Home > Sermons > January 13, 2008

Claimed in Baptism

First Congregational Church of Evanston
January 13,  2008 (First Sunday after Epiphany)
Matthew 3:13-17; Acts :10: 34-43

Rev. James E. Roghair, Interim Pastor

Matthew 3:13-17

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And 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. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  

Spirit Is Gift

William Willimon, former professor of Duke Divinity School and now a Methodist Bishop – designated by some as the leading American preacher of our time – begins his message called the “Miraculous Baptism,” by saying, “It may surprise you to hear me say this, but say this I will.  I don’t know how to preach.  I’ve only been trying to preach for the last 30 years and, after 30 years, I know less about how to preach a sermon than when I began. 

“I’ve learned: When it comes to sermons, people don’t listen, more accurately, people don’t hear.  Too many obstacles to successful communication (www.logosproductions.com, “Pulpit Resource,” 1/13/2008).”  And he went on to discuss some of those obstacles.  Wonderful preacher that he is, I suspect that Willimon had everyone listening that day! 

Some of what he is saying is, that like all the rest of us who stand before a congregation week after week, even year after year and try to speak the Words of God, we don’t always feel so sure about our efforts.  Sometimes we feel that the whole thing on a particular morning was far too muddled.  We were surely a failure.  But then Willimon notes that one of his listeners, like one of you, comes up as says, “Rev. that sermon was just what I needed this morning. Thank you.” Or you might say, “That one last week, it really got me to thinking about something that has been on my mind for a long time. Thank you.”  And as Willimon notes, any of us preachers knows that it is not what we do or say, but it is the miracle of God when you are touched.   It is this kind of miracle that the story of Jesus’ Baptism tells.  Hear a few more of Willimon’s words:

Today's Gospel. It was another day at the river. John was baptizing, washing people up, getting ready for the Messiah. It was a ritual that Jews sometimes went through, a kind of purification rite sometimes associated with preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  

"Messiah's coming," John preached. "Someday, sometime, someplace, Messiah's coming." People were filled with expectation. John didn't say, "Messiah's here!" No, John preached, "Messiah's coming."  

Just going through the motions, expecting the Messiah. People interrupted his sermon with, "Are you the Messiah?"  

"No," John answered them. "I couldn't tie the shoelaces of the one who is coming after me, the one you are expecting. I baptize with water; the one who is coming after me, more powerful than I, will baptize with wind and fire!"  

 John said, "I just wash you up; he will burn you up! Purify you!"

Heap of difference between expecting the word of God and hearing it. A great distance between anticipating the possibility of the presence of God and getting God.  

Well, John is baptizing. "Next." Wade in the water, stoop to the water, up out of the water. "Next." Wade, stoop, up. "Next."  

And then, with this one from Nazareth - Dove, Spirit, Voice, the heaven ripped open, the veil torn asunder, fire.  

This dove, Spirit, voice is a Bible way of saying that God was present. That great dove, Spirit hovering over the muddy Jordan waters, reminds of that primal Spirit that hovered over the waters at Creation, bringing life, light.

When the story tells us that the heavens split and the voice of God was heard, it is a miracle of God’s presence – a miracle of God’s communication – one that is sometimes even duplicated in our worship. God is heard in sermons, in prayers, in music, in sacraments.  It isn’t us – not the preacher nor the musician nor the one in the pew that makes that wonder happen, it is the miraculous gift of God (www.logosproductions.com, “Pulpit Resource,” 1/13/2008)

Baptism of Jesus

It may be possible that you have wondered about the Baptism of Jesus.  Traditions which have taken Baptism so seriously – those who say that one can not be saved without baptism, or to say that only by baptism are we fit for heaven – those folks particularly, have pondered long and hard about why Jesus came to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  Obviously, John the Baptist – or at least the early church’s understanding of John – was asking that sort of question, too. 

Our lesson for today says, “John would have prevented [Jesus], saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’(Matthew 3:14)” But Jesus just soothes John by saying it is a good thing to do right now – “to fulfill all righteousness.”  So what did Jesus mean?  Or what did the early church mean when it told the story of Jesus’ baptism? 

I suspect for many of us, even many who preach regularly, the story of the  Baptism of Jesus, and the Sunday just after Epiphany, designated in church calendars as The Baptism of Jesus, comes as a bit of a puzzle.  It would be easy to quote Willimon’s sentiment about preaching and about hearing – we just don’t know how to do it. 

More about Jesus’ Baptism

I have discovered some analyses of the three stories of Jesus baptism, which might give a clue into what it meant to the early church.  This analysis ties the story to a very important Old Testament story and even to a story in the Qur’an.  The scholarly papers that spell out the details are far longer and deeper than we will go today, but let me just give you a hint of the meaning. 

First, there is the article entitled “The Baptism of Jesus: A story modeled on the binding of Isaac, (William R. Stenger, BR 01:3. Biblical Archeological Society, 2004).” It argues convincingly that the story we find first in the Gospel of Mark and then in Matthew and Luke, depends on a story that Jewish people knew very well – the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah.  (This Mount later became the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.)  You can find this story in the Genesis 22.  The story is told in rather vivid detail – by biblical standards.  

