“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in
Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was
coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit
descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my
Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”. Mk1:9-11
Magi, Baptism, Wine and Epiphany
The three events of which the Epiphany
commemorate are, the coming of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus and the first
recorded miracle at Cana when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding supper.
Each of these moments in the life of Jesus are themselves Epiphanies of who
Jesus is.
Over the years some Churches tended to focus
more upon the coming of the Magi to honor the promised Messiah with their
gifts, however many Churches of eastern traditions have looked more to the
Baptism of Jesus at the Jordan.
However, Churches of western tradition have
begun to look more closely at the Baptism of Jesus and commemorate his baptism
on January sixth.
Many Churches, in recent history are finding
deeper meaning in the baptism of Jesus, they are seeing, not just an event,
which led to Jesus’ sojourn into the Judean Wilderness to be tempted, but
rather, they are seeing the whole scope of his salvation work as being on
display and his place as the Messiah of us all.
John Upon the Jordan
John the Baptist stood on the banks of the
Jordan river and declared that a New Day was about to dawn, not just for the
people of Israel, but people for all nations. This transformation, this new day
would be brought about through the coming of Israel’s Messiah.
This New Day of transformed lives would be
brought about through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. This long-awaited
Messiah could and would do what no other could, he would change all things
forever.
The out-ward evidence in the lives of the
people of this Messiah’s coming was the Sacrament of Baptism which John
ministered to the people who responded to the Baptist’s message.
“John wore clothing made of
camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild
honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful
than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and
untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit.” Mk: 1:6-8
Jesus Baptized
It is here, upon the banks of that Jordan that
Jesus comes forth from among the crowd of people and request the Sacrament of
Baptism from John.
“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in
Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan” (9a)
John ministers to Jesus, and as Jesus arises
from the baptism waters of that Jordan the Heavens themselves confirm to John
and to all present, that the one who brings the dawn of a new day for humanity
was now here present with them.
This divine confirmation from Heaven is given
as a glorious Epiphany to all assembled at the Jordan and to all who witness it
through the pages of the Holy Word of God.
This Epiphany, there upon that Jordan, is
manifested in the very Heavens themselves opening and the Holy Spirit’s descent
upon Jesus in the bodily form of a dove, and the Heavenly voice declaring Jesus
as the very Son of the living God.
Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water,
he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a
dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you
I am well pleased”. (9-11)
This divine confirmation of who Jesus is was
not lost upon the Baptist John and many who stood by as witnesses would have
grasped the highly symbolic moment, for what was being presented there through
the Baptism of Jesus, utilized symbols out of the racial memory and written
Holy Scripture of the nation of Israel.
All who were gathered there witnessing Jesus'
baptism, and we who read the Scared Writings, are bearing witness of what we
read of in the creation account of Genesis inspired by the Holy Spirit and
recorded by Moses.
The Dark World
The creation as a whole had throughout the
centuries lay in darkness longing for the true light of God to break through
and shine forth into the lives of all humanity and reveal the true Creator God
that he might be known and that humanity might see him.
As the opening words of the Genesis account
declares, and establishes in the readers minds that it is the Creator God of
all things who is brought into our view. These verses of creation however are
to give us a glimpse into the divine intent and purpose of God, which is to
have Heaven and Earth together, joined and united as one, in one. This is an
Apocalyptic declaration, an Epiphany there upon the banks of that Jordan and
through the pages of the Holy Word of God.
“In the beginning God created the Heavens and
the Earth” Gen: 1:1
Yet all creation resided in darkness and
shapelessness awaiting the voice of God to bring order and light.
“the Earth was without form and empty and
darkness covered the surface of the watery deep” (2a)
This dark and empty state of the creation of
the physical world only prefigure the state of humanity, which as a whole, lay
in darkness and empty and void of a clear revelation of the true God, the God
which they had not truly known, the very God whom they in erroneous ways sought
after and, in some cases, had forsaken and rejected.
Yet in spite of this darkness which covered
the hearts of humanity, as the waters covered the Earth. The Holy Spirit was
active in the darkness of the world and was preparing the way, as he was
hovering over the dark primordial seas at the dawn of creation, and was moving
in history in preparation to bring forth all that the Creator God had decreed
and intended.
“and the Spirit of God hovered over the
surface of the waters” (2b)
These verses speak to us regarding the Holy
Spirit’s work in a dark shapeless world; hovering as would a dove above its
nest to prepare for the emergence of the light of God in the midst of the dark
shapelessness waters of human history. It is the divine preparation for the
Apocalyptic moment there upon the Jordan, the Epiphany of God’s self-disclosure
to humanity to bring the light of revelation as to who the Creator God is.
