"Bound by Water and the Word"

I kind of like the way the Good News for Modern man version of the Bible translates our text. It reads; "Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and eager to know whether or not John was he. This was the question of the hour and being discussed everywhere." Now that’s a lot more descriptive than just saying, "all were questioning in their hearts concerning John."

There’s a big difference to me. Either they were all talking about it, or they were all thinking about it. Of course the original Greek says the questioning in their heart thing, not the talking about it thing. But what do you think? Do you think that everyone was just wondering to themselves if John was the Messiah? Or do you think they talked about it at the marketplace, or at the watering well, or at the synagogue, or at the supper table?

My bet, people being people and all, is that they were talking about John. John was an unapologetic preacher of law and gospel. John’s father Zechariah had said that his son "will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins."

John did exactly that, in the country around the Jordan River. John didn’t mince words when he addresses the crowd as a "brood of vipers." A lot of what we hear John preach is a message of repentance. The word repent is used in two senses in the Bible. Sometimes it means "to be sorry for sins." Mark used that sense when he summarized the message of Jesus in chapter 1 verse 15 when he quotes Jesus as saying "Repent and believe the Good News."

As with all good Law and Gospel preaching, the Law part of John’s preaching moved the crowd to ask, "What should we do then?" John’s preaching of repentance also included a call to faith in the coming Savior. And the people responded to John’s preaching by being sorry for their sins and having faith in the good news of forgiveness of sins.

John also had one other major pastoral function. He also baptized folks. That’s sort of how he got the name "John the Baptist." His was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John baptized the people who had confessed their sins. The word of God that came to John no doubt included the command to baptize. This was just another way that John used to make ready the way for the coming of Jesus. John also recognized that this baptism was only preparation for what was to come.

John told the people; "I baptize you with water. But One more powerful than I will come…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." John’s baptism was an effective means of grace for the forgiveness of sins, but it was only preparing for the baptism of Jesus that would follow, and then the baptism that Jesus himself would institute – the baptism that those of us who have been Baptized got.

I know our text today is a big jump from last week. Last week, Jesus is a 40 day old baby being presented in the temple. Today He is about 30 years old, and he is beginning his ministry. All of the Gospels are silent about Jesus’ life between the ages of 12 and 30 – and nothing is added to our knowledge by the rather fanciful stories found in apocryphal books, like Jesus making clay birds fly or miraculously lengthening the leg of a chair that his father Joseph the carpenter had cut short.

But the Gospels are not really meant to be biographies. They give us enough information to leave no doubt as to who Jesus was, and then they get on with what He did. They are all extended introductions to the Passion of Christ. In our text this morning, God reveals the saving work of his beloved Son. And I like how Jesus sort of "shows up," and is introduced by John.

John the Baptist did his job of preparing the way for our Messiah-Servant very well. And in the Baptism Jesus receives from John, God marks Jesus as the fulfillment of all of salvation history. In His Baptism, Jesus is anointed to complete the great exchange for the salvation of the world.

With all the information that we have from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the details of Jesus’ baptism are fairly clear. But what his baptism means for us is not so clear. At Jesus’ baptism, all three persons of the Holy Trinity set in motion the final fulfillment of our redemption. Jesus’ saving ministry and mission come in to focus when He is baptized.

Even the greatest of prophets, John the Baptist, is confused – but Jesus is not. Jesus is submitting, he is being actively obedient, to the will of his heavenly Father. Jesus knows what lies in his future. He knows he will be rejected. He knows the suffering of body and soul that he will soon have to endure. He knows that even though he has not sinned, that he will become our sin and be crucified for our sins.

Take your hymnal and look with me at hymn 105 (TLC) 142 Red (POP).

(Read the 1st stanza) Keep your place because we’ll look at this hymn throughout the rest of the sermon.

The Baptism of Jesus is a window into his sacrificial death as the Messiah-Servant of God. Jesus didn’t come to this earth – as some people believe – to be a nice guy or great philosopher, or merely a good example or a coach. Jesus was baptized into the ocean of our misery and the wretchedness of our sin.

All of us are helpless and fallen, while at the same time still children of God. We’re like the nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament. We’re rebellious and idolatrous and we go our own way. We quickly become discontent and are easily lead astray. We get lukewarm about worship and Bible study. We don’t see a pressing need to be in God’s Word every day. We don’t really care if our friends or neighbors have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

And when the Law finally works on us, and we see our miserable, sinful condition, we cry out in repentance; "What should we do then?" "Who will save me from my own sinful nature?"

The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

So we are at the same time Saint and sinner – children of God through faith in the blood of Christ.

Look at verse 2 of "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth"

In His Baptism, Jesus completed the great exchange. He bound himself to our poor, miserable condition. He exchanged his righteousness for our unrighteousness.

Look at verse 3 of "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth"

The only direction that we can go is back to our Baptisms. Do you know the date of your Baptism? Mine was 22 Dec 1957. When I open the service with the invocation, do you think about the work of the Trinity at your Baptism? Do you ask God for the ability to be actively obedient to His will?

Look at verse 4 of "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth"

Faith in God’s grace can look at the sinful condition of our hearts and hands and lips and lives, and still believe that what God the Father said to Jesus also applies to us; "You are my beloved child – with you I am well pleased." Amen.