Loving God, as Jesus comes to John to be baptized, help us to find ourselves in this gospel story.  May we hear your voice this day, not only proclaiming who Jesus is, but proclaiming our identity as your precious children; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Would you have been among the people who went to see and hear John the Baptist?  Would you have been one of the ones who were looking for something better and waiting for God to act?  Would you have been one of the ones who were seeking the kingdom of heaven and wanting to find freedom from oppression?  Would you have been looking for the Messiah and ready to step into the Jordan River to be baptized? These are important questions to ask as we seek to understand what was going on in today’s gospel and why it is that Jesus came to John to be baptized by him.

    The thing is that in spite of the fact that John seems like a pretty scary character, he was attracting crowds of people.  People came to him from a pretty wide area, and it seems that they came from all walks of life.  Some would have come because John reminded them of the prophet Elijah, who was supposed to come before “the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:5).  It was also expected that Elijah would herald the coming of the Messiah, and so this is why that odd detail about what John was wearing is included.  He was dressed just like Elijah used to be dressed.

    Others probably came because they were tired of Roman rule and oppression.  The Jordan river would have reminded them of when the people of Israel first entered the land under Joshua’s leadership, and of God’s promises concerning the land and the descendants of David ruling as kings.  Could it be that the Messiah would appear and finally kick out the oppressors?

    And then there were those who might have come just for show.  The Pharisees, apparently, were known for that sort of thing, and might have come out just to look good to the crowds of people.  However, John soon nails any insincerity directly to the wall when he addresses the brood of vipers who are there.  One would think that any of the Pharisees and the Sadducees who were there just for show would have turned right around and left without bothering to be baptized by John.  After all, can you really imagine staying after what John has to say about them?  Only those who really felt the need to repent would have stayed and been baptized.

    Repentance, of course, is usually something that sinners would do.  It means changing direction, or turning around, usually from a sinful way of life, to a life that seeks to follow God’s way.  John’s baptism, we are told, is with water for repentance.  That’s why it’s been hard for people to figure out why Jesus would come when he didn’t have any sinfulness to repent of.

    However, I wonder if it was a different kind of repentance in Jesus’ case.  After all, he had spent close to 30 years in relative obscurity, presumably learning his father’s trade and simply going about his business.  However, when Jesus comes to be baptized by John, he is changing direction.  He is leaving behind his quiet life in Galilee and is beginning his public ministry.

    At the same time, it is an act of humility when Jesus comes to be baptized.  John is right when he says that it should be the other way around.  However, Jesus humbles himself, and places himself under John’s ministry, and in doing so aligns himself with all of those people who had been coming to John looking for something better and waiting for God to act.  Doesn’t it make sense that Jesus would begin his public ministry in the midst of crowds of people who are looking for God’s kingdom and seeking freedom from oppression?  It is these people who first see Jesus and perhaps even hear what the voice from heaven has to say.

    In Jesus’ case, the voice from heaven echoes the words of Scripture and confirms who Jesus really is.  Not only is he God’s beloved Son, but also a king and a suffering servant.  All of this is implied through the words of Scripture that are spoken, as well as the passages they come from in the Psalms (2:7) and in Isaiah (42:1).

    For any of us, however, we don’t generally hear a voice from heaven or see the Holy Spirit descending on us like a dove – even on the day of our baptism!  Yet, God does say to us through our baptism that we have been made children of God and inheritors of eternal life.  We have been welcomed into God’s family – into the body of Christ – and have been given the Holy Spirit.  It just might not have happened quite as dramatically as it did for Jesus.

    And so, for us here and now, the kingdom of heaven that John and Jesus both proclaim has come near.  It has come near to each of us through Jesus Christ, who continues to align himself with those who seek God’s kingdom above all else and who are looking for something better.  Don’t be lulled into thinking, however, that the kingdom of God only has to do with the future or with the end of all things.  When we pray, “Your kingdom come; Your will be done, on earth as in heaven,” we are asking that God’s kingdom would also be seen among us.

    Every time that food or drink or clothing are shared with those in need, the kingdom of heaven has come near.  Every time that we show love for one another as Jesus has first loved us, the kingdom of heaven has come near.  Every time that we welcome the stranger, or celebrate the sacraments, or help the oppressed to go free, the kingdom of heaven has come near.

    And so, remember that you are God’s precious child.  Remember that you are members of God’s family and citizens of the kingdom of God.  Remember how you have been adopted through water and the Spirit and have been given gifts for ministry.  Jesus continues to align himself with all those who look for something better and who seek the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus continues to align himself with all those who seek freedom from oppression and healing and new life.

    And so, continue to seek God’s way in all things.  For, as we do so, Christ is with us!  Amen.

Epiphany 1 (NL 1)                                Matthew 3:1-17
January 11, 2015
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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