The First Sunday of Epiphany
Matthew 3:13-17
Matthew 3:13-17
Have you ever felt like you had failed God? Chosen the wrong thing? Fallen into sin again and again? Missed opportunities in life? If that describes you, then you are in good company my friends, because that describes us all.
Let's turn to the Gospel reading today. The Baptism of Christ is probably a familiar story to you. But imagine for a second what it would be like if you were hearing this story for the first time. In biblical studies in seminaries, professors often encourage their students to imagine what it would be like to be a ‘first-time reader’ of these texts, and look at what has gone before, and what is yet to be revealed.
The first three chapters of Matthew, tell this amazing story of a miraculous birth, angels speaking, political intrigue and escape from danger. John the Baptist, this wild and esoteric prophet has appeared on the scene, given the religious leaders a public telling off, and promised that someone powerful, mighty, and utterly amazing is on His way.
When we get to verse 13, this powerful figure we’ve been waiting for arrives, and it turns out to be Jesus Christ! The child we have heard so many miraculous things about, has grown up! Reading this for the first time, we would be incredibly EXCITED! We might respond with ‘Wow! It's Him! It's Jesus! I knew it would be Him!.’
This is the CULMINATION of the introductory chapters in Matthew’s Gospel. This special human being, who has been through so much wonder and danger to get here, is now about to start His ministry. But things, of course, as we looked at last week, Christ does not behave in the way we might expect. Things with John the Baptist don’t go the way we might have thought they should:
1. Christ arrives with no absolutely no fanfare at all.
All the Gospel says here is ‘Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.’ (v13)
Where are the angels singing? Where are the wise men who read the stars and knew He would be there? Where is the celebration, the pomp, the circumstance, the processions, for this heroic ruler who is going to baptize with fire, and cast judgment over Israel (v11-12)?
John has been preparing everyone for a mighty, powerful, figure of judgment. But what steps in front of him is a normal man, his cousin, dressed like everyone else.
2. Then something even more bizarre happens! Jesus asks to be baptized by John.
Now why is this odd?
It’s odd because the message John has been preaching is about repentance. John specifically says that baptism is for repentance (v11). This is not just odd…it’s almost horrifying.
Why does Christ need to be baptized – He has no need to repent!
Can you imagine, if Christ walked into our service right this second,
Looked at you in your seat, and invited you to come to the front of the church.
Then knelt in front of you, placed your hands on His head, and asked you to pray for Him?
Wouldn’t you be horrified?
Wouldn’t you say: ‘NO! No, Lord, this isn’t right, you are the one who should be praying for me!”
And yet, that is exactly the position Jesus puts himself in front of John at his baptism. John the Baptist felt exactly the same way you might of, and tries to put Him off. This is not how it’s supposed to work – we should be serving Him, not the other way round. But the kingdom of God repeatedly overturns what we think is proper, normal, or expected. Jesus reverses the worldly order of things again and again.
The Gospels are full of these moments which we call ‘reversal motifs’ or sometimes ‘the upside down Kingdom.’ Where things get turned on their head, and Christ acts in the opposite way than we expect Him to.
Jesus does not argue theology with John.
He does not explain everything to John’s satisfaction.
He simply says: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”(v15)
In other words: “Trust me. This is the right thing to do.”
And John consents.
He obeys — not because it finally makes sense to Him, but because he trusts the person in front of him.
And then, after that trust is given, something extraordinary happens:
(v16) As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. (v.17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Everything in Matthew’s Gospel has been building up to this moment.
We knew Jesus was special, human, miraculous, and glorified, but now His true nature is revealed:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
(That’s the moment in the cinema where people would get up and start cheering!)
Wow! This is amazing! I knew it was gonna be Him! Hooray!
John eventually consented to God’s will and obeyed. And look at how wonderful things can be when we finally give in to what He asks of us.
So what do we learn from John the Baptist here?
John knows exactly who Jesus is. He has been preaching about him for months. And yet, when Jesus gives him a command, John resists. Why? Because Jesus’ command does not make sense to him.
John’s reaction to Christ, I need to be baptized by you (v14) is understandable, but, ultimately, disobedient.
There is a logical flaw in John’s reasoning: He knows who Christ is, has been preaching about Him up till this point, but even John the Baptist questions Christ's commands when He arrives.
“Lord this isn’t how you should be doing this- I know better!”
How many of us have been in that EXACT same position, said those very words? (all of us!)
In times of defiance, in times of pain and grief, in times of pride.
There are parts of our, hearts, minds, souls, and strength that easily slip into sin.
There are two ways we usually fail at following God’s word:
1. Disobedience:
For many of us, we know what scripture has to say about:
Perhaps out of fear, out of selfishness, out of temptation.
