NL 321: Baptism of Jesus - Luke 3:1-22

image: “A mural depicting the baptism of Jesus, Cathédrale de Sainte Trinité, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.” (wikimedia)

image: “A mural depicting the baptism of Jesus, Cathédrale de Sainte Trinité, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.” (wikimedia)

January 10, 2021

Luke 3:1-22

Luke 3:1-6

Initial Thoughts

  • This isn’t a particularly long passage, but seems like it because it combines three RCL passages: John Baptizing (1-6), John predicting Jesus (7-18) and the baptism of Jesus (19-22)

  • Timing- Emperor Tiberius (not Augustus, Augustus was emperor from 27 BC to 14 AD, Tiberuis from 14 AD to 37). So the 15th year would be around 30 AD 

Bible Study

  • v. 1-2 Who God chooses

    • Imagine these verses as a movie in which we see the “known world” the center of which is Rome and we slowly zoom in- but not where we expect. Who does God choose?

      • Emperor Tiberius - nope

      • Pontius Pilate - nope

      • Herod - nope

      • Philip - nope

      • Lysanius - nope

      • Annas and Caiaphas - nope

      • John...yep...wait, who?

    • Once again God chooses the most unlikely candidate in the most unlikely place

    • Also consistent with the OT prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah) which begin by seeing the prophet in a geo-political historical context

  • What God is doing through this nobody in the backwater of the world will affect everything- even up to the emperor

    • There is a foreshadowing of what is to come:

      • Jesus confrontations with Annas and Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate

    • This is not the world of a Deist, “Divine Watchmaker” God but a God who is intricately involved in the geo-political and historical messiness of humanity and Earth- albeit in completely unexpected ways

  • Repent!

    • metanoia - a radical change of heart/being

    • “Change your whole way of thinking” - Eric Elnes interpretation of metanoia

    • Not a message the Kingdom of God is near, but change your way of thinking for forgiveness

    • Forgiveness comes from the Greek root to “Let go” (Veli-Matti KãRkkãInen, Feasting on the Word – Year C, Volume 1: Advent through Transfiguration.)

      • Forgiveness is not a simply “letting go and letting God”....or is it? Forgiveness whether accepted from God or offered to another is much more complex, but is it possible without inviting God in to pick up where we “let go”?

  • Isaiah 40

    • Message of hope to Exiles

    • Message of hope for those longing for salvation

    • Salvation necessitates change from the Status Quo - otherwise we have nothing to be saved from or for- only those who are discontent with the current state of things long for salvation

    • Preparing the way of the Lord - making it easy for the Messiah, the salvation of God to come- how? Repentance

Thoughts and Questions

  • Often we think of John message of repentance and forgiveness to be about us needing to repent and receive forgiveness, but perhaps we need to change our way of thinking into to offer forgiveness to others.

    • Are we able to forgive without a radical change of heart, mind and soul?

  • How will you repent this Advent? How will you lead your church into repentance?

Luke 3:7-18 - What up Snakes and Vipers?

Bible Study

  • Interesting opening to a sermon.

    • Wakes people up with unapologetic anger.

    • These are people that are coming to be baptized by him, and he warns them not come with simply a desire to be baptized. This isn’t some “get clean quick” scheme.

    • Water isn’t enough, but a total change of heart is what is needed.

    • “Say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father - That is, trust not in your being members of the visible Church, or in any external privileges whatsoever: for God now requires a change of heart; and that without delay.”

    • Being Jewish isn’t enough either.

      • Radical claim for a people who defined God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

      • Generational ties were of utmost importance.

      • Remember though, Jesus’ genealogy doesn’t go back to Abraham (like Matthew’s). It goes all the way back to Adam.

  • Three Groups come to John to ask, “What then, shall we do?” These groups represent steps away from those likely to be convinced of John’s preaching, or those that would be considered “least close” to the Kingdom of God.

    • Crowds - People in the wilderness. Not connected to society - or at least temporarily escaping it.

    • Tax Collectors - Collaborators with the Romans, profiting from the struggle of their own community and neighbors.

      • Does not tell them to stop collecting taxes, only tells them to stop cheating people. Granted, this is the way in which they were paid, but JBap is urging people to make money in a more honest way.

    • Soldiers - The Romans themselves. The greatest enemy. Possibly even the ones who would eventually carry out “the wrath that is coming” (the destruction of the Temple).

