Following Jesus in Baptism
01/10/10
Luke 3:15-22
Pastor Greg Smith
We are going to the river! In Jesus’ day, the Jordan River was more than just a flowing stream. Israel had a long history with crossings of that river. It was the natural boundary of Israel and in ancient times there were just a handful of places where it could be conveniently crossed on foot and with animals. The paradigmatic crossing— the one that made the pattern for all the rest— was when Israel crossed into the Promised Land. The Jordan was a place of transition, of moving from one stage of the story to another. Like the song we sang earlier. The Jordan: a water of passage, movement from one condition to another. It was a turning point in Jesus' life.
In our text today, Jesus is baptized. And from Jesus’ baptism we learn some powerful truths about the identity and power that come from following Jesus.
We might be surprised that Jesus was baptized at all. John the Baptist had predicted that the Messiah would come as a baptizer, not come to be baptized. Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Look at Luke 3:15-16.
15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
What would that look like? What were they expecting?
But instead, Jesus came to be baptized. Why? Luke 3:3 says that John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Did Jesus need to repent? Did Jesus need the forgiveness of sins? If John’s baptism was for confessing sins and repentance, as John the Baptist said it did, then why was Jesus being baptized?
Maybe this expresses it: Jesus was baptized not because he shares our need but in order to share our need. Jesus is baptized to identify with us. In Isaiah 53:12, part of that great chapter on the suffering servant, it says prophetically of Jesus, “He was numbered with the transgressors, for he bore the sin of many.” Jesus’ baptism was his first step to the cross.
Jesus loves me this I know, for his baptism tells me so. Sinful ones to him belong. We are weak, but he is strong. Luke 3:21 says,
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.
In one way, Jesus’ baptism was like all the others that occurred that day: it was a baptism that involved water. But something more took place, as well. Jesus was baptized not only with water but also with the Holy Spirit. Look at verses 21-22.
And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.
Both Mark and Matthew also tell the story of Jesus’ baptism. When you compare their ways of telling the story with Luke’s, two things stand out.
1. First: Jesus was praying.
This is a theme throughout Luke’s telling of the story: at crucial moments, Jesus prays. These are times when God’s purpose is furthered and God's will is revealed.
— In chapter 6 Jesus spends the night in prayer before appointing 12 of his disciples as apostles.
— In chapter 9 Jesus was in prayer just before he entered into the conversation with Peter about his identity as Messiah. It was when he first openly told the disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem even though it meant rejection and death.
— And of course, after the Last Supper, Jesus went out to pray in the Garden of Gethsemene knowing that his betrayer was on the way.
In crucial moments, in times of testing, in times when God’s purpose is furthered and God’s will is made know, Jesus was in prayer. If prayer was that important to Jesus, then it must be for us as well. The importance of prayer in Jesus’ ministry is underlined in Luke’s telling of the story.
2. Secondly, when you compare Luke’s telling of Jesus’ baptism with Matthew and Mark, Luke underlines that Jesus’ baptism was a public declaration of his Sonship.
Matthew and Mark stress Jesus’ inner experience at baptism.
Mark 1:10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and he saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke, on the other hand, stresses that this was a public event, too.
Luke 3:21 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.”
Baptism is a lot like marriage. Anyone who has been married knows that a marriage ceremony and the marriage itself are two different things. The public event is important: family and community join together to encourage a couple. There is a public recognition that commitments are being made that change how we relate to each other. But we all know that the heart of a marriage is not a public ceremony but the inner reality: the covenant commitment of faithfulness and love that a man and a woman make to each other.
One is the outer sign; the other is the inner reality. Ideally, both belong together.
In the New Testament, baptism is both a public ceremony, but like a marriage, that ceremony is meant to point to a transforming change in commitments. In the New Testament, Jesus was baptized and every Christian has been baptized, too. And when the Bible teaches about baptism it is telling us about both the outer ceremony— water— but also the powerful change in a person’s life that baptism celebrates. One is baptism in water; the other is baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Luke stresses that Jesus’ whole ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God, but he was also a human being like you and me. Jesus’ theme verses are from Isaiah 61.
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
After he read them in the synagogue service in his hometown of Nazareth, he added, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
John the Baptist promised that the Coming One would baptize those who follow him with the Holy Spirit as well. The Spirit that empowered Jesus was given to his followers at Pentecost and in turn is given to all who put their trust in him.
The coming of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is the inner reality to which the outward sign of baptism points. Water baptism was messed up as part of church history when it became a sign of national citizenship. In the New Testament, water baptism is always a sign of a personal decision to become a Christian. It is the inner sign of an outer reality.
Jesus’ experienced both the outer sign of baptism in water and the inner reality of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We can, too! Let’s see what we can learn about Jesus’ baptism and in turn ours as well.
