Sermon on Luke 3:15–22

January 12th, 2025 Atonement Lutheran Church The Baptism of Our Lord, Year C Sermon on Luke 3:15–22

“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”” (Luke 3:21–22)

Baptism is not unique to the New Testament. Baptism, in all of its forms, appears some 92 times, which tells us its importance. The base Greek word in the New Testament for baptism is baptizo, which means washing with regard to rituals. In other words, baptism is a type of ritual washing, and ritual washing was not a new concept in the ancient world or for the Jewish people.

For the Old Testament Israelites, ritual washing was an important part of their faith as it was a command by God. God commanded several types of ritual washing, some practical like washing yourself after touching a dead body. This ritual washing would wash away any bacteria, fleas, or mites that could have been picked up while handling the dead body, preventing the person from becoming sick and spreading diseases. Another ritual washing was to purify an objective and/or person changing them from unclean to clean and now acceptable to God.

I do not know about you; my mother always told me to wash my hands before we sat down for dinner. It was a good thing too, because growing up and working on a pig farm, my hands would get really filthy! My hands would get covered by all sorts of dirt, muck, and other nastier things like manure. Coming in for dinner, I needed to wash my hands (with soap and hot water) and clean them from all the dirt and muck and the like, so that when I sat down for dinner, I was not ingesting any of those things, that could potentially make me sick or that could do worse. Like washing my hands which made them clean. So, the objects and persons needed to be ritually washed to make them clean before God so they could be used in service to God. And for the people of God, this ritual washing was not just about being cleansed before God, it was also a sign of repentance to God. 

It is in this context that we find John, just before our Gospel reading for today. That John “went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John was calling on the people to turn toward God, too change their hearts, and reconnect with God. John's baptism was about reestablishing the person's relationship with God and living a God-pleasing life. The pouring of water over a person was the outside sign of an inward change toward God.

Now seen the baptism of John was for the repentance of sins and reconnecting with God, why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, need to be baptized? John questioned this as well. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.” (Matthew 3:13–15)

In the Old Testament, before a priest could perform their sacred duties to God, the priest had to be ritual wash, had to be baptized. This practice goes all the way back to the establishment of the Israelite priesthood; where “Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water”. Christ Jesus, who established a new priesthood that would last forever, needed to be ritual wash, to be baptized, before He could begin His sacred duty of proclaiming the Kingdom of God to God’s people.

The baptism of Christ revealed to us that who this Jesus is. The Apostle John writes of John the Baptist, “I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.””

Christ's baptism showed us that Christ Jesus is more than just a man, but also the Son of God. Our Gospel reading also confirms this, Luke 3:21–22, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

This event of Christ's Baptism is one of the clearest pictures of the Trinity we have in the Bible! Here we have the Triune God revealed to us; the Father who spoke “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”, the Holy Spirit who descended on to Jesus as a dove, and the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who is praying to God the Father. All three persons are here declaring one thing. Christ Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God, the Messiah, who redeems the people of God.

And for use, Baptism is more than a ritual washing, it is God's word, His promise of forgiveness and salvation, with the water. Through baptism we are connected with Christ's death and resurrection, we are united with Him, and through baptism, we receive the same forgiveness and salvation, that Christ won for us on the Cross. As the Apostle Paul states in his letter to the Romans “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  

Baptism is our introduction, an outward symbol of our entry into the Kingdom of God. But Baptism is far more than just a symbol, it is the assurance of God's forgiveness of sin with water. Through this baptism the sin of our first parents, the sin of Adam and Eve, is forgiven, wiped clean. The Holy Spirit unites with us in our Baptism and here we encounter our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Who with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit works faith in our lives and creates in us new life with the power to overcome sin and the devil.

Have you seen in movies where guests to a royal ball are announced before they enter the ball room? The persons would be announced by their name first then the House or Kingdom they belong to and then by their titles. For example, if I attend one of these royal balls, I would be introduced as “Joseph Bauer of the House of Bauer, Giver of bad Dad Jokes”.

Our Baptism is an announcement, a proclamation to the World, to the devil himself. The Angles will herald our names boldly saying that you are, “in the Kingdom of God, Forgiven, Redeemed, Child of God, and Heir into the Kingdom of God”.

Now this baptism is a one-time event, with lifelong blessing and assurance. Jesus commands in Matthew 28:19-20, “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” And with Paul's statement in Ephesians 4:5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”. We are assured of one baptism for the remission of sin, but the teaching, learning, and growing in the Lord take place throughout our lives. And if we ever lose our way, we can look back at our baptism, and find the assurance of God’s abundant love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amen.