Jesus came for you.

Epiphany 1 – Baptism of Jesus

January 8, 2023

Fr. Tim Nunez

While all four Gospels include Jesus being baptized by John, and the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove, only Matthew records this verbal exchange between John and Jesus. John’s question is a good one!

John’s whole life from conception on has been building to this moment. He’s kind of like a kid who played with little bulldozers and dump trucks then went on to do site work, preparing the land for roads and construction. He has spent his life preparing himself to prepare the way for Jesus by teaching and exhorting people to repent of their sins, then providing the ritual washing to affirm it.

John knows better than anyone, besides Mary, who Jesus is. And so when Jesus comes to him to be baptized, it feels backward, like the plumber has shown up to ask you to fix his sink. John knows he is the prelude, here is the One. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus’ answer, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness,” can be approached from two angles. Our church has two dogma, and I know how you love the idea of dogma; the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and Jesus’ nature as fully human and fully divine.

The first is to think along the lines of Jesus’ humanity, that he became human and submitted himself to an act of repentance – that he did not need – to identify himself with all humanity. Jesus’ total unity with our human condition opens the path for us to be like him.

In other words, Jesus is jumping into the water with us in order to help us approach the Father. His baptism is the prototype of our baptism by water and the Holy Spirit.

The other angle is to think along the lines of Jesus’ divinity, Emmanuel, God is with us, has come. He is here. The heavens have been torn open, the dove has descended and God’s voice has spoken, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

In other words, Jesus is jumping in the water to demonstrate that the righteousness of God has come to us.

Those are each good points to ponder, humanity approaching God and the divine approaching humanity. Each has its blessings and I think both are not only helpful but true. Ideally, relationships are mutual. There is giving and receiving on both sides. Sure, any of us may be doing all the giving in a relationship for a time out of need, given the circumstances. But be it family or friends, life-giving relationships have some give and take, give and receive.

Most of us, if we have made a New Year’s resolution with regard to our faith, have focused on what we could be doing better – more consistent in our Bible reading and devotions, or maybe starting a new devotional, more prayer time, getting to church more consistently (there’s a good one!) Maybe you’re looking for ways to get involved. And maybe there is a habit or two you’re trying to break. That’s all good. The life of discipleship necessarily involves improving self-discipline.

But all of that is decidedly one-sided, all about us approaching God, and if we aren’t careful we wind up turning our faith into a sort of quest where we are the noble heroes climbing the steep hills and forging the rapids to get to God.

We should all remember that our faith is a mutual relationship. We should all have a goal, a deep longing, to simply receive him. Exhibit A: Look at Cornelius the Centurion. He is a Roman Army officer. Like a century is 100 years, a Centurion would be in charge of roughly 100 soldiers. Further, he is stationed at the regional capital, Caesarea Maritima.

He and his household are God-fearers, not Jewish but believers pursuing God. So you might expect him to seek out a rabbi, to take everyone to Jerusalem, to continue his quest for God. But God came to him by an angel in a vision. He sent for Peter who, prompted by the Holy Spirit, traveled two days to meet him, and then we get this beautiful account of Peter’s witness and God’s grace and salvation pouring out on the Gentiles.

Yes, Cornelius and his household were seeking God. And God was seeking them. You are seeking God, God is seeking you.

The witness to Jesus’ public ministry begins with his supreme act of connecting to us, from whichever angle we look at his baptism. Humanity reaching toward God, God reaching towards us. This is all summarized in a very simple sentence in the first letter of John:

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) 

Remember before you ever thought to reach out to him, he is and has always been reaching out to you. Before you ever called on him, he’s been calling you. He created you and everything you know. Before you took your first breath, he died for you. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) p. 942

And when all else fails, he is waiting for you. When every other light has gone out, he is and will always be there. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) p. 945

Absorb that. Let it sink in. Remember how important it is to simply receive him, receive his grace, receive his forgiveness, and receive his love. And live it.

And remember what he does for you, what he gives to you, he means for all people. Just as he sent Peter to Cornelius, he may send you to a friend or neighbor or co-worker.

Let that shape the way you see others, the ways you respond to them. You may be the “angel” that helps them see that he’s always there for them, too.

AMEN