Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Today's Scripture
Luke 3:15–22

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (NRSV)

Reflection

A devotion earlier this year in September explored the story from Acts (also composed by the Evangelist, Luke) in which Herod has one of Jesus’ disciples, James, put to the sword. He “reaches out with evil intent” toward some in the early church, and James can’t get away.

Herod’s figure stalks the story of Jesus and his followers going all the way back to Jesus’ baptism. Here again, Luke shines a spotlight on him. Herod’s committed all sorts of evil things, including marrying his brother’s wife. John the Baptist, fresh off of tax collectors to stop overcharging and soldiers to stop extorting, has the cheek to “rebuke” Herod in public and thus is shut up in prison (spoiler alert: he won’t get out with his head).

All of this is prelude to the rapturous scene of the baptism itself: Jesus praying, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descending, a dove, a voice, Beloved, pleased.

Baptism is a celebration, whether in the open air or, as most of us are probably more used to, inside a church sanctuary. Families gather dressed up all nice, pictures are taken, the minister coos, the congregation sighs. What could be better? Not much, I say.

Yet the story of Jesus’ baptism as Luke tells it should call our attention to all the things that are happening just outside our field of baptismal vision, for those things are part of what is happening too. We behold the font and the prison in the same glance.

I don’t mean that as a sober dose of reality to balance out religious sentimentality. I mean that baptism anoints us for gospel service in the world, a world where innocents are imprisoned by powers both named and unnamed.

Baptism didn’t wash the murderous world off Jesus for good so his holiness could be preserved inside a pool of piety. I suspect he knew that. I suspect the report of John’s arrest by Herod had reached Jesus before he got in the water and that, as he came up for breath, one eye beheld the descending dove while the other scanned the shore for soldiers.

God claims and seals us in the waters of baptism just as we are. But God’s love is too great to leave us as we are. And so God sends us into the world, because God doesn’t want to leave the world as it is either.

Prayer
Holy God, you sent your Son to be baptized among sinners, to seek and save the lost. May we, who have been baptized in his name, never turn away from the world, but reach out in love to rescue the wayward; by the mercy of Christ our Lord, Amen.

(adapted from the Book of Common Worship)

Reflection written by Rocky Supinger, Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry and Worship