+In Nomine Iesu++
The Baptism of Our Lord St Mark 1:4-11 8 January 2012 Last week Jesus was eight-days-old. Today He is 30-years-old. Last week Jesus was being circumcised. Today He is being baptized. Last week Jesus received His name. Today the significance of that name becomes more and more clear. Jesus is all grown up. And now you wonder, whats next? Are we in store for surprises? We are given clues, you know. In fact, theyre all over the place. <> In fact, our first clue comes in the name. Jesus. Remember the angels words to Joseph? She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. A savior from sins, thats Jesus. And what must saving from sin involve? The shedding of blood. Blood cleanses. Blood covers. Blood gives life where before there was only the death brought on by sin. Thats the way its been since the beginning. Jesus, who is the perfect Lamb of God, will take the place of all other lambs in order to become the one, eternal LAMB of sacrifice. At His circumcision Jesus began to shed His blood. And here, at His baptism, He takes His place as the sin-bearer of the world. The meaning of Christmas is being filled in. There are sins to be forgiven. But whose? <> Grown-up Jesus comes to the Jordan River. He has come to preacher Johns church service for sinners. John has been blasting away at sinners from his desert pulpit, dressed in his camel hair vestments. Brood of vipers, the voice of one crying in the wilderness declares. The ax is laid at the root of the tree, he announces. Prepare the way of the Lord, he implores. Thats the nature of John preaching. <> But most wont stand for it. Most people will not pay attention. Theres curiosity, certainly, but not much more. At least not in the long run. Most people wont tolerate such preaching because they are too full of themselves. And being full of ones self doesnt leave much room for God. Most will pass by Johns preaching in favor of something more hip, more swanky, more comfortable. A wilderness experience isnt the church-choice of many. More desired in the relevant, the upbeat. Cutting edge if you will. Watch the TV preachers sometime. Potted ferns. Plexiglas lectern. Floppy Bible. Its all there. Everything is addressed except forgiveness. No need for that. Empowerment is the catch word not sin. Empowering your inner self. Taping your inner power. Becoming all you were meant to be. Make your decision. Give yourself to Jesus as if He is powerless until you do something. The greatest sin is not against God, but against yourself. The sin to end all sin is not forgiving yourself. Happy-clappy, get-your-Starbucks, kick-back-and-relax. Thats the kind of church the old sinful Adam looks for. But, John doesnt cooperate. And neither does Jesus. <> And notice. Where does Jesus show up? At Johns service. Jesus shows up at the service meant for sinners. But, maybe, Jesus is simply there to watch. Watch how John works the crowd. Maybe pick up some few pointers. Evaluate Johns preaching. Observe how he goes about baptizing. Making sure he doesnt hold people under the water too long. Wouldnt want them getting too wet, you know. <> But, no! Shock of shock Jesus has come to participate. To take part. Jesus has come to receive a baptism for sinners from John. <> Whoa, there, buckaroo! How can this be? Jesus should baptize John. But, no. Grown-up Jesus comes to make a difference in the world in a way we could never have anticipated. He is the chosen one. The Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah. For what purpose? To justify many. To bear their iniquities. Iniquities? Thats sin language. The sinless Jesus comes to take on all that makes sinners sinners. And He does it by being baptized as a sinner. Here Gods justification of the ungodly is unfolding. <> So, grown-up Jesus is baptized. In the water He takes the worlds sin into Himself. Your sins are taken from you absorbed into Jesus as if He were a sponge. And all those sins He will carry to the cross. And there? There, as He suffers and dies He is treated like a sinner. As the sacred page of Holy Scripture bears the imprint of Gods Word (capital W = Jesus) so the cross will bear that same imprint of the Word (capital W again). <> Calvary! Thats what Jesus is going to do with the rest of His life. He lives in order to give Himself into death. Theres a purpose driven life writ large! <> And what a difference all this makes. Whereas God the Father once stood behind His words words inscribed on the sacred page promising a future Messiah now He stands in front. Words multiple, numerous, small w words have been brought to completion by the WORD singular, particular, capital W WORD Jesus. Here, in the second person of the Most Holy Trinity is the name above every name. The name before which all knees will bow. <> And this is what the Holy Trinity always had in mind. It isnt that God is forced to react to whatever stupidity man cooks up. Rather, it is that God acts where man is powerless. Where we find Jesus in todays text is where He is supposed to be. First, Jordan. Then, Golgotha. First, sins taken up. Than, sins put to death, buried, deep-sixed as far as east is from west gone. <> And not the sins of some nameless crowds of people with ancient, unpronounceable names. No! The sins that Jesus carries are as contemporary as you are. Each of you is front and center in Gods concern. No one is an afterthought. When your Heavenly Father declares I forgive you all your sins He is always speaking to an audience of one He is speaking to you. <> The Christmas infant redeemer has come to you. To you the promises have been made. To you it has been declared, I am the Lord, YOUR God. And everything else that you read in the Bible flows out from that promise. <> Between last Sunday and today 30 years. From Jesus circumcision to His baptism 30 years. And yet, thats a mere drop in the bucket. You see, there is no time distance with God. All things are present tense for He who is the great I AM and so are you and your salvation. Amen ++Soli Deo Gloria++ _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list [email protected] http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
