus the Savior from sin. And by remembering your baptism every day of your life you are drawing on the power of Jesus’ love and forgiveness to refuse to allow sin to control your heart. Live each day in the forgiveness of your Baptism.