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Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to lose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."
And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."
- Luke 3:15-22
In yesterday's reading, we begun the lectionary cycle into the Gospel of Luke. We began in chapter 3: Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?" He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise." Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed to you." Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."
Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to lose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." My study bible notes that John the Baptist has a clear understanding of his own mission. He "points to Christ as coming Messiah who will baptize . . . with the Holy Spirit and fire. Although baptism is practiced by Jesus' circle of disciples, the prophecy here describes the baptismal gift of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Fire in this context seems to imply judgment, the same as the images of the winnowing fan and of burning the chaff. John understands that the coming of the Messiah brings judgment, as the Apostle John writes, 'This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.' (John 3:19)."
And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. Luke's historicity is once again made clear here, a reference is made to the political problems with the people because Herod Antipas had divorced his wife and married Herodias, his brother's wife, while his brother was still living - a break with Jewish custom and law. John's fearlessness is obvious in his denunciation of this marriage, adding to his widespread reputation as a truly holy man. We note that it's not just the marriage for which John rebuked Herod, but also "all the evils which Herod had done."
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; . . . My study bible points out that Jesus comes to be baptized, and hence in effect recognizes John's ministry. It says, "Jesus does not need baptism for forgiveness of sins, for He is sinless. Rather He is baptized to be revealed to Israel. In this baptism, He identifies Himself with His church that is to be, prefiguring our going down to death in baptism. By thus entering the waters of Jordan, He sanctifies forever the waters of baptism (and indeed, all of creation), by mystery restoring it to its original condition through union with Him." This is a kind of honor to John's ministry, and at the same time the early Church saw it as a form of transfiguration, a prefiguring of our own and the world's baptism, by which Jesus sanctifies creation for God's purposes, and thus declares implicitly, as we read in Genesis, creation's basic goodness and value in God's life and purpose.
. . . and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." The union with the waters of the world is a sort of baptism of the world, but especially a revelation of the whole meaning of Christ's Incarnation, for it presents us with the Trinity, and prefigures the anointing of the Spirit. My study bible tells us that "the dove in bodily form is not an incarnation of the Spirit, but a temporary sign showing the invisible descent of the fullness of the Spirit on Jesus. The voice of the Father testifies to the divine nature of Christ, completing the revealing (epiphany) of the Holy Trinity at the baptism of Jesus." For the ancient church, this day was celebrated on January 6th; in the Greek called Epiphany or Theophany.
What do we make of Jesus' baptism? One thing is clear, it is also an expression of His condescension; that is, His great love for humanity (also in the person of John the Baptist who lives and works through the Spirit). Jesus "condescends" be to baptized by John, even though John the Baptist has told us that Christ is the One "whose sandal strap I am not worthy to lose." But of course there is purpose to this "condescension," and that is so that the waters of the world can be blessed and sanctified, prepared to receive the Spirit, to be a vehicle by which all can be baptized into the Spirit. So God's purposes and gifts work through all things, in ways we can't predict but which are only known to us through Spirit, through the things that are given and revealed. But above all perhaps today we can take this understanding that the things of this world are made to be living in union with God, to be sanctified through the love of God, through and in the gifts of God to us, and by the action of the Spirit. Jesus' baptism teaches us not only that our world is fundamentally made and created by God as "good", but to be in union with God, to be purified, transfigured and "saved" through God's love. Christ, as incarnate human being, is in the world and obeys by being baptized; but in so doing, reveals to us the fullness of that promise in His baptism. It is the first glimpse, in revelation, of the meanings of His life in the world, and the gifts with which He leaves us. These are gifts to be shared and enjoyed every single day. Let us remember that in the midst of the world's corruption (as in the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias) we are still blessed with that which transforms and transfigures, we still live in a world that is meant for union with God, and we are blessed every single day -- at each moment when we can realize this revelation in some sense through our own lives. Let us be mindful that our baptism is renewed at all times, in all circumstances, and that we call on His help and His promise that starts here and now.
