In This Way
In This Way
Sermon in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida on Sunday, January 12, 2020, The Baptism of Christ. The Rev Tom Weller. Text: Matthew 3:15.
Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
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“Let it be so now; for it is proper for us In This Way to fulfill all righteousness.” Did you know that those are Jesus’ first words to us?
Did you know that every word in the Bible is intentional? And the various sequences, all intentional. Nothing is incidental, every verse is there for a reason, in its right order, in its right place, God telling you something. Just so Jesus’ very first words to us, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us In This Way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In the Bible, this is the first thing Jesus says, Jesus first command: “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us In This Way to fulfill all righteousness.”
What does He mean? For centuries on end, Bible scholars have pondered the meaning of these words. Why does Jesus say this, what does Jesus mean by it? In terms of “literary criticism” (“criticism” means “discussion and analysis leading to better understanding", it does not mean throwing stones!), why is this command of Jesus, here made to John, but ultimately made to us? Why is it so important to Matthew that he remembers it as the very first words out of Jesus mouth?
Do not be thrown off track by the situation here. That John the Baptist baptized Jesus was a problem for the early Christian community. To them, it implied a ranking in which John out-ranked anyone he, John, baptized, including outranking Jesus, who presumably then becomes John’s disciple. It was a matter of submission.
So early on, as the Christian movement realized who Jesus was, it was imperative to see John the Baptist, not as Jesus’ superior, but as his predecessor and proclaimer.
Furthermore, there was a movement in those days, that lifted up John the Baptist as Christ, the Messiah, and that movement had to be addressed and dismissed. All four canonical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, face this issue and deal with it right at the very beginning of their gospel stories; and they do so competently if somewhat subtly - - it’s a literary technique how one presents the facts - -
the gospel writers report John the Baptist himself setting the stage so to speak, in which John himself announces that One is coming after John who was before John, and who is greater than John. Then when Jesus arrives, John proclaims that Jesus is The One. Here in Matthew, John even says “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus tacitly affirms yes, that is true, but goes on, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us - - In this Way - - to fulfill all righteousness.” At first shallow glance it seems, in context, simply to be Jesus’ participating in a conversation affirming that Jesus outranks John. But to focus on that distracts from what Jesus says to us.
There’s a second issue, equally distracting, equally shallow - - today 20 centuries on, we say it is not appropriate for John to baptize Jesus because John’s baptism is for the forgiveness of sins, which, being without sin, Jesus does not need, and to baptize the sinless One is redundant. But that’s us today here and now. Matthew’s story is of John and Jesus then and there.
So here’s the essence: Jesus’ first words to us, at his baptism, lay the foundation for human life, as Jesus is baptized into the Way of the Cross. At Matthew 3:15, Jesus sets the standard for Christian life: baptism sets YOU on "The Way to fulfill all righteousness”, which is precisely the Way of the Cross not only for Jesus, but for you.
Yes, baptism is a rite of initiation: baptism inducts you. - - Just as Jesus did (and God affirms him, saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’), you come out to be baptized, you submit to the power and authority of the Holy Spirit in baptism, you come up out of the water, sin washed away, spiritually reborn. You become a member of the Body of Christ, a citizen of the kingdom of God (Matthew calls it the kingdom of Heaven), which is not up above the clouds high in the sky, the kingdom is right here, right now, today. The kingdom of God is this morning, this hour. The kingdom of God is your waking up tomorrow morning and going forth to live your life this week in the way of the cross as it is laid upon you. This is the kingdom of God, and Baptism is the gate.
Baptism is also how you acquire the absolute right to receive the the Body and Blood of the Blessed Sacrament. Here at Holy Nativity we invite, encourage and welcome everyone to receive Holy Communion with us, no matter who or what you are, because that’s what Jesus does. In Holy Communion when the invitation is given, everyone present is invited and welcome to break bread with Jesus, just as Jesus Took and Blessed and Broke and Gave the bread to the five thousand. But with baptism, you do not have to be invited, you acquire The Absolute Right.
But remember - - with rights come responsibilities, as Jesus says at baptism, “… it is proper for us In This Way - - to fulfill all righteousness”. In what Way? What righteousness? BAPTISM!! Baptism is The Way. Baptism is not only your initiation into being a Christian to worship and eat and drink together. Baptism sets you on the Way of the Cross, a way of love and sacrifice.
Again, when you come to baptism, you submit to the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. You make promises about the Way you will live as a baptized Christian, a child of God. And what is required of you as a Christian, what is required and what you promise, is clear and precise. Baptism is a covenant, your contract with God, in which you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord, and you promise five things as your way of righteousness:
You promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers. That means being involved in the ongoing life of the church as your centering point.
You promise to persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord. Nearly every Sunday, the liturgy gives you an opportunity to examine yourself, confess your sins, and start anew as if you’rd being baptized all over again. We’ll ;do that this morning.
You promise to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. Everyone who encounters you should see Jesus in everything you think, and say, and do; and in this 21st century, that includes what you write on social media, the hateful things people write anonymously about those who disagree with them socially and politically. You are Christ in the world today: if you are not Christ, then Christ is not Risen.
You promise to seek and serve Christ in ALL persons, loving your neighbor as yourself. Your neighbor is not people who think and believe and behave and vote as you do, but Americans who hate you for being Republican or Democrat. Your neighbors are immigrants to this Land of Promise and Freedom, and foreigners of a different religion and color, who make television headline news by doing something hateful to you or to our country.
You promise to strive for justice and peace among all people. Perhaps more important than everything else, you promise to respect the dignity of every human being. Do you degrade or dismiss people who are a different race, nationality, religion, color, people who are brown or black and you are white; people who are gay and you are straight, people who love the politicians you hate and hate the politicians you love? This is election year: do not participate in the hatred.
You are baptized into the Way of the Cross. That means that sometimes you have to let life hurt without striking back. How are you doing? You are only human, you will break your promises to God. But He whose word cannot be broken will never stop being your God. God does not let you go, God does not dismiss you, God does not scratch you off the list, God does not throw you away like rubbish. When you stray, God watches for you, keeps the light on in the window and sits up all night waiting for you to come home. Once you submit to God in baptism, God will never let you go.
As we remember the Baptism of Jesus, you have a new opportunity this morning, a chance to start over and recommit your life to Christ.
First the promises, then the water. The baptismal bowl contains water that some of you brought back from the River Jordan last summer, we’ll pray God to renew that water’s holiness this morning, so you may touch it, if you wish, and make the sign of the cross in remembrance and renewal of your baptism.
“Let it be so now, for In This Way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”. Will you come?
Will you renew your promise?
If so, will you stand?
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