First Sunday after the Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord

The other day, Friday I believe, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue. It looked fantastic as I was sitting on our sofa looking out the window. Then, it was time to take our dog, Oscar, outside when the reality of what the day was like became real. 65 degrees in the house, and minus -10 outside. Yikes.

Now, I already knew it was cold because I was out earlier for breakfast and Bible study with the Men of Christ. My point, however, in this illustration is that our sight tends to be the sense we trust most. We want to see something for ourselves. We say we will believe something when we see it. When we doubt what people are saying, we ask them to show us. If we see something with our eyes, we consider that sufficient evidence for it to be real and true.

Today is the First Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord, which is the Baptism of Christ. What we see in Baptism oftentimes skews our understanding of reality. Did the people really understand who Jesus was, or was he just another guy waiting in line to be Baptized by John?

During the next several weeks in Epiphany, our Lord Jesus will uncover the truth about Himself, about His kingdom, His life and our inclusion in this realm. And so today is about how God equips for service: His Anointing is Uncovered. This happens through God’s Decree, not based on What We See, and we Can Be Sure.

The Question before us is: “are we going to believe what we see with our eyes, or what God declares?”

God’s Decree

In today’s Gospel reading we heard God’s decree upon Jesus Christ following His baptism and anointing with the Holy Spirit

However, when one looked at Jesus, they didn’t see anything special — Jesus from Nazareth. The son of a carpenter. For 30 years He lived an uneventful life. He could have come to the Jordan River, stood in line to be baptized, and not caused any stir whatsoever. He looked like everyone else. And certainly, no one recognized Him as the Messiah.

But John the Baptist baptized Him, then he saw heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus in bodily form.

Luke 3:22 Then “A voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.’” That would get my attention.

In our Old Testament reading we heard the account of how God’s decree appointed the next King of Israel.

This new king would replace Saul. Saul’s father, Kish, was a man of good standing in society. And Saul was as handsome a man as could be found in all of Israel. He stood taller than his peers (1 Sam 9:1-2). Yet, because of His disobedience God rejected him.

The man God choose did not look the part at all. He was from an insignificant town of Bethlehem, and according to Jesse, the man’s father, any one of his seven brothers would have been a more deserving choice.

However, as the Lord reminded Samuel, 1 Sam 16:7 “For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

The Lord told Samuel to anoint David as king. At that anointing, young, scrawny David was equipped for his office with the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Sam 16:13 “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed on David with power from that day forward.”

The Epistle reading concerns you and me. If we were to judge from outward appearances only, we would have no reason to believe there is any difference between those who are saved and those who are not.

And when God’s steps in, motivated purely by His kindness and mercy, everything He works in us is invisible to the naked eye.

Yet, we are reborn. We are adopted as children of our heavenly Father, through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Every Baptized believer is now Royalty.

We are heirs of Eternal life.

However, everything He does here is invisible to the naked eye, and that is our problem. You see, we tend to believe only what we see with our physical eyes.

What We See

We tend to make decisions based on what we see.

When we need people to fill a position, we usually eliminate those we do not like.

This is usually based on a personal encounter.

We also look at personalities.

Someone who appears aggressive or domineering, we may shy away from.

Someone who is sheepish and shy we probably would not pick to represent us in a courtroom.

David’s father, Jesse, kept bring all his sons forward to Samuel, except David. 1 Sam 16:10 “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’”

1 Sam 16:11 “Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Is that all of the young men?’ Jesse said, ‘There still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.’”

Jesse didn’t parade David before Samuel, because he didn’t deem him worthy.

And we do the same when it comes to ourselves, or when we look at others.

When we come into the world we are all part of the same crowd of sinners, no different from anyone else.

And we use criteria that God never uses. Someone once told me that so-in-so would not be a good fit for church leadership “because he is weird.”

We are declared completely innocent and forgiven by our holy God, But this decree is given despite the evidence to the contrary.

We have all heard the saying, “Never judge a book by it cover.” And it is true. Two Thousand years ago, people had already made up their minds on who the Messiah was to be, and Jesus did not fit their mold, therefore they case Him aside.

These are just a few examples of many, yet they all present a problem for us. So often what our eyes see differs from what God decrees. Let me say that again: “Often what our eyes see differs from what God decrees.”

Pastor dressed as a homeless man on Sunday morning, as worshipers arrive.

How We Are Sure

How can we be certain that God has indeed saved us, when outward appearance suggest otherwise?

How can be be sure that these blessings of rebirth, justification and hope are yours?

How can we know that the Holy Spirit, who brings these blessings and causes us to grab on to these blessings in faith, has really been given to us?

How can we know that He has been poured out on us, not just a few drips or a slow trickle, but generously?

All of this happens through Baptism. As He did with Jesus and as He did with David, God connects His anointing and His equipping with a sign.

He attaches His Word of promise to a visible act

Something we can always look to when outward appearances deceive.

God attaches what He decrees to what we can visibly see.

Child of God, Chosen one, Full of the Holy Spirit — this is what God decreed about Jesus. And this is what He decrees about you and me.

God caused the heavens to open for John to see, and the Holy Spirit lit on Jesus in the form of a dove.

God selected scrawny David and at his anointing, He caused the Holy Spirit to rush upon David from that time forward.

And for you and me? He has given us a font, an altar, and a pulpit, as a visible reminder of His decree on your life.

You are a Child of God, a Chosen one, and Full of the Holy Spirit, given as a deposit to guarantee your inheritance to come.

Someone once said, “Don’t trust your lying eyes.” Well, I probably wouldn’t put it quite like that, but we certainly cannot trust what we see when it comes to what God has already decreed about you and our neighbors. Because God knows what we are apt to do — judge with our eyes — God attaches what He decrees to what our eyes can see.

The hymn writer understood this too as he penned the stanzas to “Built on the Rock the Church Shall Stand.” — LSB 645

Here stands the font before our eyes,

Telling how God has received us.

The Alter recalls Christ Sacrifice

And what His Supper here gives us.

Here sound the Scripture that proclaim

Christ yesterday, today the same,

And evermore our Redeemer.

This is how we know for sure.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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