Baptism of Our Lord

Vicar Gary Schultz
Text: Luke 3:15-22

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

When Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Today’s celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord proclaims to us the wonder of the first Christian baptism. Here is the first account of washing with water connected to the Triune God and the Word. The Father speaks from heaven; the Son, the Word Himself, stands in the water of the Jordan River; the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove.

These truths on Jordan’s banks were shown by mighty word and wonder.

The Father’s voice from heaven came down, which we do well to ponder:

“This man is My beloved Son, In whom My heart has pleasure.

Him you must hear and Him alone, and trust in fullest measure

The word that He has spoken (LSB 406:3)

Jesus’ baptism is good news for us! Jesus’ baptism connects us to His death and resurrection. In our baptism, we are connected to Him in complete assurance that we have forgiveness of sins. This is why baptism plays such a central and foundational role in the life of the church. This is why each Christian is called to daily remember their baptism into Christ and the new life that He gives.

With the story of Jesus’ baptism, St. Luke’s Gospel narrative makes a change in direction. The parallels between John the Baptizer and Jesus now draw to a close. John was the last and greatest prophet, and his work was now completed. Through his preaching and baptism of repentance, he prepared the way of the Lord, pointing to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1:29). Now the focus turns solely to the ministry of Jesus. Jesus, as He begins His ministry for us by His Baptism, is recorded as praying, just as now in heaven He saves at all times those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Heb 7:25).

It’s no coincidence that last night we were celebrating the Epiphany of Our Lord. The celebration of the Epiphany shows that Jesus Christ is also true God. He is “God in flesh made manifest.” In many periods of church history, the Baptism and Epiphany of Our Lord were celebrated as one event. Jesus being made known as true God and the beginning of His ministry of forgiveness are two closely related events.

All the people were baptized, and Jesus also had been baptized. Jesus was baptized right along with the others. As true man, He’s just like us. But as true God, Jesus’ baptism sanctifies the sin-filled waters of the Jordan and makes them a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin (Luther’s Flood Prayer). Here we see the last parallel between John and Jesus. John’s baptism was for repentance, in preparation of the Coming One. Now Jesus comes and He is baptized for us.

St. Luke records that at Jesus’ baptism the heavens opened. The opening of the heavens signifies the forgiveness of sins. And our baptism opens the heavens to us because the forgiveness of our sins makes us heirs of the inheritance of heaven. Through our baptism, heaven is opened to us. We are connected to Christ our Savior, who tore through the curtain of the temple, giving us complete, free access to Our Father. Heaven’s forgiveness pours over us in the waters of Holy Baptism.

Jesus’ baptism is good news for us! You see, if Jesus’ hadn’t been baptized, then His suffering, death, and resurrection would have no connection to us. Certainly Jesus’ death and resurrection is a real, historic event. But Our Lord does not leave us simply to ponder these things as mere stories. He does not require us to somehow connect ourselves in our minds to his death and resurrection. He does not ask us to ponder if we were there when they crucified my Lord. We don’t need to make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem, to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, to any other place. Baptism puts us where we need to be: in His family, in His forgiveness – closer than if we were standing at the manger, in the temple, at the cross, or at the tomb. In His baptism, Our Lord takes the sins of the world in the waters of the Jordan River upon Himself, so that when we are washed with water and His word, His complete perfection is placed upon us. Jesus’ perfect life, innocent suffering, atoning death, and triumphant resurrection are all given to us in the waters of baptism.

There stood the Son of God in love, His grace to us extending;

The Holy Spirit like a dove Upon the scene descending;

The triune God assuring us, With promises compelling,

That in our Baptism He will thus among us find a dwelling

To comfort and sustain us. (LSB 406:4)

We have new lives! We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised form the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Our old way of living in sin, as those who are hopeless, is put away. It’s buried in Christ’s tomb and crushed by Christ’s victorious resurrection.

But what about when we give into temptation and fall into sin? We certainly know that we have not lived the perfect life that we are called to live as God’s children. The devil, the world, and our sinful nature don’t just go away. Our baptism into Christ is always valid, always ready to pour forth forgiveness, always ready to wash away sin. Our baptism into Christ indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. Our life in Christ involves daily dying to sin in repentance and daily rising to new life through forgiveness, that through this saving flood all sin in us which has been inherited from Adam and which we have committed since would be drowned and die.
God grant that the prayer spoken at baptism would be our prayer each day, rejoicing that through our baptism we are kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, being separated from the multitude of unbelievers and serving [God’s] name at all times with a fervent spirit and a joyful hope, so that, with all believers in [God’s] promise we would be declared worthy of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Luther’s Flood Prayer). Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.