1. Jesus’ baptism is, first, a baptism of identity. Identity: we are sons and daughters of God.
At Jesus’ baptism, something unique occurs. Verse 21.
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.”
Others may have seen the dove and heard the voice but from reading Luke, only Jesus understood what had happened. God intended to declare an important message to Jesus as he began his ministry: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
One basic principle about loving relationships is that the deep love of family— covenant love— is very specific. For instance, what if I said to Marie, “I love you but I don’t want to play favorites: I love all women.” Or if I said to my children, “I want you to know that I love you very much but I love all children.” I don’t even tell my kids that I love them all the same. I don’t! I love all four of them in unique ways with a love that is unlike my love for any other children. I love them in particular. I believe that strong personal identity and healthy self-esteem has this kind of love at its foundation.
This is the love that Jesus experienced at his baptism. “You are my Son, whom I love.” God the Father loves all persons but his love for Jesus was unique to him as God the Son.
I believe that in the baptism of the Holy Spirit we experience this particular kind love. In the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I am given an inner certainty that I am without a doubt God’s child. God says to me, “You are my child, whom I love.”
You are not only ONE of my children; I love you, you in particular. I love you fully knowing you problems, sins and failings. I love you with your unique personality and gifts, with your potential that is like no other. ”I love you.“
God says to you, “You are my child, whom I love.” This is the experience that Paul writes about in Romans 8:16 which says,
When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Do you hear the words spoken to you deep in your heart? You are my beloved daughter. You are my beloved son.
2. Jesus’ baptism is, secondly, a baptism of power: we receive the Holy Spirit.
Luke stresses that Jesus was a human being like us in every way. The difference between you and me and Jesus is not in our human natures, it’s what we do with that nature. Jesus took our human nature, wrestled it from sin and brought it back to God. The source of Jesus’ power in this was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, a fire that cleanses and purifies. The Holy Spirit gives us power to reflect the character of Jesus.
As Paul wrote in Galatians 5,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self–control.
And,
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to reflect the character of Jesus.
If we have received, how do we live? Be assured of your identity: you are God’s beloved. Here God’s call to ministry. You have been ordained to serve the Lord. Remember: God’s Spirit has come into your life so that you might reflect the character of Christ. Depend upon the Spirit’s power!
3. Jesus’ baptism is, thirdly, a baptism for ministry. Purpose: We receive a commission to ministry.
With our identity in Christ, there come responsibilities. Make a list of your relationships: brother, daughter, wife, employer, teachers, customers, clients, small group…… and don’t forget yourself, and God.
In that relationship there is identity.
• I am a father
• I am a husband
• I am a pastor
• I am a Christian
And in each identity there is a mission.
• I have a mission to care for my kids
• I have a mission to love and cherish my wife
• I have a mission to lead this congregation through the Word and prayer
• I have a mission to live in the grace of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit
Faithfulness means consistently living out your identity and mission in a relationship. To be unfaithful means to deny your identity and mission in a relationship.
When Jesus was baptized, both his identity as God’s beloved Son and his mission were declared.
Again, we don’t know what all occupied Jesus’ life up to this point in his life. Probably it was working in the “Joseph & Son” carpenter shop as Mark suggests. We do know that after his baptism, Jesus was occupied with the ministry and service that led him to travel far and wide and preach the Good News of the kingdom, to heal the sick and to raise the dead, a ministry that led Jesus finally to the cross. Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of all this. It was his ordination to the ministry.
The words from heaven were an echo of Isaiah 42:1.
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
“Here is my servant.” This servant was the one in Isaiah who serves the Lord and even dies on behalf of God’s people in that work.
As his baptism was the beginning of his ministry, so when we are baptized by God’s Spirit, we too are called to a life of service. Although we need to have people set apart for the special ministry of pastor with all its responsibilities, all Christians are ordained for ministry when they are baptized.
What is true of Jesus is true of us as well. We, too, are ordained to ministry in our baptism. We, too, have received the Holy Spirit with his gifts.
Your ministry will not be like Jesus’ unique ministry. Yours will reflect the gifts and abilities that are uniquely your own— your SHAPE. But this is true of all who follow Jesus: We are called and ordained to ministry in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
As you can see, a lot happens in baptism.
— Your identity is confirmed: you are a child of God, God’s beloved.
— You are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Jesus.
— You are commissioned to serve.
Jesus was baptized once. But Jesus was always baptized. In other words, Jesus was living out the meaning of his baptism all the way to the cross.
In the same way, you were baptized once. You don’t need to be baptized again any more than you need to be born-again, again. Instead, we are called to live out the meaning of your baptism.
— Live like a child of God.
— Depend upon the Holy Spirit.
