Baptism of the Lord: Something new as we step into the water and the cross!

One of the things that I particularly enjoy at the beginning of a new year is clearing the desk, tidying things up, clearing things out that are no longer needed and putting things back into some order or giving them a new position.  Somehow in the midst of the slower rhythm and pace of this time it is more conducive to the  task of tidying things up and beginning a new. Of course there is another angle as well to this beginning anew – and that is when it is somewhat imposed upon us as a result of tragedy or disaster as we are only to aware of in light of the current bushfire disaster – where so many people have had their lives, homes, businesses and communities destroyed or torn apart.  While it will no doubt take a long time and will be different for all involved – it is nonetheless quite astonishing and encouraging to hear those who have lost everything say ‘yes we will rebuild’. 

Being able to start again is so important and so much a part of life, for it reflects something that is positive and hopeful in life. It is not easy but it is I think in the end both a choice and a gift.  In that way it is not surprising then that new beginnings feature so often in the story of God's people and this is indeed the case in our celebration this morning of Our Lord's baptism.

This is clearly a turning point for Jesus and John the Baptist and marks a significant new beginning as Jesus now appears on the public stage and offers himself for baptism by John the Baptist.  Yet John had already been baptising people - a baptism of repentance, a baptism that called upon them to turn away from their former ways of living that separated them God and turn anew towards God.  And it is somewhat puzzling that only in Matthew's gospel do we have the question about why John should baptize Jesus, whom John clearly recognized had no need of repentance and so tried to reverse the roles.  But Jesus insists on being baptized by John and with this acceptance, one era ends and a new one begins, with the declaration by God that this Jesus is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.  A new age begins, everything changes as John's baptism becomes somewhat obsolete.  A new baptism is to mark the new age - baptism into the Son, through the Holy Spirit.  But of course this does not happen while Jesus is on earth and begins his ministry of proclamation, healing and teaching, because his disciples need no other symbol of unity with God.  They are walking and talking with the source of all symbols.

But what does it mean that Jesus is baptised by John and what is the significance of this new era that is now portrayed in Matthew's gospel?

Firstly, Jesus' reply to John's protest that it is Jesus who should be baptizing him is enigmatic to say the least.  Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.  The understanding here is that this is something right and proper for both John and Jesus to do, as first and foremost it is obedience to God's will.  Righteousness here means fidelity to the commandments of God.  And so in this act John fulfills his calling and Jesus submits to his calling.  At this point, Jesus may not know exactly what this calling will involve but he does know that it is the Father's will and he knows that it is symbolized by this act of solidarity through baptism with the state of all humanity.  Of course, again it is not that Jesus needed repentance of sins but rather in being baptized by John, Jesus utterly identifies and chooses to be like us and with us.  This connects with our celebration of the birth of Jesus as the Word incarnate, the God who utterly and completely becomes human and so here Jesus again in the symbol of baptism embraces the painful truth of being human - embracing all our humanity in its joys and beauty as well as its sorrows and ugliness - in other words sin.

So as Jesus steps into the water he also steps into the cross and all the suffering and pain that goes with it. And if you think about it, this is reflected in the symbol of water itself, for we are all only to aware that while water is essential for life and a powerful symbol of life, it also can be in other contexts a force of destruction [such as floods, typhoons, hurricanes  etc]- a real danger and this can indeed result in death and destruction.  And so as Jesus stepped into the water, he stepped into a way that committed himself to risk, danger and ultimately his death on the cross.   What this means is that Jesus receives our baptism and our death so that we can receive his resurrection and life.  He shares our reality so that we can share his.

And that reality is the very love of God for all humanity, a love that offers us even in the midst of death, new life, ongoing life, life everlasting with God in and through his beloved Son Jesus.   And this new life is around us, we see signs of it I believe especially in the opportunities and possibilities to begin anew that come not simply from a positive attitude or perspective on life and/or death but rather something much more profound, namely the acceptance of our humanity by God our creator, and that acceptance is made concrete through God's forgiveness, a forgiveness that Jesus himself lived and proclaimed, a forgiveness that has no boundaries and really defies our understanding.  But then this is the nature of God's love.  

And so if God can forgive us, who are we not either to forgive ourselves or our neighbours - how then can we reject this forgiveness or refuse to share it?  Well I guess we can and we do, because to embrace God's forgiveness more than often means letting go and starting again - and that in turn has huge implications for how we live our lives, how we relate not only to God but to one another.  It means we cannot wallow in our own failures, in other words we cannot remain stuck or paralysed and perhaps in a strange sense secure in the drama and familiarity of it all.  Rather, embracing God's forgiveness and love of itself propels us into something new, a new direction, purpose and identity that we have as followers of Jesus.  But as we know, commencing a new venture, taking a new direction or starting a new relationship is never easy. This is unfamiliar territory and so we are understandably anxious although at the same time we may be excited.  This decision involves risk and trust ... trust in the God who through his own Son, Jesus calls us out of darkness and into his marvellous light.  And this is the journey we have committed ourselves to in our baptism – the journey we make with our Lord Jesus each day as we, with him also step into the water and the cross.