Baptism: Confusing People Since AD 30

Isaiah 42:1-9

Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17

First Lesson: Isaiah 42:1-9

Challenges:

And here we have the first of the four servant songs in Isaiah.  It is very easy to connect these songs with Jesus (personally I don't have a problem with this).  But when one does this, it's important to be careful about HOW that connection is made.  If you take a literalist approach, Jesus won't match up completely: "He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break..." doesn't sound like the guy who overturned the table of money-changers or called out pharisees.  But to say that really misses the point.  Really, trying to connect everything in a word-for-word, minute way really becomes a distraction.

I remember awhile back in college when a bunch of us were watching THE MATRIX (which was huge back in the late 90s).  Since the Neo character seemed very similar to Jesus many of my friends had heard that when Neo dies in the movie, he stays dead for 72 seconds of movie time and that 1 second of movie time equaled 1 hour of "real time" that made up the three days that Jesus was dead before he was resurrected.  So of course they all timed it and it actually didn't equal 72 seconds at all, but everyone agreed it would have been cool if it had.  Even more important is the point that Jesus wasn't dead for three 24 hour days anyway, hey, whatever...

The point is, it's very easy to get caught up in minutiae while missing the important message.

Opportunities:

What does it mean to give 'light to the nations' and 'sight to the blind.' We could be talking about literal light and sight (I have no problem with that either), but it could also mean something else too.  How many things do we miss, even while looking at them, because we didn't know what to look for?  Have you ever seen optical illusions that could either be one thing or another? 

I believe this is much like the 'light' and 'sight' that this servant will be bringing: eyes to see what God is up to.  Maybe, just maybe God's Kingdom is inside of us and we are missing it: we need someone to point it out to us. 

The Good News:

There are problems in the world (people who can't see or in prison for instance) but God has seen this and is doing something about it.  God's plan?  Jesus Christ. 

Psalm: Psalm 29

Challenges:

The notes in my study bible tell me that this psalm might have been appropriated from an earlier Canaanite hymn to Baal.  I could see it being the case, especially since there is no talk about the Lord helping widows, orphans, prisoners, the blind, etc.  I've said it before in the "challenges" section and I'm sure I'll say it again: does this really matter on a Sunday morning?  Even during Bible Study where you have a chance to flesh something out a bit more?   I don't think people wake themselves up on a Sunday morning, or make time on their Saturday evening, or take the time to click on a blog whenever JUST to learn that some of our psalms are appropriated Canaanite Hymns.  I doubt that this will make the souls of many sing with joy.  I'm not saying we should either hide the truth or even try to prove that it WASN'T APPROPRIATED, just we don't have to make it the main point of our sermons or studies.

Opportunities:

This psalm uses vivid imagery to describe the power of the Lord.  The images that are used must have felt very applicable to an ancient context. While they aren't completely foreign to us today, what are some ways you as the preacher could "update" the images?  What could fill in for the 'wilderness of Kadesh?'  I'm not saying you should change the psalm as it is read in worship! Just that it could be good chance to think of some images that would resonate with your audience.

The Good News: 

All of this is good news to me because I have learned and experienced God in other ways and know God (especially through Jesus Christ) to be loving, merciful, tranformative and grace-filled.  Because I know that, hearing that God is/does "powerful...full of majesty...breaks the cedars...shakes the wilderness...etc." If all of these things were done by a malevolent figure this psalm would cease to be good news and would fill me with dread and despair.  As it is, this psalm fills me with joy, wonder and hope. 

Second Lesson: Acts 10:34-43

Challenges:

The challenge for me is that I'm having trouble finding challenges in the text!  Well, when I really think about it, there is this: while good and true and worthwhile, this passage will probably be overshadowed by the Gospel lesson (which is the usual and sorry fate of many a second lesson).  At best it can hope to be used to "flesh out" some of what happens in Matthew's Gospel today.  As I type I realize at least one other "challenge:" we don't get to see the context around this speech.  This takes place in Cornelius' house: just after the Holy Spirit has played "match-maker" between the Roman Centurion and the Apostle.  I wish we had time to get Peter's other great line (which comes after the Holy Spirit descends on 'all who heard the word'): CAN ANYONE WITHHOLD THE WATER FOR BAPTIZING THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT JUST AS WE HAVE?"  

