The Baptism of Our Lord Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

As is the custom of the Church, on the second Sunday after Christmas, the first Sunday after the Epiphany (January 6th), Epiphany being the day the Wise Men arrived at the manger, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. It’s been a rather quick transition over the last few Sundays, from Jesus’ birth, through His circumcision, to His baptism as an adult.

Why do we move so quickly? Though we have a few stories recorded in the Gospels, the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem at age 12, where He impressed the elders with His wisdom, the answer is that little was or is known about Jesus’ life before the beginning of His ministry. Searching for the “historic Jesus”, which was quite popular a few decades ago, creates some fascinating historical fiction, but we really don’t know what He did in life before His baptism. And that is why His baptism is so very important. It is the moment His recorded ministry begins.

Jesus choice to be baptized has raised many questions in the Church over the centuries. We have been taught that baptism washes away our sins, but how can the One who has never sinned need to be baptized? Why would John, who flatly states, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”, agree to baptize Jesus? John did have the option to refuse to do so, as he often did with Pharisees and Saducees, people he felt were unworthy to receive baptism.

Why does John go ahead with the baptism? In his Gospel, Luke makes Jesus and John cousins. That would explain why Jesus has gone to John. He is there to support a close relative. In Matthew, whose Gospel we heard this morning, that familial connection is not made. Jesus’ tells John that the baptism is “to fulfill all righteousness”, i.e. to submit to the plan of God for the salvation of the human race. This involves Jesus' identification with sinners, with us, with the people He came to save, and is why John agrees to baptize Him.

Whatever the reason, this is the day on which Jesus steps into the water, is baptized and acknowledged by His heavenly Father, and from which He emerges ready to begin His journey on the road to Calvary.

We could spend much time discussing the mystical and symbolic elements of Jesus’ baptism, the baptism of a spotlessly pure soul, as volumes have been written about it. But there is something closer to home we might consider today. We too are baptized. What do we know about baptism, and what did and does our baptism mean?

If we look back in history, the first thing that emerges is the information that baptism washes away sin. In the early Church, as it is today, baptism was just that, a cleansing from sin, and it was also the moment when one became fully a member of the Body of Christ. Roman Law did not recognize Christianity as a legal religion, so be being baptized a Christian risked being arrested and thrown to the lions in the arena. For this reason, in the very early Church only adults were baptized.

As the centuries progressed, the concept of one basic sin, of which all are guilty, took hold. Thus, by the time of the Peace of Constantine, when it had become safe to be Christian, parents wanted their children included in the Body of Christ, thus, even babies were brought forward for the inclusion in the Church and the cleansing from sin offered by the baptismal rite,

This immediately raises ire in folks who demand to know how a tiny baby can be born sinful. The idea seems preposterous. But there is Biblical support for the idea of a basic sinfulness inherent in our human nature, and by the late 4th century, Augustine of Hippo had given this sinfulness a name. It is now called “original sin”.

There is a lot written about original sin, a great deal of scholarly argument and discussion, but perhaps the easiest explanation states that original sin is not, in the strict sense, a "blot" on the soul. Original sin is not a "something" at all. It is the absence of something that should be there. It is a darkness where there ought to be light.

Because of original sin, we come into the world with a soul which is supernaturally/spiritually empty. We come into the world with only the natural endowments of human nature. The supernatural life which is the result of God's personal and intimate indwelling, is absent. Baptism applies to each individual soul the atonement which Jesus made for us on the Cross.

When we are baptized, the spiritual vacuum, the empty place which can be called original sin, disappears as God becomes present in our soul, and the soul is caught up into that sharing of God's own life which is called sanctifying grace. This is what it means to receive the Holy Spirit.

And just to be clear, the “sanctifying grace” we receive is the free gift of His life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy Spirit into the our soul at baptism, to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. We did nothing to deserve this gift.

Baptism is not, as some people treat it, a family social affair. It is a very serious moment. It is the moment when we become part of the Church, part of the Body of Christ. It is the moment when God gives us the gift for which Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead.

We who are baptized are now God’s children by adoption. As children of God, we receive our inheritance at the very moment of our adoption, at the very moment of Baptism. Our inheritance is eternal union with God, and we have that inheritance now, once we are baptized.

Nobody can take this inheritance away. Not even God, who has bound Himself by irrevocable promise never to take back what He has given. We ourselves can renounce our rights—as we do when we sin—but no one else can deprive us of our heritage.

The early Church took the responsibilities of baptism very seriously, as should we. We are now meant to lead a life according to the pattern that Christ has given us, and to follow the teachings and disciplines of the Church according to our denomination. A very basic list of some of our responsibilities can include:

Praying.

Fasting.

Bible reading

Attending Church services regularly.

Partaking of holy communion.

Helping others without discrimination or judgment.

Repenting of our sins.

Perhaps we can think of others. But the important thing is to remember we are to live our baptismal vows. People should experience the Holy Spirit in us, by our words and actions, by the way we live our lives.

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.”

When we are baptized, our families express their joy, they too are well pleased, and there is usually a party, a celebration after the service. But we must always remember that, though in this day and age being Christian is no longer a threat to our lives, it must still be the reason we live.

We live to spread the love of God and the joyous news of Jesus. And as we share our joy with others, we must always cherish and honour our gift, the salvation bought for us and paid for by the man who stepped into the Jordan on this day, and was baptized to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon us your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised us to the new life of grace. Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give us an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. In Jesus Name, Amen.