The Baptism Of Our Lord
Beloved. As we look at today’s Gospel and Old Testament, we see a marvelous connection, similarity and teaching—they both are Trinitarian references. What is significant about the OT reading, our text, is that it is an Old Testament Trinitarian reference. So many detractors of the holy Christian faith say things like the doctrine of the Trinity is not taught in the OT, that it is an invention of the Church, etc. And it is very common, even among many Christians, to think that in the OT there was “God” but that the Son, Jesus, comes along later on in the New Testament. Many have a monolithic view of the God of the OT—they rightly recognize that He is one; but within that one God, they fail to see the Persons of the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That’s the view of Jews and Moslems today; that’s why they trip over the doctrine of the Trinity. But Christians are Trinitarian. Even though the doctrine of the Trinity—that there is one God but three distinct Persons—is perhaps more clearly seen in the NT, it is also quite clearly taught in the OT. And that’s what we see as we place today’s Gospel and OT reading side by side. And really that’s God’s intent—today’s OT reading speaks of an event that is fulfilled in today’s Gospel—Jesus baptism. What do we have in the OT reading today? –We have the Father speaking: Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. And what do we read in today’s Gospel? –A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” What do we read in today’s OT? –I have put my Spirit upon him. What is recorded in today’s Gospel? –And behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. What Isaiah recorded in his prophecy, is here happening at Jesus’ baptism. What we see in both readings are the distinct Persons of the Holy Trinity—the Father speaks, the Son is spoken about and the Holy Spirit is given. A beautiful parallel and a beautiful teaching of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, already in the OT!
The account of Jesus’ baptism is a beautiful introduction to the season of Epiphany. Epiphany and Christmas go together and yet they are almost opposites. At Christmas, we have the humility and lowliness of Jesus, who was born weak and lowly, who was dependent on His mother for everything. We see at Christmas, the lowliness and humanity of Jesus. But the season of Epiphany opens our eyes and reveals to us just who exactly that Baby who was born at Christmas is. In Epiphany, with its accounts, for example, of our Lord’s miracles, we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ glory and divinity—like we did in today’s Gospel: A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” What we have in the Christmas and Epiphany seasons is the fleshing out that verse from St. John’s Gospel in which He tells us [1.14]: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us—that’s Christmas! The eternal Word, the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, became also a true human being and was born of the Blessed Virgin. But that’s lowliness! –The true God covering His divinity with humanity. But what we have at Epiphany is the rest of that verse: and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. In Epiphany, by Jesus’ miracles and teaching, at His baptism, we see the rays of His divine glory shining through His humanity. We see the glory in His lowliness. In other words, His divine glory and His lowliness belong together. To see Jesus’ glory and divinity from His lowliness/ to see His glory in His lowly work, we must see them with the eyes of faith. This is the gracious working of the Holy Spirit on us.
Our text has the Father speaking about the Son: Behold my servant. Although the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus is one Substance, one essence, one power and glory with the Father according to His divine nature, by His humiliation He becomes the Servant, Behold my servant. While on earth, during His earthly ministry Jesus, the God-man, did not make full use of all His divine glory power and majesty, which He had. That’s why God had to point Him out: Behold my servant and at His baptism: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Here, as Jesus begins His 3 year public ministry, the Father presents Him: Behold my servant. If it were obvious to everyone, why would the Father have to point Him out? But Jesus’ lowliness in the eyes of all! But this is Jesus’ great glory—the Father points Him out to one and all: Behold my servant. In the form of a Servant, Jesus steps into the Jordan River to be baptized by John, but the Father reveals Jesus’ glory—who He really is. So for us, the lesson is clear: look to Jesus and keep looking at Him! Keep looking to Jesus and His work and teaching. Behold my servant: turn your thoughts away from everything else and to the One who can alone bring you salvation.
God accomplishes the glorious through lowliness. But because it is lowly, its glory must be pointed out. Here He presents to us Jesus, in all His lowliness: Behold my servant. And notice, too, the context—where the Father points out/ identifies Jesus—at His Baptism, the lowly waters of holy baptism. This is vital for us to keep in mind: God chooses the lowly things to bring us rich heavenly spiritual blessings. Like here the simple water of holy baptism; or the simple bread and wine of Holy Communion; or the simple word of Scripture that we hear or read. Let us not stumble over these seemingly weak and lowly things. God has attached His word and promise to them to grant us great blessing and His Holy Spirit. The sacraments are reality, not symbol!
