Epiphany Week 1

Psalm: Psalm 29

Old Testament: Isaiah 43:1-7

Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Epistle: Acts 8:14-17

On this first Sunday after Epiphany we look at the baptism of Jesus. (You will notice that the Church Calendar follows the life of Christ from his birth, through his death, and then to the Ascension after Easter Sunday.) Last week you may remember that we looked at the visit of the Magi and the epiphany they received in the form a of star to travel and worship Jesus. The baptism of Jesus is a form of Epiphany as well, both to those who witnessed it and perhaps even to Jesus himself. First we will look at how Luke presents the account, then we will look at what this may have to say about the Epiphany season, and finally we will try to get at what this may have to say to us today.

We are all no doubt familiar with Jesus’ baptism, but just as a way of review, John, aptly called the The Baptist, was out in the wilderness by the Jordan baptizing “all the people” as Luke says. First point is this is hyperbole. There is no way John baptized everyone and we even know some people, including the religious and political elites, were against him. So Jesus decides to get baptized as well by John. My bible commentary notes four reasons why Jesus was baptized: 1. “to fulfill all righteousness,” as Jesus himself says in Matt. 3:15. 2. This event and John act as heralds to announce his Messiahship. 3. Jesus completely identifies with humanity’s sin, becoming our substitute. 4. It was an example to his followers. (NASB Zondervan Bible Notes) But to this I would also add 5th point, namely that Jesus was recapitulating, (to use that word again) or re-living, the story of Israel by going into and coming out of the Jordan River.

Luke uniquely presents two elements to the story that the other Gospels don’t. The first one is that Luke says Jesus was praying when he was baptized. Luke has a special prayer emphasis that the other 2 Synoptic Gospels lack. (for example: 5:16, 6:12, and 9:18) The other Luke distinctive is that he says the “Holy Spirit” descended upon Jesus, whereas the other Gospels lack the word "Holy ." 13 times Luke uses the phrase “Holy Spirit,” which is as much as the other three Gospels combined. I don’t actually think either of these are too significant in the grand scheme of things, but it is a reminder that each Gospel writer tells the story of Jesus in their own way and it is helpful to recognize these differences to understand where the Gospel writers are coming from and to help understand their audiences a little more.

Turning to what this passage may have to say about Epiphany, it is clear that this was a revelation of sorts to the people who witnessed the baptist then and to us today as we read it. Until Jesus was baptized and the dove descended, many people thought John the Baptist was the Messiah. Luke writes that the “people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ.” (vs. 15) In fact in Luke, John doesn’t appear to know who Jesus is before he baptises him. There is no protest from John in Luke, like there is in Matthew, that he shouldn’t baptize Jesus. So the baptism was an epiphany, or revelation, to all the witnesses that Jesus was at least something special in the eyes of the Lord, and maybe even the Coming and Expected Messiah.

But I wonder also if this event didn’t also encourage, validate, and anoint Jesus for his public ministry. In this sense we can say that the Holy Spirit was in some sense an epiphany and revelation to Jesus that now was the time to begin his ministry. Now was the time when the Father, through his Spirit, was giving his blessing. It gets weird at this point to think about things like did Jesus not have the Spirit before? He was conceived by the Holy Spirit so wouldn’t he already have his presence. The discussions here really revolve around what we believe about the Trinity and Christology. We don’t really want to go down the rabbit hole here, but there is a lot to think about. I probably lean on the side of this being a sign to Jesus and others (thus why others saw the dove in bodily form and heard the voice), that he was the Messiah and that the Father was blessing his ministry from the very beginning.

So, we have come to point where we have to ask ourselves the “so what” question. What does this mean for us and is it asking us to change something we believe or do? Sometimes these types of questions are the hardest ones to answer. I think first of all this says a little bit about the importance of baptism if even Jesus participated in the act. Second, as the reading from Acts this week points to this week, the Holy Spirit becomes the key to understanding life in the Body of Christ. Perhaps the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus at his baptism was a first-fruits of life in the spirit much like Jesus' resurrection was a first-fruits of the Resurrection to Come. These are just two initial thoughts, and perhaps you have some others. But this week I hope you experience the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Grace and peace.