THE BAPTISM OF JESUS THE MISSION BEGINS

JOHN THE BAPTIST THE GOSPEL OF LUKE PROVIDES THE MOST BACKGROUND FOR JOHN THE BAPTIST. IN LUKE 1:5-25, THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IS FORETOLD. HE ALSO TELLS THE STORY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST’S BIRTH.  THE MOST IMPORTANT INCLUSION IN LUKE IS ZACHARIAH’S PROPHECY FOUND IN LUKE 1:67-80, WHICH CAME TO HIM AFTER THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

JOHN THE BAPTIST CONT’D THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS ALL HAVE A RELATIVELY SIMILAR ACCOUNT OF JOHN THE BAPTIST STARTING TO PERFORM BAPTISMS. THEY ALL USE BASICALLY THE SAME LINE: AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE PROPHET ISAIAH, ‘SEE, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS: “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATH STRAIGHT”’(MARK 1:2-3) AND THEN JOHN APPEARS FROM THE WILDERNESS AND STARTS BAPTIZING THE PEOPLE FROM THE JUDEAN COUNTRYSIDE. HE THEN PROCLAIMS “THE ONE WHO IS MORE POWERFUL THAT I IS COMING AFTER ME; I AM NOT WORTHY TO STOOP DOWN AND UNTIE THE THONG OF HIS SANDALS. I HAVE BAPTIZED YOU WITH WATER; BUT HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.” (MARK 1:7-8) NOTE: THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, IT EVEN APPEARS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IN QUITE THE SAME FORM

MARK’S BAPTISM MARK 1:9-1: IN THOSE DAYS JESUS CAME FROM NAZARETH OF GALILEE AND WAS BAPTIZED BY JOHN IN THE JORDAN. AND JUST AS HE WAS COMING UP OUT OF THE WATER, HE SAW THE HEAVENS TORN APART AND THE SPIRIT DESCENDING LIKE A DOVE ON HIM. AND A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN, “YOU ARE MY SON, THE BELOVED; WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”

MATTHEW’S BAPTISM MATTHEW 3:13-17: THEN JESUS CAME FROM GALILEE TO JOHN AT THE JORDAN, 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 IT IS PROPER FOR US IN THIS WAY TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.” THEN HE CONSENTED. AND WHEN JESUS HAD BEEN BAPTIZED, JUST AS HE CAME UP FROM THE WATER, SUDDENLY THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED TO HIM AND HE SAW THE SPIRIT OF GOD DESCENDING LIKE A DOVE AND ALIGHTING ON HIM. AND A VOICE FROM HEAVEN SAID, “THIS IS MY SON, THE BELOVED, WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.”

LUKE’S BAPTISM LUKE 3:21-22: NOW WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE WERE BAPTIZED, AND WHEN JESUS ALSO HAD BEEN BAPTIZED AND WAS PRAYING, THE HEAVEN WAS OPENED, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED UPON HIM IN BODILY FORM LIKE A DOVE. AND A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN, “YOU ARE MY SON, THE BELOVED; WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”

JOHN’S BAPTISM JOHN 1:29-34: THE NEXT DAY HE SAW JESUS COMING TOWARD HIM AND DECLARED, “HERE IS THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD! THIS IS HE OF WHOM I SAID, ‘AFTER ME COMES A MAN WHO RANKS AHEAD OF ME BECAUSE HE WAS BEFORE ME.’ I MYSELF DID NOT KNOW HIM; BUT I CAME BAPTIZING WITH WATER FOR THIS REASON, THAT HE MIGHT BE REVEALED TO ISRAEL.” AND JOHN TESTIFIED, “I SAW THE SPIRIT DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN LIKE A DOVE, AND IT REMAINED ON HIM. I MYSELF DID NOT KNOW HIM, BUT THE ONE WHO SENT ME TO BAPTIZE WITH WATER SAID TO ME, ‘HE ON WHOM YOU SEE THE SPIRIT DESCEND AND REMAIN IS THE ONE WHO BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.’ AND I MYSELF HAVE SEEN AND HAVE TESTIFIED THAT THIS IS THE SON OF GOD.”

SYMBOLISM FOUND IN ALL THREE ACCOUNTS THE DOVE: IN ANCIENT TIMES, THE DOVE WAS OFTEN A SYMBOL FOR ISRAEL AS A WHOLE AND, LESS OFTEN, A SYMBOL FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD THE VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS: AS WE HAVE SEEN, GOD IS OFTEN DEPICTED AS SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE IN A VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS. HE IS OFTEN CONCEALED BY A CLOUD PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE JESUS HAD, THE AUTHORS OF GOSPEL DID NOT INTEND TO SHOW THAT EVERYONE STANDING THERE HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD

BAPTISMAL CONTROVERSY AS WE LOOK AT THE ACCOUNTS OF JESUS’ BAPTISM FROM THE EARLIEST ACCOUNT (MARK) TO MATTHEW AND LUKE THERE IS A CLEAR SHIFT. MARK IS STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH HIS ACCOUNT (HE DESCRIBES THE SCENE). MATTHEW MAKES AN ADDITION TO MARK: THE DISAGREEMENT WITH JOHN THE BAPTIST WHETHER JESUS SHOULD BE BAPTIZED AT ALL. LUKE ALMOST SKIPS THE ACTUAL BAPTISM ALL TOGETHER, AND SHOWS JESUS IN PRAYER AFTER THE SCENE THE LAST GOSPEL, JOHN DOESN’T EVEN GIVE A DIRECT ACCOUNT OF HIS BAPTISM THIS IS AN INDICATION THAT THAT THE GOSPEL WRITERS AND THE EARLY CHURCH WERE GROWING UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE NOTION OF JESUS’ ACCEPTING BAPTISM.

