First Sunday after Epiphany

The Baptism of Jesus

1/12/25

Today is the First Sunday after Epiphany. We will continue to look at the miracles that proclaimed the arrival of Jesus on earth. Today we will be looking at his Baptism as found in Luke Chapter 3. You can find the link to all of the reading for today at the bottom of the page. Today I am going to be focused on the last 2 verses of the Gospel passage.  Luke Chapter 3 verse 21 & 22 say:

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

    First off we want to recognize that here in one sentence we see all 3 persons of the Trinity. We see them and are being told how they interact with one another. However, before we get to the message, let's think about how this message came first to Luke and then on to us. Luke was not a disciple of Jesus or John the baptist, in fact Luke was not even Jewish. This means that the chances of Luke being at the river to witness this event is zero. So who was Luke? Was he an early gentile disciple that came to Jesus soon after these events and heard about them from his disciples? No. Luke was a gentile who was first reached with the gospel by Paul, after Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus. So Luke didn’t spend much, if any time, with the early followers in Jerusalem.

Why does that matter? I think it matters because of how Luke tells the narrative of the events. This is not the only time that Luke gives us a narrative about sights and sounds from Heaven. In Acts chapter 9 Luke writes about Paul’s conversion. This too was an event he was not present for. Luke is very clear in that retelling that everyone present saw a bright light, but only Paul heard a voice. Also it was only Paul that was impacted so significantly by the bright light that he was blinded. From this sorry we can see that the details, as given to him, are important to Luke and that he passes them on. We can assume that Luke heard this story from Paul as they travelled.  He may have also heard it from the perspective of some of the men traveling with Paul that day on the road. He then makes it clear to us that while both Paul and the others saw a bright light it was only Paul who heard anything. 

In our passage today Luke gives no mention of different experiences for different people. We know he wasn’t there and neither was Paul or any of Luke’s future travel companions. He makes no attempt to explain where this information comes from. To me, that is an indication that he is telling a narrative that is widely known and broadly accepted by the people who will be reading this account. Luke did not have to say “Peter and John said they saw …” or “Peter told me that Jesus told him that he heard a voice”. He did not need to qualify the source of this event, I believe, because it was so broadly known because everyone at the river that day walked away talking about it.

That means that it was not just Jesus that saw a sign from heaven and heard a voice. It was not just the men traveling with Jesus that heard it and told the crowd about it. It was a visible sign and an audible sound that reached the eyes and ears of every disciple of John, follower of Jesus, interested passerby, and even Roman soldier that was at the river that day.

Now it does not tell us about any Roman soldiers, I am speculating. But it does remind us of the great enmity between John and Herod. It is very likely that Herod was using the Roman soldiers at his discretion to keep an eye on someone that was causing him so much trouble. However, it is not really important who was a witness to the event, what is important is that there were so many witnesses. It is significant that it was a public event viewed by all types of people.

It is significant because it is those people, those witnesses, who were the audience. This message, while spoken about Jesus, what not for his benefit. As we have said the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are separate in nature but one in purpose. Jesus did not need to see the Spirit descend or hear encouraging words from the Father. Jesus tells us more than once in the Gospels that he is speaking out loud to the Father, not for the Father’s sake, but for the benefit of the people with him. Jesus makes it clear at the raising of Lazarus that he knows that God hears him always (without speaking) but that he is speaking aloud so that those watching will know that God responds to Jesus’ words.

So this great event by the river was not God the Father blessing Jesus and sending him out on his mission. This was not the moment that God, the Divine, entered into Jesus, the man, through the Holy Spirit. Those things are said by some, but that is not what we believe about the Trinity. Jesus was not a Man made divine by the Spirit. Jesus was Divine. Likewise, the Spirit of God is the full divinity of God in the form that hovers over the waters at creation and enters into the heart of man.

Let us get back to the river. Luke tells us that all the people, including Jesus had been baptized and that Jesus is now praying. This may be that quiet unspoken piece between Father and Son as they prepare to invite the people into the mission of Jesus. First it tells us “the heaven was opened”, I think this is the bright light that Luke talks about in Paul’s encounter. Second Luke tells us “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.” What does this mean? Did the Spirit look like a dove as it descended? Perhaps it was just a concentrated ball of light that descended as a dove would descend onto a  branch. We don’t know for sure, but what we do know is it was visible. God the Spirit was manifesting himself in a tangible way that the people along the river could see. Then finally Luke tells us “a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”. But remember, this message was not news to Jesus. It was the outward, audible manifestation of the reality that existed from the beginning between the Father and Jesus.

So what did this message mean to those who heard it? It meant that the Divine God who spoke to Moses through a burning bush that was not consumed was now giving his public endorsement to this young preacher that many of them were beginning to hear speak. It meant that a sign, like the burning bush, was sent down from heaven for them to see, to draw their attention to what was taking place with Jesus. The message defined who Jesus was, my Son, and made it clear that God was pleased with the acts Jesus was undertaking.

So what are we to do? We may have never seen heaven open so that anything could descend like a dove. We may not have heard a voice that endorses the actions of Jesus or anyone else. Or have we? Think back to a time when you struggled with a decision, or a time when you just needed some encouragement to get through a tough time. Perhaps the phone rang as you sat in your chair with your head in your hands and the voice on the other end spoke some simple words, but hope sprang up in your heart. They reminded you that this is not the first time you have faced trouble and for some reason that did not pile on more discouragement, but opened up a door to hope. Yes, this situation is hard, but so were so many others, and you have made it through.  The person hangs up, you don’t even remember what they called about, but you remember the hope they brought. Could those words have been from the Spirit of God directly to you? 

When we open up our Bibles we are reading about the experiences that others have had, but we are also being shown the mechanisms for how God works. We are given a glimpse of his Divinity in action in the lives of followers, sceptics, and even soldiers who seem to be against him, and us. It does not take a miraculous event at a river for God to open heaven. What it takes is for us to be willing to see the heavens open and to hear the message of God. Sure an audible voice might seem like it would be easier to grasp, but maybe it would just scare us away. The best way for us to see the movements of God around us and hear his voice is for us to just remain open. Open to the fact that God is always at work. Open to the fact the Spirit of God is working inside of us. Open to the fact that we are created in the image of God and as such can shine forth all that is God. Open to the fact that our personal thoughts and ideas may be the very thing that prevent God from shining to us, or in us, or through us to others. 

So we are to ask ourselves where we see God at work. Where is his Holy Spirit descending and his voice speaking out? Then, once we have noticed, we can see how we can take part. How we can be part of the message and work of Jesus in the word today. That, I believe, is our mission. To notice God at work and find out how we are invited to join in. I hope this week you will have a time that you see God at work, and experience his invitation to join him.

Thanks for reading.

David

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You can find all of the readings for today at this link.