Matthew 3:13-17

 

  john calvin on jesus baptism – One thing that we recall in Jesus’ baptism each year at this time is our own baptisms. John Calvin wrote that Jesus "undertook baptism with us that the faithful might be more surely persuaded that they are engrafted into his body, buried with him in baptism, that they might rise again to newness of life."

the capadocian father speaks – Eastern Christianity has elevated this single event into a marvelous understanding of baptism. Gregory of Nyssa taught that Christian baptism was given that we might imitate him through our baptisms. "There is certainly need of some manifest proof, by which we may recognize that we are new-born, discerning by clear tokens the new from the old." But clearly, this eastern bishop was also acutely aware of baptism being made a performance without substance apart from the resolve to live worthy of our calling from God. "You see how Zacchaeus by the change of his life, made fourfold restitution . . . and Paul, who after grace was bestowed, bore the weight of fetters for Christ’s sake . . . Such ought you to be in your regeneration through baptism." [1]

jesus’ baptism and the trinity -- Not only is Jesus’ baptism an invitation to begin our journey as a disciple of Jesus, but many Christians have seen in this story a panorama of the Trinity. Theodore of Mopsuestia expresses this thought well: "the Father was the testifier, the Son the one testified to, and the Holy Spirit the one who pointed out the one testified to." As the ministry of Jesus begins with his baptism, so it ends with the Triune God’s presence: Go into all the world . . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:16-20).

 

Recall your own baptism -- and be thankful. What do you remember of that event--if you were baptized on the confession of your faith? What have you been told about your baptism if you were baptized as an infant?

How does your baptism now impact your journey of faith?

 

homiletic thot--remember your baptism – Share your baptismal story . . . whether baptized as an adult or brought to the font by your parents. Share the impact that such an event continues to have on your life.

homiletic thot--retell the story of a baptism you’ve attended -- Fred Craddock does this masterfully in his book Cherry Tree Sermons. You might want to review that homily for some ideas for how you could allow baptism to resonate with the experiences of your listeners.

homiletic thot--the eastern fathers -- Do some research from the ancient Christian community about Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3. Some of the material you’ll mine is profound and imaginative--they may trigger new insights in your own understanding of baptism.

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[1] New Proclamation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), page 90.