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Gospel Lesson: Luke 3:2-3, 15-22 [John the Baptist and The Baptism of Jesus] 2 During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them . 19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison. 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” |
Second Lesson: Romans 6:1–11 [Baptized into cross and resurrection] What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. |
The Baptism of Jesus was different than our Baptism. And it was different than the Baptism of John the Baptist. The Baptism of John was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). But Jesus was sinless; he committed no sin, so he did not have to have a baptism to forgive sins. In Matthew’s Gospel, 3:14-15, we have this dialogue. “3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.”
“To fulfill all righteousness” is “to do everything just right.” Jesus did things in the right way, since he was a baby. He was born into this world and became a human being, like us. On the eighth day following the Law of Moses, he was named, circumcised, and registered in Bethlehem in the line of King David. On the 40th day he was presented to God His Father at the Temple in Jerusalem. At the age of twelve following the Law of Moses, he went to Jerusalem for the Passover. In other words, he followed the Law of Moses and participated in those things like an ordinary person. John the Baptist baptized many people, but Jesus did not get baptized because it was the popular religious thing to do, just because everyone was doing it. Jesus was baptized because he joined them in their baptism. They were baptized to forgive their sin, and ultimately it was through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross that their sins were forgiven.
When we are baptized, we are joined with the Baptism of Jesus. That is to say, our sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ. Ultimately our sins are forgiven through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. In Baptism we are joined to the death of Jesus.
St. Paul wrote it this way in Romans Chapter Six. “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.”
Because Jesus took our sins upon himself, it is like we too were on the cross and we too died with him. In baptism we were drowned with him, we died with him. And that is absolutely necessary if we are going to rise with him. In this way we “live a new life.” As St. Paul wrote, “If we have been united with him [through baptism] in His death, then we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.” That is why Baptism is so important and necessary.
Last week in my devotion book there was a passage written by Martin Luther on Baptism in the Large Catechism (see also http://bookofconcord.org /lc-6-baptism.php). Let me summarize and paraphrase. In baptism we are drowned. But we are rescued by the ship of the church. This is where we live with Christ as good Christians. But sometimes we fall overboard. Because of sin or doubt or temptation or fear, we walk the plank. Or in the storms of life we loose our footing and slip into the sea. What do we do then? If you give up on Christ and the Church, then you start swimming for the other shore. But it is too far; you drown and die without Christ. “No, don’t do that,” says Martin Luther. “If you fall overboard, swim back to the ship and cling on to it until you get pulled back onboard. And you surely will be rescued!” That is because the sea is the sea of baptism. It forgives our sins. Therefore we have faith that the loving God will bring us back into the boat. There are church people who will throw out the lifeline. That means that they will pray and support and love us.
For Luther, Baptism is not just a one-time event, but a life-long experience. He writes, “Thus it appears what a great, excellent thing Baptism is, which delivers us from the jaws of the devil and makes us God's own, suppresses and takes away sin, and then daily strengthens the new man; and is and remains ever efficacious until we pass from this estate of misery to eternal glory” (L.C. Baptism 83)
In other words, the water of baptism may have already dried, but our hearts are still wet and fresh with our faith and the promise of God. And no matter what, the promise of God is always greater than our faith. That is because in baptism God is with us, and we are with God. We are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church
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