First Sunday After Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord, Jan. 12, 2003
Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 89:1-29 or 89:20-29; Acts 10:34-38; Mark 1:7-11
Today’s theme is the Baptism of Jesus. However, before embarking on a sermon or talk on the significance of Jesus’ baptism, it is important to look at how Mark’s account is distinctive and then ask why. Mark’s version is the briefest of the gospels. We do not hear of his “winnowing fork” (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17) or the “unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17). Neither do we read of John’s reluctance to baptize the Lord (Matt. 3:14); nor do we read of John’s criticism of Herod’s marital infidelity. Mark’s account features the voice from heaven declaring Jesus “my beloved Son” as the heavens opened and the Spirit descended on him like a dove. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark uses a special word for the “opening” of the heavens. It literally means “torn open” and is softened by both Matthew and Luke. For Mark, Jesus’ baptism is a new dramatization of the power of God, such as the dividing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21) or Moses’ cleaving of the rock (Isaiah 48:21). This word is also used of the rending of the tent in the Temple (Mark 15:38).
Jesus is God’s beloved Son. This echoes Mark’s declaration in the first verse of the gospel in which he says, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Mark also uses the word “gospel” more often than Luke or Matthew. Gospel or good news marked an event, not a kind of literature. For Mark the gospel concerns Jesus, marked as the Christ, the Son of God, in baptism. Mark focuses on those events in the life, ministry and mission of Jesus, which mark him as God’s Son, beginning with this divine appointment. Mark also will develop the theme of servanthood, especially in the second half of the gospel, echoing Isaiah 42:1-2, “I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street.”
The early church declared the universal mission of God’s Son when it declared the “good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)” (Acts 10:36).
Baptism marks the beginning of our Lord’s ministry, as it marks the beginning of our journey as Christians. Baptism points not primarily to us and our response of repentance and faith, which for those baptized in infancy follows baptism, but to the Lord’s unique identity and mission to bring into the fellowship of his father all who repent and put their trust in him.
Look It Up
Compare Mark’s account with that of Matthew (3:13-17) and Luke (3:21-22). What emphasis do you see in those accounts?
Think About It
Some Episcopalians, baptized in infancy, but coming to faith years later, wish to be re-baptized. Is that a wise or unwise decision?
Next Sunday
Second Sunday After Epiphany, Jan. 19, 2003
1 Sam. 3:1-10 (11-20); Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Cor. 6:11b-20; John 1:43-51