The other way we fail at following God’s word is more subtle:
2. Mistrust
This is what John initially experienced when Christ asked him to baptize Him. He thought He knew better "It can’t possibly be this way" even after Christ has spoken clearly. This happens to us when we don’t really believe in His promises. We become angry at God for not acting in our lives the way we think He should.
(‘Why God aren’t you changing things the way I wanted you to! Why did you let this happen!’) We doubt that His way of life is really going to help us. (‘Faith is all well and good but we have to be realistic about things’)
We convince ourselves we are unworthy, and He meant these good things for other people and not for us
(How could He forgive me, after all I’ve done. / I’m not like these other people in Church). We forget how highly He has exalted us, and how dearly it cost Him to do so.
So how do we deal with ourselves?
People who know who Christ really is yet we still disobey Him, and don’t trust Him.
I think the antidote is this…
It’s not trying harder – that rarely works. If you could do that by sheer willpower, you would have done so already.
It’s by reminding yourself of the truth of who you are.
You are someone who, like John the Baptist, has been given a place of high honor. Undeserving, almost embarrassingly so!
You are someone who has had your feet washed by the King and Creator of all things.
You are someone Christ has washed, purified, and declared clean from sin.
Here are some verses of encouragement:
1 John 3:1
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Ephesians 1:4–5
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Galatians 3:27
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
Isaiah 61:10
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.”
1 Corinthians 6:11
“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Ephesians 5:1–2
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.”
Colossians 3:12
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
When we remember who we are before God, trust grows, and disobedience begins to fade. So how do we keep focused on who we are in His eyes?
You are here this morning, in the right place, being formed and reminded of who you are, and who God is, by every word that is spoken here.
This liturgy FORMS us, and as we repeat these words, week after week, they become a part of us. A beautiful reminder of the truth.
The reason we love our traditional services here at Grace is because it does so much more for us than contemporary services often do.
2. The Eucharist
At the table we are about to approach we remember how much Christ has done for us, and that all He did was to bring us back to God.
So today, if you feel distant from God, if obedience feels hard, if trust feels fragile -- do not begin by trying harder.
Begin by remembering.
Remember who Christ is.
Remember what Christ has done.
Remember who you are in Christ.
Through the words of our service, and as you come to the Altar.
Amen.
Let's turn to the Gospel reading today. The Baptism of Christ is probably a familiar story to you. But imagine for a second what it would be like if you were hearing this story for the first time. In biblical studies in seminaries, professors often encourage their students to imagine what it would be like to be a ‘first-time reader’ of these texts, and look at what has gone before, and what is yet to be revealed.
The first three chapters of Matthew, tell this amazing story of a miraculous birth, angels speaking, political intrigue and escape from danger. John the Baptist, this wild and esoteric prophet has appeared on the scene, given the religious leaders a public telling off, and promised that someone powerful, mighty, and utterly amazing is on His way.
When we get to verse 13, this powerful figure we’ve been waiting for arrives, and it turns out to be Jesus Christ! The child we have heard so many miraculous things about, has grown up! Reading this for the first time, we would be incredibly EXCITED! We might respond with ‘Wow! It's Him! It's Jesus! I knew it would be Him!.’
This is the CULMINATION of the introductory chapters in Matthew’s Gospel. This special human being, who has been through so much wonder and danger to get here, is now about to start His ministry. But things, of course, as we looked at last week, Christ does not behave in the way we might expect. Things with John the Baptist don’t go the way we might have thought they should:
1. Christ arrives with no absolutely no fanfare at all.
All the Gospel says here is ‘Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.’ (v13)
Where are the angels singing? Where are the wise men who read the stars and knew He would be there? Where is the celebration, the pomp, the circumstance, the processions, for this heroic ruler who is going to baptize with fire, and cast judgment over Israel (v11-12)?
John has been preparing everyone for a mighty, powerful, figure of judgment. But what steps in front of him is a normal man, his cousin, dressed like everyone else.
2. Then something even more bizarre happens! Jesus asks to be baptized by John.
Now why is this odd?
It’s odd because the message John has been preaching is about repentance. John specifically says that baptism is for repentance (v11). This is not just odd…it’s almost horrifying.
Why does Christ need to be baptized – He has no need to repent!
Can you imagine, if Christ walked into our service right this second,
Looked at you in your seat, and invited you to come to the front of the church.
Then knelt in front of you, placed your hands on His head, and asked you to pray for Him?
Wouldn’t you be horrified?
Wouldn’t you say: ‘NO! No, Lord, this isn’t right, you are the one who should be praying for me!”
And yet, that is exactly the position Jesus puts himself in front of John at his baptism. John the Baptist felt exactly the same way you might of, and tries to put Him off. This is not how it’s supposed to work – we should be serving Him, not the other way round. But the kingdom of God repeatedly overturns what we think is proper, normal, or expected. Jesus reverses the worldly order of things again and again.