MATTHEW ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN JESUS’ BAPTISM ACCORDING TO CHURCH HISTORY, JESUS WAS THE DIVINE SON OF GOD, BORN INTO THE WORLD WITHOUT SIN. WHY THEN WOULD HE ACCEPT BAPTISM THAT WAS PROCLAIMED TO BE “REPENTANCE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS” (MARK 1:4; LUKE 3:3) THIS IS WHY MATTHEW INCLUDES THE DISAGREEMENT WITH JOHN. JESUS ACCEPTED THE BAPTISM BECAUSE “IT IS PROPER FOR US IN THIS WAY TO FULFILL RIGHTEOUSNESS” (3:15) MATTHEW IS SHOWING THAT JESUS WAS FOLLOWING GOD’S PLAN, AND HIS BAPTISM WAS NOT AN ADMISSION OF SIN, BUT AN IMMERSION INTO THE EXPERIENCE OF HIS PEOPLE. FOR MATTHEW, BAPTISM WAS THE FIRST STEP TO THE CROSS (JESUS LATER REFERS TO THE CROSS AS BAPTISM HE CANNOT AVOID IN MARK 10:38; LUKE 12:50

JESUS’ AHA! MOMENT JESUS’ BAPTISM WAS HIS AHA! MOMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME HE SEEMS RECOGNIZE HIS CALLING FROM GOD. HE LEARNED TWO IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM HIS BAPTISM: 1) HE RECOGNIZED HE WAS CHOSEN TO PROCLAIM AND BEGIN A NEW KINGDOM. THE WORDS SPOKEN FROM THE HEAVENS ECHOED WHOSE OF ISAIAH 42:1 “HERE IS MY SERVANT, WHOM I UPHOLD, MY CHOSEN, IN WHOM MY SOUL DELIGHTS; I HAVE PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM; HE WILL BRING FORTH JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS” 2) HE LEARNED HE WAS GIVEN THE POWER TO FULFILL HIS ROLE THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF GOD REPRESENTED BY THE DOVE. THIS AHA! MOMENT GAVE HIM THE REALIZATION OF HIS UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. IT HAD A PROFOUND EFFECT ON HIS MINISTRY, AND ENABLED HIM TO DO THINGS, NO MAN OR PROPHET COULD DO BEFORE HIM. HIS MINISTRY WAS ONLY POSSIBLY BY THE SON OF GOD.

THE TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT “THE SPIRIT IMMEDIATELY DROVE HIM OUT INTO THE WILDERNESS. HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS FOR FORTY DAYS, TEMPTED BY SATAN; AND HE WAS WITH THE WILD BEASTS; AND THE ANGELS WAITED ON HIM” (MARK 1:12-13)

MATTHEW AND LUKE’S TEMPTATIONS MATTHEW AND LUKE HAVE THE DEVIL TEMPTING JESUS TO DO THREE THINGS, IN MATTHEW, JESUS IN TURN RESPONDS WITH DIRECT QUOTES FROM DEUTERONOMY: 1) TURN STONES INTO BREAD HIS RESPONSE: “ONE DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD” (DEUTERONOMY 8:3) 2) THROW HIMSELF DOWN FROM A HIGH POINT OF THE TEMPLE AND HAVE GOD CATCH HIM HIS RESPONSE: “DO NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST” (DEUTERONOMY 6:16) 3) FALL AT THE FEET OF THE DEVIL AND WORSHIP HIM, FOR WHICH JESUS WOULD RECEIVE “ALL THE KINGDOMS IN THE WORLD” HIS RESPONSE: “WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE ONLY HIM.” (DEUTERONOMY 6:13)

WHAT DOES THIS STORY MEAN? INCLUDING THIS STORY WOULD REMIND JEWISH READERS THAT THE FORTY YEARS THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL SPENT WANDERING THE DESERT IN SEARCH OF THE PROMISED LAND. THE FAILED TO STAY TRUE TO GOD DURING THIS TIME. JESUS AS THE “NEW ISRAEL”, WAS ALSO TEMPTED, BUT HE DID NOT FAIL.

WHAT DOES THIS STORY MEAN? JESUS IS REFUSING THE MESSIAHSHIP EXPECTED BY HIS PEOPLE. THEY WERE EXPECTING A POLITICAL AND MILITARISTIC MESSIAH. THIS STORY SHOWS HOW JESUS REFUSED TO EXERCISE THAT KIND OF POWER: ECONOMIC POWER: HE WAS NOT MEANT TO PROVIDE FOR THE MATERIAL WANTS AND NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE (SYMBOLIZED BY TURNING STONES TO BREAD). INSTEAD, HE CAME TO FEED THE SPIRITUAL HUNGER OF HIS PEOPLE BY PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF GOD MAGICAL POWER: HE WAS NOT GOING TO DO MAGIC TRICKS TO IMPRESS PEOPLE AND FORCE THEM TO BELIEVE (SYMBOLIZED BY THROWING HIMSELF OF THE TEMPLE). IN HIS RESPONSE HE EXPLAINS THAT GOD DOES NOT REVEAL DIVINE POWER THROUGH TRICKERY AND MAGIC POLITICAL POWER: HIS MESSIAHSHIP WAS NOT TO BE BASED ON POLITICAL POWER (SYMBOLIZED WITH THE DEVIL OFFERING HIM POWER OF ALL THE GREAT KINGDOMS). JESUS SAID THAT GOD ALONE WAS TO BE WORSHIPPED AND THAT THE REIGN OF GOD WOULD TAKE PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE, NOT IN POLITICAL DOMINATION OF THEM.