Today, may we hear the Father presenting Jesus to us: Behold my servant. And we hear the Father say not only to look to Jesus, as if His word pointing out Jesus revealing His glory isn’t enough but He adds glory to glory telling us who His Servant, Jesus, is: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon Him. Not only does the Father willingly acknowledge the Son as belonging to Him Behold my servant, but He adds whom I uphold. That deepest affection is shown in His divine aid. No matter how lowly Jesus may seem in His divine work, no matter how much He may seem to be rejected by God, no matter how great His suffering for us and our salvation, Jesus is still the beloved of God, is still being upheld by the Father.
That is a tremendous comfort to us. Jesus would not and could not fail in His work. Who could stand against Him and succeed? Behold my servant, whom I uphold. Even when it looked like evil was ruling and gaining the upper hand, it wasn’t. Jesus would triumph—no matter how lowly He appeared. And by the Holy Spirit descending like a dove resting upon Him, there was clear to the people then and to us today that Jesus was prepared for His saving work; He would need nothing else to carry out His saving work.
Jesus—the true God who became also true man—is that Servant whom the Lord upholds in His saving work. He is the only One who can do this saving work; only He is the God-man. Only He can be the Savior because only He is the one chosen by God; only He is the one appointed Savior for all us sinners. Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon Him. At His Baptism, He is marked for all to see as the One chosen by God as Savior; He is the one in whom the Father, from the fullness of His being, delights in. A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
All this is seen with the eyes of faith as the glorious was accomplished through lowliness. Let us see the glory in the lowly Jesus. The lowly Jesus—that’s Christmas; when He reveals His glory, that’s Epiphany!
Not only was Jesus’ person lowly—even though He is true God, He did not always make full use of His divinity—but especially His work was lowly; but the glorious was accomplished by this lowly work. And even though Jesus was upheld by the Father and endued, even as man, with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, it was still a difficult work. Our text: He will not grow faint or be discouraged. The magnitude of His work does not affect Him in a bad way. As He preached and was rejected by most, Jesus did grow faint or get discouraged. Even as He was betrayed and arrested, tried and beaten, He continues on that path of suffering to the cross as the sin-bearer. Even as He is suffering on the cross for the sins of the world, He does not grow faint or … discouraged. As true God, Jesus knew exactly what was before Him, how much He’d have to suffer. And that He willingly endured it all for us, in full knowledge of what was in store shows His love for us. He did not allow Satan and his allies to get Him off track or allow them to destroy His work. Jesus carried it out to the very end—for us and our salvation. Here is great glory in that most lowly humility of Jesus, which the Lord announces to us and we see in faith.
Now that Jesus took our sins on Himself to the cross and suffered and died for them; now that He reconciled us sinners to the holy God and by His resurrection and ascension opened heaven to us; He will, as the Lord says in our text, bring forth justice to the nations. That justice is the Gospel. Through Jesus and His lowly work the great glory of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life has been won. God’s verdict of “condemned” for our sin has been changed to “forgiveness” in and through Jesus’ work. This glorious treasure Jesus brings into all the world through His Church in the word and Sacrament. Only Jesus’ work, only this glorious treasure Jesus brought about by such lowliness, can satisfy the true need and longing of all people! That’s why the coastlands wait for His teaching. Nothing else can satisfy the emptiness and feeling all people, if they are honest, experience when confronted by sin and death. People do a good job trying to cover it/ deny it/ squelch it, but at the end of the day it is still there. Let us look and see the great lowliness of a Savior, born of a virgin; the lowliness of His suffering and death and see and receive in faith that great treasure of His justice—the Gospel, the forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Jesus.
And let us not think that the Lord’s Servant, His chosen One, the One in whom the Lord is well pleased is too glorious for us sinners to come to. Instead, hear our text: a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. Jesus is gentle and lowly. Let us look at His lowliness so that we run too Him and aren’t afraid of Him in His glory. Let us run to Jesus who laid down His life for us. He has come to bring blessing, not to destroy. For those of us crushed by our sin, whose hope is nearly extinguished—us who are like that bruised reed … and a faintly burning wick—to us broken and contrite sinners, Jesus comes, seeks us and cares for us. He gives us His glorious gifts and treasures; He will faithfully bring forth justice, that is, He will give us forgiveness of sin and peace with God, creating faith in our hearts so that we receive them. He comforts and saves the repentant sinner, crushed of heart.
But He does so in a gentle and humble way. Our text: He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street. Jesus comes to us humbly and lowly but offering us these great gifts and treasure in His holy word and sacrament. Let us always see that God accomplishes the glorious through lowliness—Jesus, His servant; and His gifts in the word and sacrament. With the eyes of faith, may we see in glory in the lowly. INJ Amen.