— Serve in the Spirit’s power.
Pastor Greg Smith
We are going to the river! In Jesus’ day, the Jordan River was more than just a flowing stream. Israel had a long history with crossings of that river. It was the natural boundary of Israel and in ancient times there were just a handful of places where it could be conveniently crossed on foot and with animals. The paradigmatic crossing— the one that made the pattern for all the rest— was when Israel crossed into the Promised Land. The Jordan was a place of transition, of moving from one stage of the story to another. Like the song we sang earlier. The Jordan: a water of passage, movement from one condition to another. It was a turning point in Jesus' life.
In our text today, Jesus is baptized. And from Jesus’ baptism we learn some powerful truths about the identity and power that come from following Jesus.
We might be surprised that Jesus was baptized at all. John the Baptist had predicted that the Messiah would come as a baptizer, not come to be baptized. Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Look at Luke 3:15-16.
15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
What would that look like? What were they expecting?
But instead, Jesus came to be baptized. Why? Luke 3:3 says that John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Did Jesus need to repent? Did Jesus need the forgiveness of sins? If John’s baptism was for confessing sins and repentance, as John the Baptist said it did, then why was Jesus being baptized?
Maybe this expresses it: Jesus was baptized not because he shares our need but in order to share our need. Jesus is baptized to identify with us. In Isaiah 53:12, part of that great chapter on the suffering servant, it says prophetically of Jesus, “He was numbered with the transgressors, for he bore the sin of many.” Jesus’ baptism was his first step to the cross.
Jesus loves me this I know, for his baptism tells me so. Sinful ones to him belong. We are weak, but he is strong. Luke 3:21 says,
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.
In one way, Jesus’ baptism was like all the others that occurred that day: it was a baptism that involved water. But something more took place, as well. Jesus was baptized not only with water but also with the Holy Spirit. Look at verses 21-22.
And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.
Both Mark and Matthew also tell the story of Jesus’ baptism. When you compare their ways of telling the story with Luke’s, two things stand out.
1. First: Jesus was praying.
This is a theme throughout Luke’s telling of the story: at crucial moments, Jesus prays. These are times when God’s purpose is furthered and God's will is revealed.
— In chapter 6 Jesus spends the night in prayer before appointing 12 of his disciples as apostles.
— In chapter 9 Jesus was in prayer just before he entered into the conversation with Peter about his identity as Messiah. It was when he first openly told the disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem even though it meant rejection and death.
— And of course, after the Last Supper, Jesus went out to pray in the Garden of Gethsemene knowing that his betrayer was on the way.
In crucial moments, in times of testing, in times when God’s purpose is furthered and God’s will is made know, Jesus was in prayer. If prayer was that important to Jesus, then it must be for us as well. The importance of prayer in Jesus’ ministry is underlined in Luke’s telling of the story.
2. Secondly, when you compare Luke’s telling of Jesus’ baptism with Matthew and Mark, Luke underlines that Jesus’ baptism was a public declaration of his Sonship.
Matthew and Mark stress Jesus’ inner experience at baptism.
Mark 1:10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and he saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke, on the other hand, stresses that this was a public event, too.
Luke 3:21 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.”
Baptism is a lot like marriage. Anyone who has been married knows that a marriage ceremony and the marriage itself are two different things. The public event is important: family and community join together to encourage a couple. There is a public recognition that commitments are being made that change how we relate to each other. But we all know that the heart of a marriage is not a public ceremony but the inner reality: the covenant commitment of faithfulness and love that a man and a woman make to each other.
One is the outer sign; the other is the inner reality. Ideally, both belong together.
In the New Testament, baptism is both a public ceremony, but like a marriage, that ceremony is meant to point to a transforming change in commitments. In the New Testament, Jesus was baptized and every Christian has been baptized, too. And when the Bible teaches about baptism it is telling us about both the outer ceremony— water— but also the powerful change in a person’s life that baptism celebrates. One is baptism in water; the other is baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Luke stresses that Jesus’ whole ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God, but he was also a human being like you and me. Jesus’ theme verses are from Isaiah 61.
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
After he read them in the synagogue service in his hometown of Nazareth, he added, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
John the Baptist promised that the Coming One would baptize those who follow him with the Holy Spirit as well. The Spirit that empowered Jesus was given to his followers at Pentecost and in turn is given to all who put their trust in him.
The coming of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is the inner reality to which the outward sign of baptism points. Water baptism was messed up as part of church history when it became a sign of national citizenship. In the New Testament, water baptism is always a sign of a personal decision to become a Christian. It is the inner sign of an outer reality.
Jesus’ experienced both the outer sign of baptism in water and the inner reality of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We can, too! Let’s see what we can learn about Jesus’ baptism and in turn ours as well.