The Voice of God’s Intent
It is then in the Creation Epic of Genesis
that the voice of God speaks.
“and God said let there be light” (3a)
This is more than a description of the
creation of the celestial bodies of sun, moon and stars. It speaks deeper than
that of God’s divine intent toward and for humanity. It is the decree that God
would give us the self-disclosure, an Epiphany, and shines the light of Holy
truth into the darkness of history and light the way to knowing our God; this
has and is God’s intent for humanity even from the depth of eternity.
Out of the Waters
Moses brings us in his narrative to the third
day of the Creation Epic, and tells us that out from beneath the ancient dark
waters arises the land upon which life will arise and on which life will be
lived.
“let the dry land appear” (9b)
The New Creation
The Creation Epic of Genesis filled with its
deep and powerful symbols speaks to us about what we see transpiring there at
upon the banks of that Jordan. John has come forth amidst the dark world full
of ever shifting and shapeless beliefs about the Creator God. The Holy Spirit
has been hovering over human history to prepare for the light of God to shine
forth in that moment of God’s fullest and most power Epiphany and revelation of
his self. “let there be light”.
Jesus comes to John and emerges from among
those gathered there, and he is baptized. As Jesus comes forth up out of
Jordan’s waters the Heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends as the hovering
dove upon Jesus, and the voice of God, the same voice which spoke the decree “let there be light” at creation, speaks again, about
Jesus, who arises out of Jordan’s waters as the land arose from the ancient of
depths, showing us the God’s intent of self-revelation, his Epiphany to us is
an act of new creation as it has been
brought about in the person Jesus.
“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”. Mk1:9-11
We bare witness of this new creation in the
written account of the St. John’s Gospel. Jesus is the very realized light spoken
of at creation’s dawn. We are told through Scriptural witness that Jesus is the
embodiment of the divine light of the One True Creator God.
St. John records in his account of this light
coming into the dark world of humanity.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the
beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made
that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all
mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it”. Jhn: 1:1-5
This light which enters into the world does
not do so in an ambiguous theoretical or conceptual means, this divine light,
rather, enters into history through the incarnation of God himself in the
person of Jesus fulfilling God’s divine intent of “Heaven and the Earth”
coming together as one in one, it is an Epiphany of who God is.
“and the Word became flesh” (14)
This is the same divine light which is spoke
of and shined forth in the darkness at creation. St. Paul tells us, that Jesus,
as the subject of the Gospel message and his entrance into history and the
hearts of humanity through hearing the Gospel, is the same self-revelation and
Epiphany of God as seen in the creation epic of Genesis bringing the light of
creation once again.
“For God, who said, "Let light
shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the
light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2Cor:4:6
What St. Paul is telling us, is that in
hearing the message of God’s self-revelation through Jesus Christ and when we
come to receive and embrace that message, we then experience the new creation
which our God has always intended for us to be, and we have a whole new life
which is then lived out the truth of being new creations in Christ as the
Creator God has always intended for us from out of the depths of eternity.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new
creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2Cor:5:17
My Son
All this is being presented to us in the
baptism of Jesus there on at that Jordan. What we are witnessing in the baptism
of Jesus is that through his incarnation Jesus has brought all humanity, in his
own humanity, to the waters of Jordan, and through his own self presents us all
to his Father in Heaven so that we can experience that new creation by
receiving the truth of the Gospel so that we can be that new creation all to the
approval of his Heavenly Father.
“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in
Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming
up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on
him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I
love; with you I am well pleased”. Mk1:9-11
Jesus is acting out that new creation. His own
baptism recalls the creation epic of the Sacred Scriptures and reveals, through
the word of God spoken out of the Heavens, that Jesus is the very Son of God
who has come forth as light into the darkness and shapeless world of humanity
and brings to humanity all the divine light which is spoken of at dawn of
creation.
In the baptism of Jesus, a new day has now
dawned as John had been declaring to those who came to him, we are being given
the Epiphany wherein God himself declares that Jesus is the one, in who, and
through whom, we might be that new creation which he has always purposed for us
to be and come to know our God the very Creator of all things this is the
Epiphany of the New Creation seen in the
Baptism of Jesus.
Benediction: May we each and all have that moment of
our God’s self-revelation and have that Epiphany that in and through Jesus we
have been made new creations today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.
.jpg)
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee Michigan
If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.
https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html
You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book
“If Its Not About Jesus, Its Not About Anything!”
No comments:
Post a Comment