Following the Leader

First Sunday after the Epiphany
Baptism of the Lord Sunday

with Matthew 3:1-17

www.FirstChurchBville.com    @FirstUMCBville     @kerrfunk  

• We’ve spent most of the last 2 yrs in the gospel of Matthew,
pretty much started around this point in 2014.
Interesting to re-examine first adult appearance of Jesus.
Also if it seems a long time, consider it was three years from baptism to crucifixion…

• Look at John the Baptist’s appeal, a warning to legalists:
action is worthless without spirit. Lukewarm water to be spit out. “
Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives!”

So with faith practice today: disciples produce…

• JtB speaks of the one who is to come, God’s holy one.
Warning! to non-producers.
Paints a fearful picture of the Christ. Baptize with fire.
Shovel, sift, thresh… don’t mess with this one!

• And the very next scene Jesus comes to be baptized.
Why? Repentance? Changed heart? Changed life?
John resists. Jesus’ answer is muted in Common English
(This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness).
NRSV: “it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness”

This is how it is to be done: you and me together.

• Whoever would be my disciple, this is where it starts.
Yes, repentance, yes, produce fruit.
And come through the door that I go through.
We go together. Both  follow me and hand in hand.

• And when Jesus receives baptism there is immediate divine affirmation in the descent of a dove – a living sign of peace (contrast with the shovel, sift, thresh, fire image) and voice of God

• God speaks “This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.” And the original hearers of Matthew would say Where did I hear that before? Isaiah 42:1: Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.

Jesus’ adult life begins with divine affirmation from Isaiah 42… nine chapters later Matthew presents the longest quotation from the OT in the gospel, the next three verses from Isa 42, reaffirming the identity of Jesus as the chosen servant of God, filled with the Spirit, infused with gentleness and with good news, hope for a hurt people.

• In season of campaigns it’d be nice to have a dove descend, and a voice proclaim This is the one. Heck, it’d be nice to have a candidate with the humility of JtB!
However. Partner with Jesus. Live graciously. Do what you can with what you have where you are to produce attractive fruit for kingdom. Get in line.

• Prayer at BOTL 253, Hymn 117 O God Our Help in Ages Past

    

Matthew 3:1-12        (Common English Bible)                              1/10/16

3 ¹ In those days John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea announcing,
² “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”
³ He was the one of whom Isaiah the prophet spoke when he said:

The voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
        “Prepare the way for the Lord;
        make his paths straight.”^{[Isaiah 40:3]}

⁴ John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist.
He ate locusts and wild honey.

⁵ People from Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and all around the Jordan River came to him.
⁶ As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. ⁷ Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized by John. He said to them, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon? ⁸ Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives. ⁹ And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father.
I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and tossed into the fire. ¹¹ I baptize with water those of you who have changed your hearts and lives. The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn.
But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.”

¹³ At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River so that John would baptize him.
¹⁴ John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”

So John agreed to baptize Jesus. ¹⁶ When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. ¹⁷ A voice from heaven said,
“This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.”