The Gospels are full of these moments which we call ‘reversal motifs’ or sometimes ‘the upside down Kingdom.’ Where things get turned on their head, and Christ acts in the opposite way than we expect Him to.
- The first shall be last, and the last shall be first (Matt 20:16)
- Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant (Mark 10:43–45)
- Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. (John 13:14–15)
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3)
- This widow’s two coins are worth more than all the rest (Mark 12:43–44)
Jesus does not argue theology with John.
He does not explain everything to John’s satisfaction.
He simply says: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”(v15)
In other words: “Trust me. This is the right thing to do.”
And John consents.
He obeys — not because it finally makes sense to Him, but because he trusts the person in front of him.
And then, after that trust is given, something extraordinary happens:
(v16) As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. (v.17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Everything in Matthew’s Gospel has been building up to this moment.
We knew Jesus was special, human, miraculous, and glorified, but now His true nature is revealed:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
(That’s the moment in the cinema where people would get up and start cheering!)
Wow! This is amazing! I knew it was gonna be Him! Hooray!
John eventually consented to God’s will and obeyed. And look at how wonderful things can be when we finally give in to what He asks of us.
So what do we learn from John the Baptist here?
John knows exactly who Jesus is. He has been preaching about him for months. And yet, when Jesus gives him a command, John resists. Why? Because Jesus’ command does not make sense to him.
John’s reaction to Christ, I need to be baptized by you (v14) is understandable, but, ultimately, disobedient.
There is a logical flaw in John’s reasoning: He knows who Christ is, has been preaching about Him up till this point, but even John the Baptist questions Christ's commands when He arrives.
“Lord this isn’t how you should be doing this- I know better!”
How many of us have been in that EXACT same position, said those very words? (all of us!)
In times of defiance, in times of pain and grief, in times of pride.
There are parts of our, hearts, minds, souls, and strength that easily slip into sin.
There are two ways we usually fail at following God’s word:
1. Disobedience:
For many of us, we know what scripture has to say about:
- Sexual ethics
- Forgiveness
- Truthfulness
- Generosity
- Prayer
- Forgiveness feels unsafe.
- Truthfulness feels risky.
- Humility feels like weakness.
Perhaps out of fear, out of selfishness, out of temptation.
The other way we fail at following God’s word is more subtle:
2. Mistrust
This is what John initially experienced when Christ asked him to baptize Him. He thought He knew better "It can’t possibly be this way" even after Christ has spoken clearly. This happens to us when we don’t really believe in His promises. We become angry at God for not acting in our lives the way we think He should.
(‘Why God aren’t you changing things the way I wanted you to! Why did you let this happen!’) We doubt that His way of life is really going to help us. (‘Faith is all well and good but we have to be realistic about things’)
We convince ourselves we are unworthy, and He meant these good things for other people and not for us
(How could He forgive me, after all I’ve done. / I’m not like these other people in Church). We forget how highly He has exalted us, and how dearly it cost Him to do so.
So how do we deal with ourselves?
People who know who Christ really is yet we still disobey Him, and don’t trust Him.
I think the antidote is this…
It’s not trying harder – that rarely works. If you could do that by sheer willpower, you would have done so already.
It’s by reminding yourself of the truth of who you are.
You are someone who, like John the Baptist, has been given a place of high honor. Undeserving, almost embarrassingly so!
You are someone who has had your feet washed by the King and Creator of all things.
You are someone Christ has washed, purified, and declared clean from sin.
Here are some verses of encouragement:
1 John 3:1
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Ephesians 1:4–5
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
Romans 8:1
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Galatians 3:27
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
Isaiah 61:10
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.”
1 Corinthians 6:11
“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Ephesians 5:1–2
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love.”
Colossians 3:12
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
When we remember who we are before God, trust grows, and disobedience begins to fade. So how do we keep focused on who we are in His eyes?
- The entire structure of our service is designed to remind us of this.
You are here this morning, in the right place, being formed and reminded of who you are, and who God is, by every word that is spoken here.
This liturgy FORMS us, and as we repeat these words, week after week, they become a part of us. A beautiful reminder of the truth.
The reason we love our traditional services here at Grace is because it does so much more for us than contemporary services often do.
2. The Eucharist
At the table we are about to approach we remember how much Christ has done for us, and that all He did was to bring us back to God.
So today, if you feel distant from God, if obedience feels hard, if trust feels fragile -- do not begin by trying harder.
Begin by remembering.
Remember who Christ is.
Remember what Christ has done.
Remember who you are in Christ.
Through the words of our service, and as you come to the Altar.
Amen.
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