A Homily given by Deacon Ben Jones, assisting Deacon;

St. George’s Anglican Church, Raleigh, NC;

On the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, A.D. 2009;



“Inauguration.”



 +     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,        AMEN.


St. Mark 1:9 - 11.

“and it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the spirit like a dove descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”


        Over the past several weeks we have traveled quite a lengthy historical time line. The Gospel lessons for the third and fourth Sundays in Advent taught us of the ministry of John the Baptist where we heard of the beginning and the end of his ministry. Since those gospel lessons, Jesus was born, presented in the Temple, named, manifested to the world, was taken into Egypt, brought back to Nazareth, and taught in the temple. Since this time we don’t have a lot of information on His later boyhood, His adolescence, or His development into manhood as part of the Jewish culture of Nazareth, until now.


        We are told, “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee”. Footnote Jesus has emerged and we will see prophecy come to reality in John the Baptist. “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare the way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” Footnote John the Baptist’s preparatory ministry included two basic aspects; preaching and baptizing. John baptized and preached for the purpose of preparing the way for our Lord and Saviour. “But one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.” Footnote The people were wondering whether John could be the Christ or the Messiah which had been repeatedly promised throughout the Old Testament. By this statement, John the Baptist clearly indicated that he was not their Messiah, but only the forerunner. He even preached that the one to come would increase in His ministry, and that he, John the Baptist, would decrease in his ministry. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” Footnote


        Christ has come into this world as the fulfillment of the Old Testament lamb which, “taketh away”. This portion of the verse when translated from the original Greek reads, “is taking away”. What the Old Testament sacrificial lamb could not do, the “Lamb of God” is doing. The “Lamb of God” takes away the sins of the world, the entire world. Being referred to as the “Lamb of God” is the foreshadowing of His sacrifice for us, His crucifixion.


        Let’s examine the “Baptism of Jesus”. First of all the baptism of John was the “Baptism of Repentance”. The Holy Ghost was not received in this baptism in comparison with our baptism. This repentance symbolized an inward change of an attitude toward sin. It was simply a cleansing of heart, a preparatory rite to signify the readiness for the coming and the receiving of the Christ or the Messiah. John’s Baptism of Repentance was not Christian Baptism. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ had not yet occurred. The Baptism of Jesus marks the “INAUGURATION” of Jesus’ earthly ministry and at the same time marked the beginning of the decline of the ministry of John the Baptist.


In His role as the Christ or Messiah, (born under the law), Jesus had to submit to all of God’s requirements for Israel in order to identify with the people whose sins He had come to bear, to be the sacrificial Lamb of God for these sins. His baptism proclaimed that He had come to take the sinner’s place under God’s judgment. Christ was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness”. John the Baptist told Jesus that he needed to be baptized by Him. “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him.” Footnote By this “Inauguration of His earthly ministry”, Jesus, the sinless one chose to put Himself alongside the sinful ones. He identified Himself with the people He came to redeem.


The Holy Trinity was manifested at Christ’s baptism. The Father spoke from Heaven, a dove representing the Spirit of God descended, and the Son of God was present. This was a defining moment in the life of Jesus Christ. Consider this truth. Prior to His baptism, He had been Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and His earthly father, Joseph. It was at the point of baptism that Jesus Christ became known as the “Son of God.” He didn’t just all of a sudden become the Son of God. He has always been “Eternally, the Son of God.” “And there came a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Footnote You can’t have an Eternal Father without an Eternal Son. Jesus Christ was fully aware that He was about His Father’s business. The Holy Ghost, “like a dove descended upon Him.” Footnote The significance of the dove descending and abiding was not that Jesus was being filled with the Holy Ghost for the first time, but that Jesus is now seen as the bearer of the Holy Ghost who carries out Divine work. As we see, all that Jesus did, He did by the Spirit of God.


How does the Baptism of Jesus relate to us? What is the importance for us here today about to receive the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and His saving grace through the sacrament? There are three truths that flow to us out of the waters Jordan as Christ fulfilled all righteousness. Jesus’ baptism reported the opening of the heavens to Him. Jesus’ baptism reveals the Holy Ghost. And the voice of God is heard at the Baptism of His Son.


        “And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened”. Footnote Suddenly the heavens open before Him. Instead of heaven being separated by a wall or a barrier that we cannot overcome, Jesus Christ has caused for us, Heaven to be that welcoming, open portal between God and man. The word for open is “cloven” which means “or torn”. This is the same word that is used for the opening of the veil of the temple. The veil was torn. It was ripped from top to bottom. In the first opening of the Heavens, at the Baptism of Jesus, it was God coming to earth for us, the commencement of our Saviour’s work. In the second opening, the ripping of the veil of the temple, it is God going to Heaven to open the way for us, or the completion of His work.


        The revealing of the Holy Ghost is a “Holy Act”. Just as the oil of holy ointment was poured on the heads of prophets, priests, and kings, the Holy Ghost anointed Jesus Christ. This anointing is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek” Footnote Everything the Father sent the Son to do He did by the Holy Ghost. Consider these few examples of the work of the Spirit of God in the Son. We say in the Nicene Creed, “And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man”, Footnote and in the Apostles’ Creed, “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost”. Footnote Jesus was anointed by the Holy Ghost upon coming up out of the water of Baptism which inaugurated His earthly ministry. Footnote Jesus was led by the Holy Ghost into the wilderness. Footnote Jesus offered Himself through the Holy Ghost as a spotless sacrifice to God. Footnote Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost. Footnote By the same Holy Ghost He taught His disciples. Footnote By these examples we see that our Saviour did not call any of His disciples, or undertake any of His ministry until after the Holy Ghost had anointed Him for His ministry. If the Holy Ghost worked in Jesus Christ in this manner, just think what the Spirit of God that dwells in us, can do for us, if we allow that work to take effect. Prayer is the key to the work of the Holy Ghost indwelling us.


We pray for the power of the Spirit of God to be our guide and help. Today our Saviour still works in us through the same Spirit of God whom He has given us.


        The voice of God hasn’t been heard for somewhere between four to five hundred years, until now. “And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. Footnote God is telling us the baptism of Jesus is both a coronation of our Heavenly King and the ordination of a suffering servant. This sets the example for us to echo this voice of God. We should proclaim Jesus Christ as our Heavenly King through the redeeming work of the suffering servant on the cross. This voice of God identified the Righteousness fulfilled through the Baptism of Repentance. This was God the Father’s testimony of His pleasure in His Son our Saviour. How do we listen to God? We listen through the scripture. God reveals Himself to us through the Scripture by the power of His Spirit.


        So how do we apply the Baptism of Jesus to us in our everyday life? We should live everyday by the example that He has set for us and let the power of the Spirit of God dwell and work within us.


        Amen.


+ And now unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, be ascribed all might, majesty, power, and dominion, most justly due this day, both now and forever,world without end,


                Amen.