Matthew 3: 1-17

Christmas break was over and the teacher was asking the class about their vacations. She turned to one boy and asked him what he did over the break. “We visited my grandmother in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania,” he replied. “That sounds like an excellent spelling word,” the teacher said. “Can you tell the class how you spell that?” Without hesitating, he said, “You know, come to think of it, we really went to New York City.”

We are in the church season of Epiphany. Christmas is now a memory. The first twelve verses of Matthew, chapter 3, describe the ministry of John the Baptist. No longer Zechariah and Elizabeth’s miracle baby. He’s an adult, and he has a ministry. His message, his appearance and his actions all prompted many in and around Jerusalem to be baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. The Pharisees and Sadducees, bestowed with the responsibility to teach and hold the community accountable for observing the law of Moses, the Torah, came to the Jordan as well. Matthew wrote some of them came to the Jordan to be baptized. John confronted them particularly and called them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. In effect, if they were baptized, they would still be held accountable for producing fruit of repentance and not merely depend on being ancestors of Abraham for their righteousness. I find Matthew referencing the Pharisees and Sadducees here and John’s words to them of presuming their ancestry to Abraham being sufficient for their righteousness very interesting. John, as Jesus approaches him for baptism, recognizes his cousin as one not in need of the baptism of repentance. If John said what he did to the teachers of the law of Moses, would he not have said the same to the Son of God – don’t depend on your ancestry to get you out of producing fruits of repentance. No, John said to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you.”

That’s what John the Baptist said. Some say in the south a Methodist is a Baptist who’s afraid of water, a Presbyterian is a Baptist who went to college, and an Episcopalian is a Baptist whose deals all worked out.

Why does Jesus come to submit to a baptism of repentance? Marion Soards, a New Testament professor from Louisville, KY, wrote, “This first unlikely event in Matthew’s story of the adult Jesus’ ministry (going to John the Baptist for baptism) is a foretaste of the great absurdity to come – the Son of God will suffer and die a death on a cross in order to accomplish the salvation of humanity.” It is absurd for Jesus to repent of sin as much as it is absurd for him to die a sinner’s death on the cross. So, again, why does Jesus come to submit to a baptism of repentance? Jesus himself said in verse 15, “For it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” This is part of the path to fulfill all righteousness. This path first brings him to the banks of the Jordan for baptism. It was in the Jordan, in that line with everyone else approaching John, Jesus was in process of fulfilling all righteousness, the fulfilling of all righteousness by being truly human, like one in need of repentance.

King James V of Scotland would on occasion lay aside the royal robe of king and put on the simple robe of a peasant. In such a disguise, he was able to move freely about the land, making friends with ordinary folk, entering into their difficulties, appreciating their handicaps, sympathizing with them in their sorrow. And when as king he sat upon the throne, he was better able to rule over them with fatherly compassion and mercy. God shares in human experience in Christ and thereby is better able to accept any human being.

Paul wrote in Philippians, chapter two, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (2: 5-8). As Jesus stood before John, he stood before him as you or I would. As anyone in absolute humility and contriteness would, Jesus came to the Jordan to receive from the last great prophet what the Lord had bestowed on John to give to humanity that will prepare them to receive from the Messiah. Jesus came to him in humility to receive as a human being the baptism of what the Lord was already doing in John. Jesus begins his ministry in humility – and modeling of it for his disciples – with baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness.

What do we learn from this? We cannot come into a faith relationship with our God without coming to him in humility, a contriteness of heart, a confessing heart in need of mercy and grace from a loving God. We also learn we cannot possibly endeavor to serve and bless a hearting world in the name of Christ without this same mantle of humility. We don’t dare share the truth of God’s grace from a place of superiority to anyone. Jesus did not stand before John affirming his superiority. He stood before John to receive what only John in that day was bestowing to the contrite and humble, a baptism to prepare a willing heart to receive what the Messiah would share. Jesus was on the path to fulfill all righteousness, a path of obedience that would lead him to the point of death – even death on a cross. Again, Jesus begins his ministry in humility, and modeling of it for his disciples, with baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness. We cannot come to God seeking salvation without a humble confession of what we are not without Him and what we can only receive from Him. And we cannot try to bring grace and mercy to a hurting world from a place of superiority in the name of this humble Messiah.

Our story today concludes with an undeniable sign of the heavenly Father’s affirmation of what happened. In Matthew, Mark and Luke Jesus’ baptism included three epiphanic characteristics: the heavens were opened (a sign associated with divine revelation); the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus (empowering him for the ministry before him); and a voice from heaven declared this was God’s beloved Son in whom he was well pleased. These signs indicated to all that the light had come. Those who were there wouldn’t know it except by the heavens opening, the Holy Spirit descending, and the voice being heard declaring he was God’s beloved son.

What do we learn from this? Again, that passage from Philippians 2 may help us. Starting at verse eight: “He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2: 8-11). He humbled himself, and the Father also highly exalted him. He was obedient, and his name became the name above every name. He came with so many, like so many for a baptism of repentance. The heavens then opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him, and the voice was heard declaring him God’s beloved son. Humility and obedience first. Affirmation and exaltation later.

A pastor was asked to speak for a certain charitable organization. After the meeting the program chairperson handed the pastor a check. “Oh, I couldn’t take this,” the pastor said with some embarrassment. “I appreciate the honor of being asked to speak. You have better uses for this money. You apply it to one of those uses.” The program chairperson asked, “Well, do you mind if we put it in our Special Fund?” The pastor replied, “Of course not. What is the special fund for?” The chair answered, “It’s so we can get a better speaker next year.”

Remembering again what Paul wrote in verse 5: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (2: 5). He emptied himself, became the form of a slave, and became obedient. The epiphany in this event is Jesus being humble and obedient and being baptized by John. It is only in this that the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him, and the voice is heard to declare him God’s beloved son. We learn from this. It is always in humility and repentance we encounter God’s grace; we have our epiphany. And it is in obedience to his word to us and his direction for us that we encounter his affirmation of us as his child.