THE BAPTIZER AND THE BAPTIZED

The Second Sunday after the EPIPHANY

17 January, AD 2010

TEXT:  St. Mark 1:1 – 11.  (The Baptism of Our Lord)

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from Heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  (ESV – St. Mark 1:9-11).

I would like to begin this morning with the words of St. Ephrem the Syrian; a deacon, theologian, and hymnographer of the fourth century who described Our Lord’s Baptism with these words:

Today the Source of all the graces of baptism comes himself to be baptized in the river Jordan, there to make himself known to the world.  Seeing him approach, John stretches out his hand to hold him back, protesting:  Lord, by your own baptism you sanctify all others; yours is the true baptism, the source of perfect holiness.  How can you wish to submit to mine?  But the Lord replies, I wish it to be so.  Come and baptize me.  Do as I wish, for surely you cannot refuse me.  Why do you hesitate, why are you so afraid?  Do you not realize that the baptism I ask for is mine by every right?  By my baptism the waters will be sanctified, receiving from me fire and the Holy Spirit . . .  See the hosts of heaven hushed and still, as the all-holy Bridegroom goes down into the Jordan.  No sooner is he baptized than he comes up from the waters, his splendor shining forth over the earth.  The gates of heaven are opened, and the Father’s voice is heard:  “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”  All who are present stand in awe as they watch the Spirit descend to bear witness to him.  O come all you peoples, worship him!  Praise to you, Lord, for your glorious epiphany which brings joy to us all!  The whole world has become radiant with the light of your manifestation.”

We hear in these words of St. Ephrem Our Lord’s own awakening to the full sense of His vocation and mission.  Jesus has become maturely conscious of His unique Sonship with the Father and His own historic work and destiny on behalf of all Creation.  But in order for us to understand what Our Lord’s Baptism, and our own, means for us, we have to go back to the mission of St. John Baptist and maybe even a little further to examine what St. John was doing and the role he played that leads to our salvation.

For four hundred years there had not been a prophet for the Hebrew people.  By Jewish standards Malachi was the last.  And there had not been a prophet since his time.  St. John Baptist shows up on the scene and certainly looked like a prophet, dressed in camel’s hair eating locust and wild honey.  But, more importantly, he was one.  And not just any prophet, but the Forerunner of Messiah – the one whose coming was foretold, who would call the people to repentance and who would prepare them body and soul for the true Baptism of the Messiah.  Of St. John Baptist, St. Ambrose wrote, “The Baptist’s voice blended faith with repentance; judgment with mercy.  Because voice and crying go together.  The voice preaches faith, crying calls for repentance; his voice preached comfort, his crying – danger; and while the Baptist’s voice showed mercy, his cry called for judgment.”  The Baptist accomplished this by blending the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi.  This is reflected in St. Mark, Chapter one, verses seven and eight which read, “And he preached saying, After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I have baptized with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”  In this way, St. Mark’s Gospel, in general, and St. John Baptist, in particular, connects the Old Testament with the New.  St. John Baptist stands as the connector and coupler of them both.  In his person and ministry we find both the Summary of the Old Testament and the inaugurator and announcer of the New Testament.  

So what was St. John’s message and ministry to those who would hear his words?  For that, we turn to St. Gregory Nazianzen, one of the Cappadocian Fathers of the East.  He reveals the connectedness of the Baptist’s actions with those of Moses and of Jesus as he writes, “Moses baptized in the cloud and in the sea – figuratively.  John baptized with water for repentance, yet not with the Spirit.  Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, which is perfection!”  So we see that St. John’s baptism is compared with and connected to baptism under the Mosaic law, but while he took a known custom, he gave it a new meaning; not unlike that which Our Lord did at the Last Supper in the Upper Room when He instituted the Sacrament of His Body and Blood on the night in which He was betrayed.  The meaning of St. John’s Baptism is made clear in a sermon on Baptism by Tertullian as he explained, “When John preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, the declaration was made with reference to future remission.  John’s call to repentance is to lead the way, and actual remission is to follow.  This is what is meant by “preparing the way”.  For one who prepares himself does not make himself perfect; but rather makes ready for another to perfect.”  In this whole scenario of Our Lord’s Baptism, it is Jesus and His Apostles who baptize with the Holy Ghost, thereby making remission of sins a reality for all those who received it, up to this present point in time.  So St. John began by calling the people to repentance because true repentance has to precede Baptism.  John’s baptism was not the means by which sins were forgiven, but rather it served as a sign indicating that one had truly repented or turned their back on their former sins.  The true Baptism, that is by water and the Holy Ghost would come at the hands of Our Lord and His Apostles.  For what the Baptizer began, Jesus finished.  What he prepared, Jesus fulfilled!  St. John’s baptism prepared and enabled a person to receive Christ’s message of salvation, which we know and have experienced as the beginning of the spiritual process or life.  

But in all of this, one question may still remain.  Why did Jesus need to be baptized?  Did He have sins to remit?  Of course not!  St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews tells us in chapter four, verses 14-16, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  So why, then, did Jesus submit Himself to be baptized?  Well, there are five reasons; 1) to formally begin His mission to bring the message of salvation to all people, 2) to show support of and fulfill the Baptist’s ministry, 3) As Hebrews teaches, to identify with our humanness and sin – for only one who is without sin can remit sins, 4) to give us a model to follow in our own spiritual lives through the Sacrament of Baptism, and finally, as St. Gregory teaches, so that by Jesus the waters of baptism might be hallowed, thereby opening heaven to all believers!  For Jesus’ Baptism sanctifies all others!  Those of us who are Christians, by virtue of our own Baptism, old Creation has been made new!  Heaven has been opened up to us who believe!  The waters of Death have killed the old man inside and the waters of Life have made us new so that we may have everlasting Life and have it abundantly in Christ Jesus!  This is why we performed the Asperges before the Mass this morning – to remind everyone of us of our own Baptism and to call us to remembrance of what it did to us; how, either as infants or adults, we heeded the Baptizer’s words and turned away from our sins, away from former selfish ways of living, and sought God’s forgiveness by believing and obeying His Word in Holy Scripture and finally, preparing our hearts for the coming of the Holy Spirit so that He could dwell within us to make us the children of God.  Our Baptism was once and should never be repeated, but we can and should be reminded of it very often, for that is how we grow more and more into the image and likeness of God and prepare ourselves, body and soul to meet Him face to face and dwell with Him for all eternity.  We have heard of both the Baptizer and the Baptized today, but always remember we occupy the place of the baptized as well.  This Epiphany season and always, Cling to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit and then reflect the Light of God’s Love to others so that He can say to you when you meet Him face to face, “This is my beloved son or daughter.  In whom I am well pleased.”  Remember, your Baptism began that relationship and always be thankful for it.

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

SOLI DEO GLORIA – JEU+