1. Jesus’ baptism is, first, a baptism of identity. Identity: we are sons and daughters of God.
At Jesus’ baptism, something unique occurs. Verse 21.
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.”
Others may have seen the dove and heard the voice but from reading Luke, only Jesus understood what had happened. God intended to declare an important message to Jesus as he began his ministry: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
One basic principle about loving relationships is that the deep love of family— covenant love— is very specific. For instance, what if I said to Marie, “I love you but I don’t want to play favorites: I love all women.” Or if I said to my children, “I want you to know that I love you very much but I love all children.” I don’t even tell my kids that I love them all the same. I don’t! I love all four of them in unique ways with a love that is unlike my love for any other children. I love them in particular. I believe that strong personal identity and healthy self-esteem has this kind of love at its foundation.
This is the love that Jesus experienced at his baptism. “You are my Son, whom I love.” God the Father loves all persons but his love for Jesus was unique to him as God the Son.
I believe that in the baptism of the Holy Spirit we experience this particular kind love. In the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I am given an inner certainty that I am without a doubt God’s child. God says to me, “You are my child, whom I love.”
You are not only ONE of my children; I love you, you in particular. I love you fully knowing you problems, sins and failings. I love you with your unique personality and gifts, with your potential that is like no other. ”I love you.“
God says to you, “You are my child, whom I love.” This is the experience that Paul writes about in Romans 8:16 which says,
When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Do you hear the words spoken to you deep in your heart? You are my beloved daughter. You are my beloved son.
2. Jesus’ baptism is, secondly, a baptism of power: we receive the Holy Spirit.
Luke stresses that Jesus was a human being like us in every way. The difference between you and me and Jesus is not in our human natures, it’s what we do with that nature. Jesus took our human nature, wrestled it from sin and brought it back to God. The source of Jesus’ power in this was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, a fire that cleanses and purifies. The Holy Spirit gives us power to reflect the character of Jesus.
As Paul wrote in Galatians 5,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self–control.
And,
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to reflect the character of Jesus.
If we have received, how do we live? Be assured of your identity: you are God’s beloved. Here God’s call to ministry. You have been ordained to serve the Lord. Remember: God’s Spirit has come into your life so that you might reflect the character of Christ. Depend upon the Spirit’s power!
3. Jesus’ baptism is, thirdly, a baptism for ministry. Purpose: We receive a commission to ministry.
With our identity in Christ, there come responsibilities. Make a list of your relationships: brother, daughter, wife, employer, teachers, customers, clients, small group…… and don’t forget yourself, and God.
In that relationship there is identity.
• I am a father
• I am a husband
• I am a pastor
• I am a Christian
And in each identity there is a mission.
• I have a mission to care for my kids
• I have a mission to love and cherish my wife
• I have a mission to lead this congregation through the Word and prayer
• I have a mission to live in the grace of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit
Faithfulness means consistently living out your identity and mission in a relationship. To be unfaithful means to deny your identity and mission in a relationship.
When Jesus was baptized, both his identity as God’s beloved Son and his mission were declared.
Again, we don’t know what all occupied Jesus’ life up to this point in his life. Probably it was working in the “Joseph & Son” carpenter shop as Mark suggests. We do know that after his baptism, Jesus was occupied with the ministry and service that led him to travel far and wide and preach the Good News of the kingdom, to heal the sick and to raise the dead, a ministry that led Jesus finally to the cross. Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of all this. It was his ordination to the ministry.
The words from heaven were an echo of Isaiah 42:1.
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
“Here is my servant.” This servant was the one in Isaiah who serves the Lord and even dies on behalf of God’s people in that work.
As his baptism was the beginning of his ministry, so when we are baptized by God’s Spirit, we too are called to a life of service. Although we need to have people set apart for the special ministry of pastor with all its responsibilities, all Christians are ordained for ministry when they are baptized.
What is true of Jesus is true of us as well. We, too, are ordained to ministry in our baptism. We, too, have received the Holy Spirit with his gifts.
Your ministry will not be like Jesus’ unique ministry. Yours will reflect the gifts and abilities that are uniquely your own— your SHAPE. But this is true of all who follow Jesus: We are called and ordained to ministry in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
As you can see, a lot happens in baptism.
— Your identity is confirmed: you are a child of God, God’s beloved.
— You are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Jesus.
— You are commissioned to serve.
Jesus was baptized once. But Jesus was always baptized. In other words, Jesus was living out the meaning of his baptism all the way to the cross.
In the same way, you were baptized once. You don’t need to be baptized again any more than you need to be born-again, again. Instead, we are called to live out the meaning of your baptism.
— Live like a child of God.
— Depend upon the Holy Spirit.
— Serve in the Spirit’s power.