      • Don’t extort.

    • “Don’t Hoard. Don’t Cheat. Don’t Extort”

      • All of these things deal with possessions

      • All deal with justice

      • All deal with the right way to treat others.

    • While John’s message - though harsh - was received by many, it still got him into trouble.

    • On the surface, good news to the poor is bad news for the powerful.

  • He’s not Christ - Wind and Fire

    • Important to differentiate between John and Jesus.

    • “Farmers poured wheat from one container to another on a windy day, or tossed the wheat into the air with a fork or shovel so that the chaff would be blown away, leaving the grain clean. The chaff burned with explosive combustion. To this day, farmers know that a fire in a dry wheat field cannot be contained or controlled… When repentance and forgiveness are available, judgment is good news. The primary aim is to save the wheat, not to burn the chaff” (Fred Craddock, Interpretation, p 49)

    • Wind and Fire are a dangerous pair, but also useful.

      • Both are purifying agents - one washes away and the other burns away, the latter is, obviously, more potent

      • Fire is destructive, but also cleansing, purifying, and strengthening.

      • NOTE: the baptism of repentance that John is offering is different from the baptism in the name of Jesus (Acts 19) which is connected to the Holy Spirit.

  • This passage does not mean - “Jesus is coming to send you to hell.”

    • Not about separating the saved and unsaved - but separating within us the chaff that needs to be burned away so that the wheat of our lives may remain.

    • Baptism is of repentance - to turn away from what keeps us from God, and toward the fruit of the Spirit - forgiveness, generosity, kindness.

  • 18 - Good News

    • Do we often think of John as the bearer of Good News or of judgement? Are the two mutually exclusive?

      • “It is not good news in the sense it will make everybody happy. It is not good news in the sense that whatever evil and injustice people have committed and are still committing is no longer important. It is good news in the sense that a new reality is dawning.” Gonzalez, Luke

      • Not everyone will like this good news- see v. 19-20, because this is good news for the “people” a term Luke uses to describe the common folk, not the powerful and elite

Thoughts and Questions

  • John the Baptist as Morpheus, as proposed by Roy Terry in “The Hardest Question” (great blog from Sparkhouse that no longer exists)

    • Not The One, but the one who prepares the way for The One.

    • Reveals that the world is not as it seems.

    • The only way to find freedom is to let go of the ways of this world - to change, repent, take the blue pill and unplug.

    • The Matrix is a system that keeps people under an illusion of freedom so that they may remain slaves. It is only through allowing everything to change that people may experience true freedom - which comes at great cost and struggle.

    • For Neo to be set free, he must unplug (and be baptized)

  • What is the fruit of repentance?

  • All are a part of this kingdom. Which category do you fit?

    • Brood of Vipers

    • Tax Collectors

    • Romans

    • No matter what your ‘position’ in life, there is a chance to live in line with God’s will.

Luke 3:19-22, John baptizes Jesus

Bible Study

  • 19-20 Herod

    • We do not get the full details of Herodias, Herod and the death of John like we do in the other synoptics (cf. Luke 9:9). This seems to be includes to reveal and foreshadow the resistance to the Kingdom of God by those in power.

    • Luke is not trying to tell the story of Herod, or even of John, but simply setting the stage for...Jesus.” Gonzalez

  • 20-22 Jesus and all the people baptized

    • Not a private affair.

    • The assumption is that John baptized Jesus, but this is given very little attention here - in contrast to the birth narrative and the description of John’s ministry, Jesus’ baptism given almost no description at all.

    • Holy Spirit comes while Jesus prayed, after his baptism. This separation of Holy Spirit and baptism is not widely discussed, but is also shown in Acts.

      • Matthew and Mark tie the Holy Spirit to coming out of the water.

      • All three have Holy Spirit ‘like a dove.’ Only Luke says “in bodily form”

    • All agree: “beloved son” and “well pleased.” Differ on third or second person. Luke, the whole thing is in second person “You are my beloved son. With you I am well pleased.’

    • Jesus is named “My Son.” 

    • Jesus is described “Beloved.”

    • Jesus has Holy Spirit descend upon him before he begins his ministry.

    • Beautiful call back to Isaiah 43 - one of the only places where God says, “I love you.”

  • Immediately next in Luke is genealogy, which traces back to Adam.

Thoughts and Questions

Year 3Eric FistlerLukeComment