But this story was subject to a lot off Rabbinic re-telling, found in the Aramaic Targums, and other midrash.  

“One of the most significant changes introduced into the biblical account ... concerns the role of Isaac, who plays an increasingly prominent part.  As one scholar has described the difference: ‘In Genesis it is Abraham’s faith and obedience to God’s will even to the offering of his only son, the child of promise, that constitutes the whole significance of the story: Isaac is a purely passive figure.  In the rabbinical literature, however, the voluntariness of the sacrifice on Isaac’s part is strongly emphasized.’  In ... Genesis, the main character is Abraham, Isaac seems to be a mere lad. According to one Midrash, however, he was 37 years old (Stenger, op cite).” 

In the article I counted at least 9 points of literary relationship – far too many to mention today.  But here are a few of them: There are the details about the heavens and the voice.  Our lesson today says of Jesus, “... 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’ (Matthew 3:16),”   On the other hand, in one midrash version of the tale of Abraham and Isaac,  

“As Isaac lay bound upon the altar, he too looked up and saw ‘the angels of the height.’ He too had a vision and saw ‘the Shekinah [the divine essence or spirit] of the Lord.”  And “A voice from heaven explains the significance of the scene: ‘Come see two chosen individuals in the world; the one sacrificing is not hesitating and the one being sacrificed stretches forth his neck’... In short, the baptism story was told with the story of the binding of Isaac in mind ... not only the literary form ... but also the content ... The theology of the Targumic story ... is plain. The sins of Israel were forgiven by the continual sacrifices offered in the Temple at Jerusalem. The near-sacrifice of Isaac [on the same mountain as the temple was later  built] was regarded as a kind of original sacrificial offering that validated and gave significance to all subsequent sacrifices offered on the same mountain (Stegner op cite).” 

The original hearers of the story of Jesus’ baptism would have known various versions of the binding of Isaac story, and they would have understood how the baptism story is related to the theology of Jesus’ death on the cross.   All of that was packed into the words of Jesus answering John , “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).” Here in the beginning of the gospel story, Jesus is willingly offering himself for the world as Isaac willingly offered himself in the older stories for the sins of Israel. And God approves in both cases (Stegner, op cite). 

And the Qur’an

How much meaning, is packed into this troublesome little story of Jesus’ baptism!  Of course there is more, because the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son is told in the Qur’an as well.  But in that telling it is not clear whether the son involved is Isaac or Ishmael.  It was long after it was written that the interpreters began to be clear that the story is about Ismael, not about Isaac. The entire story found in sura 37 of the Qur’an says:  

(Abraham prayed,) “My Lord, grant me one from among the righteous.” So We [Allah] gave him the good news of a mild-tempered son. When he [the son] was old enough to work with him he [Abraham] said, “oh, my son, I have dreamed that I should sacrifice you. What do you think?” 

“He [the son] said, “Oh my father, do what you have been commanded.  If Allah wills, you will find me patient.”  When they both submitted and he [Abraham] threw him [the son] face down, We called to him, “Oh, Abraham, you have fulfilled the dream.  Thus do We reward those who do good.”  Truly, that was a clear test and We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. Through the succeeding generations We left upon him the salutation: “Peace be upon Abraham!”  Thus do We reward those who do good.  Truly he was among our believing servants. And we gave him the good news of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous (“Abraham’s Sons, How the Bible and the Qur’an see the same story differently,”  Editor, Hershel Shanks: BR 18:02. Biblical Archaeology Society, 2004). 

Christian biblical theology is making the point that Jesus, like Isaac before him is willingly offering himself for others.  The Qur’an is making the point that Ishmael (or Isaac) and Abraham are submitting themselves to the will of God – Allah.  (Of courses, submission to God is the core teaching of Islam.  Submission is even the meaning of the word ‘Islam.’ 

Relationships

Of course the presence of these stories in various versions point out some  of the interlocking relationships of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Each has a  slightly different take on what the stories mean.  These stories also give us another understanding of why the mount in Jerusalem is so terribly important to both Islam and Judaism, and why unilateral possession of it is so anathema to the other side.   

Would that people could recognize the importance of their similarities rather than their differences.  Would that people could understand the significance of the presence of God for all people, and particularly the miracle of God,  any time the Spirit is known – whether heavens split and we see the Spirit like a dove, or see angels sitting there, or whether we simply have that feeling of awe that tells us we have been touched by God. 

God is always present.  I hope that holding the little flattened glass marble you got today when I spoke to the children could remind you of the miracle of God’s presence.  God may be present for us when we worship –when we observe the sacrament of baptism, when observe the sacrament of holy communion, when we sing or pray, sometimes even when we preach God will be present. 

Thanks be to God for the miraculous gift of God’s presence.  May the mysteries of the stories remind us that in God’s own time, God does offers us mysteries of meaning. 

all make us all brothers and sisters in God.  All of us are dependent on the gifts of God.  All of us need God’s daily blessing. 

Thanks be to God.   

Amen.

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2008