This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. The English Standard Version doesn’t group these verses as two short clusters like the lectionary does. It groups verses 1-22 together and supplies them with the heading “John the Baptist Prepares the Way.”
The story is about John whose birth God announced through an angel. John who was born to a woman who’d never had a child and was long past childbearing.[1] John whom God appointed to announce the Messiah[2] he had promised, the one who would free people from oppression.
Luke tells us people asked John whether he might be the Messiah. John said he wasn’t. He said he was far lower in stature than the Messiah. John said he’d come to tell them that their sins would lead to their eternal punishment. And that the Messiah was coming to judge and to punish.
John told the people they should stop sinning, they should repent. They should demonstrate their repentance by undergoing baptism. Sin was what they needed to be saved from, and that’s what they should focus on.
Then Jesus came. Jesus, whose birth was announced not by one angel to one person like John’s birth was announced. But announced by many angels to many people. Jesus who was born to a virgin. And was therefore unstained by the sin which stains all men, all descendants of Adam.
Jesus joined the people. He listened to John’s scoldings, John’s threats, John’s pleadings. Then Jesus, the sinless one, did the unthinkable, the unexpected. He chose to be baptized. He chose to signal, through baptism by John, that he lived a life thoroughly committed to obeying God.
For Jesus, John’s baptism wasn’t a baptism of repentance. For Jesus, John’s baptism was a baptism of identification. A baptism of identification with all descendants of Adam, identification with sinners who need to be saved. Need to be saved from failing God and earning his wrath.
That’s the first part of the two-part story. The second part reveals another reason why Jesus asked to be baptized by John.
The baptism was the way God had chosen to publicly announce that the promised Messiah had come. It was no ordinary announcement. It had elements of mystery in it. Elements which are very suggestive to those who know the content of the Hebrew scriptures.
In part two of the reading, Luke tells us that after Jesus emerged from the water, he prayed. And that when he prayed, time seemed to stop. All earthly movement ceased. The heavens opened. The Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus, “like a dove.” And God spoke from heaven, declaring:
You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.
I suppose everyone who came out of the water of baptism prayed. I suppose everyone prayed that his or her repentance was genuine. I suppose everyone said, “God, help me to keep my vow to please you always, in everything I do.”
But surely that’s not what Jesus prayed. What did he pray? I suppose he prayed for those who had been baptized by John and would continue to be baptized by him. I suppose he thanked God for them, and asked God to listen to their prayers and make their vows genuine.
What about the heavens opening, the dove descending, the voice from heaven? I think this was according to a pre-agreed program of events, an aturcara, as we say in Malay.
The opening of the heavens indicates a coming word from God. This is most clear in the book of the prophet Ezekiel. The first verse in that book has the words “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” Also, in Ezekiel 2, God’s voice comes with a Spirit who empowers.
The descending of the dove recalls God’s first act in creation, with the spirit hovering over the chaos. You can read it in Genesis 1:2. It also recalls the dove over the waters in Genesis 8:8-12, the dove which brought back a fresh olive leaf, a symbol of peace and tranquillity.
The voice of God recalls the time in Sinai when God called to Moses out of the mountain (Exodus 19:3). The voice at the Jordan river is the first of many times when God spoke from heaven to Jesus, including times when he was troubled[3] and the time he was transfigured and met Moses and Elijah.[4]
The story of Jesus’ baptism is reported in all the gospels. It’s one of the reasons why Christians say God is three-in-one. The confluence of Father, Son and Spirit at Jesus’ baptism indicates the doctrine of the Trinity.
So, why did Jesus ask to be baptized?
Jesus asked to be baptized in order to identify with us as penitents, and to show that punishing us would be punishing him, a completely just man, as well.
Jesus asked to be baptized as a means to show-and-tell who he was.
Jesus asked to be baptized to make a way for us to avoid the punishment John Baptist warned us about.
The baptism of Jesus compels us to think often and speak often about sin. Do we? What are examples of sin? What is sin? Why does it matter? To neighbour? To God?
Peace be with you.
[1] I discussed this in my column titled Why do some people call Mary “Mother of God”?
[2] I touch on the Messiah several times in my column titled The judge is coming and I’m here to serve subpoenas.
[3] E.g. John 12:28.
[4] Mathew 17:1-13.
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