Baptism of the Lord
(C - cycle)  January  10,  2010

The first word that comes to mind in considering the baptism of Jesus is: Why? John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for sins. But St. Paul tells us Jesus was like us in everything except sin. His presence in the line of those seeking baptism at the Jordan was as shocking as his appearing in the line for confession would be. John didn’t want to baptize him any more than I would have wanted to give him absolution. “It is you who should be baptizing me,” he said.

So, why did Jesus get baptized? Not for any personal sins certainly, but as a representative of our species, our human race. On Christmas we celebrated God’s becoming one of us. Today we plunge more deeply into this mystery. God has joined a sinful race. To be part of us is to be somehow compromised, somehow tainted by association. 

To give an example of what I mean. I remember the funeral of Father Gordon Wadhams years ago. Fr. Wadhams was a convert. Prior to his reception into the church, he had been an Episcopal priest. Giving the eulogy at his funeral was Paul Moore, the Episcopal bishop of New York. Bishop Moore recounted how he had fought in World War II in Europe and when he returned home, he had felt unclean because he had killed, and could not overcome that feeling until he confessed to Father Wadhams. Now if ever a war was justified, it was World War II. I think almost all of us would agree Hitler had to be stopped. Still, Bishop Moore had killed, and though he may not have been guilty of sin, he had been part of an awful human tragedy.

 Jesus is put under the Jordan. Baptism is a symbolic death, a symbolic drowning. Jesus goes down to the depths, to the underworld and is immersed in the sin and shame and slime and corruption of mankind. St. Paul says, “He humbled himself to become one of us.”Today we realize how much he humbled himself. He would not distance himself from our sinfulness. He sought the company of sinners. He loved sinners. He identified with sinners. 

He was raised from the water, soaked, saturated with our sins as our representative, our brother and friend. And what kind of reception does he get from God as he is presented to God dripping and drenched with the evil of the world?  Is it rejection? Condemnation? No! God says,“You are my beloved son.” God loves him, as God loves us, even in our sinfulness. “Jesus rises from the water, and the world rises with him.”

St. Gregory Nazienzen): He has come not just to show his solidarity with us sinners. He has come to save us from our sins.. Through Jesus, through his suffering and death and resurrection, through our baptism we become God’s sons and daughters in whom God is well pleased. At the end of our lives when our remains are brought into the church, the priest will greet us with these words: “In baptism you died with Christ. May you now share with him eternal glory.”