Opportunities:

Alright, so I might have already jumped the gun and started listing opportunities up in the challenges section...it happens.  The context of the second lesson is astounding and exciting.  If you are going to look at this lesson in your sermon or in a Bible Study or whenever, think about the awe and excitement that must have permeated the house of Cornelius as Peter was speaking.  Have there been profoundly spiritual moments that you have experienced that could set the stage for this?  Maybe a time of prayer, a special retreat, or a moment with an elderly relative?  This seems like one of those moments that are "heavy" with the Spirit.

The Good News: 

Again, the good news is spelled out right there in Peter's words.  In essence, this IS the gospel message in a nutshell. If memory serves the writer of Acts (heck, I'll call him Luke, why not?) gives the reader the central Gospel message of Jesus Christ again and again in slightly different words to different groups of people.  We hear it preached to Jews on Pentecost, the household of Cornelius here and Greeks Philosopher et. al. in Athens much later on.  While the wording might be SLIGHTLY different each time: the central message is always the same.  JESUS IS LORD. JESUS SAVES. 

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

Challenges:

So what exactly IS baptism?  That's a complicated and delicate question both back then AND today.  What does baptism do?  I can easily go to the Small Catechism (and usually do), but while we Lutheran-types see it and the rest of the Book of Concord as having quite a bit of authority, other denominations have their own documents as well.  What did John's baptism do? Even the Synoptic Gospels are slightly divided on that one: Mark says John proclaimed "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (1:4b)  Matthew leaves out the forgiveness-through-baptism part, just that people were.  The point is, it's all confusing...

PLUS, why DID Jesus get baptized? He was without sin right?  And if you're like me, getting the answer "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness," doesn't really clear it all up for me (without study of course).

Opportunities:

First of all, if you are familiar with the Re:form material that comes out through Sparkhouse, they do an excellent segment on the question "Why did Jesus get baptized?" You can check out Re:form here.

This could be a good opportunity to talk about water and the power that water has in our lives and world.  I will probably tell the story of a train-ride during a 1996 high school trip to Europe.  While on an overnight train from Paris to Lucerne Switzerland, the aftershave in my toiletries bag broke open.  When I reached into the bag to get my toothbrush both of my hands became covered with the stuff.  Normally aftershave smells pretty good, but here it was overpowering and not pleasant at all. I couldn't get it all off and when we finally arrived in Lucerne, we learned that we couldn't get into our hotel for another few hours.  The smell of the aftershave became sickening.

With a group of fellow students I had the chance to walk down to a local park where there was a crystal-clear Alpine lake.  I remember walking to the edge and plunging my arms down into the amazing water.  It was a glorious moment. I felt clean. What's more the experience gave me added energy and changed my outlook on things.  While it would be an exaggeration to call this experience "life-changing," it certainly had an effect on me that day!

Do you have similar stories?  Similar images? 

And for good measure: when it comes to talking about our own baptism and water I am remembered of the common phrase, "A little water doesn't hurt anyone, but a lot will kill you."  While the actual amount of water in baptism (either a sprinkle or dunk, font or lake) doesn't really matter, I like the image of the deadly effects of water: baptismal water is indeed dangerous and deadly: to our old self.  It helps us die to ourselves and live in Christ.  So yeah, water can kill you, and in this case that's good news.

The Good News: 

Many commentators speak of how Jesus submitted himself to baptism, even though he didn't need it to have his [non-existent] sins washed away. I particularly like this explanation.  In this way Jesus' Baptism is yet another example of the INCARNATION: God coming down and taking up our condition.  Jesus COULD have stood aside smugly and said, "Well, baptism is a good idea for all of YOU people who need that sort of thing."  He doesn't do that.  

Later on, as he is being arrested in Gethsemane, Jesus says to a sword-wielding disciple, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen this way?" (26:53-54)  

God could have worked out our salvation in any number of ways.  Instead God chose a particular way, worked out in the scriptures, and Jesus followed that plan to the letter: and thank God that he did!