Revealed Through Baptism

1. John calls People to Repent and to be baptized.

The Bible doesn’t give us much information on John the Baptist.  We know his parents, he was a relative of Jesus, he had a life style that was a little different: clothes were made of camel’s hair, a leather belt around his waist, His food was locusts and wild honey.  I wonder if Zacharias and Elizabeth regularly told John about how he came to be and that he was born for a purpose?  John wasn’t like his father, in that he didn’t stay in the temple to do his work.  He was out in the wilderness and in the streets calling out to the people, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near!”  In Matthew 3 we see John even confronted the religious leaders and basically said, “You’re not any better, just because you are descendents of Abraham.  You too need to repent and be baptized.”  John must have been a real “attention getter.”

What was it that motivated John?  …the stories he was told?  ..the Spirit at work within him?  Or, as the son of a priest, maybe he knew more about the religious leaders and the ways of the hierarchy and well, knew they needed repentance and forgiveness as much as anyone.

So there are many questions about John that we can’t answer for sure but we know from scriptures that  ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

There were people who thought that John might be the Messiah.  John knew better and responded to them:

 “I baptize you with water; but 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^[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:15-16 (NRSV)

John knew his position was to prepare the way for the Messiah – one more powerful than he, one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  John sets the stage nicely for Jesus to come. 

2. Christ comes to be baptized. Why?

As John is baptizing all those who had come out to him, Jesus comes to him.  From Matthew 3 we can read one of the accounts of what happens.

 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.

There are 4 basic reasons Christ came to be baptized:

1. With John’s proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah, John’s ministry is validated and Jesus’ ministry begins.
2. By coming to be baptized Jesus identifies himself with humanity. Although He is without sin and does not cleansing He comes to be one of us.
3. Jesus comes to be baptized also as an example to his followers who need to repent and give their lives over to God.
4. Probably the most important reason seems to be, as Jesus tells John, it is to fulfill all righteousness. As my Bible Study states, “His baptism indicated that he was consecrated to God and officially approved by him.”

3. At Jesus’ baptism something amazing happened, as Jesus came up from the water – God said, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Who is God speaking to?

Did Jesus need to hear these words of identification?  I am sure there was something very empowering to be validated by the voice of God.

We know that Jesus is born of Mary – fully human and yet fully divine.  When Jesus was on the cross we read that he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  So I wonder sometimes if there was an inner tension that He felt at times.  John had declared Jesus the Messiah but when a voice from heaven – God declares it there is no arguing.  In my research I found that in the Greek text when God says, “I am well pleased.” The verb tense used is timeless.  God has always been and always will be “well pleased” with his Son.

This declaration from Heaven at His baptism was Jesus confirmation, affirmation and authorization of who He was and the ministry and purpose He was there to fulfill.  With this declaration Jesus could begin His ministry with a confident conviction.

Did the people around him hear these words and see the dove?  We know that in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist claims to have seen and heard.

And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

It was and is important for others to have seen but I then ask, as I do so often, if there were people who actually witnessed this, “Why was there so much doubt about who Jesus was?”  Why were people so surprised to hear of the miracles and wonders Jesus performed?  And why could they not understand all the Jesus taught?

4. Baptism reveals who we are.

Does Jesus baptism mean anything to us?  Yes!

It calls us remember our own baptism or to come to be baptized if we have not been.

Jesus gave us the example of humbling ourselves, bowing before God, naming our sins, repenting from them and being welcomed into God’s family.   

5. Living as Children of God

In some traditions, a person receives his or her name at baptism. While this is not the United Methodist way, we most certainly receive our identity as God’s child. Baptism tells us we are children of God.  At our baptism the Holy Spirit begins the work of prevenient Grace that calls us and leads us to know God and His love that was sent in Jesus Christ.  It is through the work of Justifying grace that we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and learn to live with and for Him.  Our baptism is just the beginning of knowing more fully our purpose.  As we live in obedience to God’s Will, our hearts and minds become focused solely on Jesus and all He taught by His words and example.  Grace is revealed in our lives through obedience to the Will of God.

As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God through Jesus Christ we are fully living out our baptism.

Jesus was revealed to himself, John and others who were around him at his baptism.  The revelation that we are God’s children at our baptism as well leads us to know who Jesus is.