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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion “The Baptism of Jesus” January 10, 2010 |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, January 10, 2010 by Don Kress
Luke 3:21-22 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (New Living Translation)
In his sermon on Christmas Eve, Pastor Dave Sonnenberg urged us to read the “Gospel According to Luke” during January, so it’s fitting that many of the Frontline Devotions this past week and next week are based on passages from Luke. Luke was a Greek and a well educated physician (Colossians 4:14), and he is the only known Gentile author in the New Testament. “The Open Bible” says, “Luke writes with the compassion and warmth of a family doctor as he carefully documents the perfect humanity of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.” Luke was not an eyewitness of the events in his gospel, so his narrative is built on the platform of historical reliability, the testimony of eyewitnesses, and other written sources. Luke’s emphasis on chronological and historical accuracy makes his the most comprehensive of the four gospels. Luke presents Jesus Christ as the Perfect Man who came to seek and save sinners.
At the age of thirty, Jesus begins his public ministry by going out into the wilderness to be baptized by John the Baptist. (Thirty was the prescribed age for priests to begin their ministry [Numbers 4:3].) The “Life Application Study Bible” says the following about Jesus’ baptism: “Theologians have long been troubled by Jesus’ allowing himself to be baptized by John. Instead of going to Jerusalem and identifying with the established religious leaders, Jesus went to a river and identified with those who were repenting of sin. Why, then, did Jesus do it? He did it because he is both God and human—he underwent baptism and even death as only a human could; he lived a sinless life and rose from the dead as only God could. This baptism by John in the Jordan River was another step in his identification with us sinful people…When you are hurting, depressed, broken, remember: you have a Savior who understands your humanity."
Something else happens during Jesus’ baptism: Jesus prayed. This is the first of many references in Luke’s Gospel to Jesus’ praying. We remember that Jesus taught others to pray. We remember that he gave the disciples the immortal words of the Lord’s Prayer. We’re sure that he wishes us to pray. But how often do we contemplate Jesus himself praying? When we think about Jesus praying, we realize that he is not some teacher standing at a distance telling us what to do, but he walks with us and shows us what to do. Jesus experienced the same need to draw close to God that we do, and he sought the same strength which we seek. Once again, Luke presents Christ as the Perfect Man.
And one other thing happens during Jesus’ baptism, while Jesus is praying: God affirms Jesus’ decision to begin his public ministry by speaking words of approval, acknowledging that Jesus is his beloved Son. And he sends the Holy Spirit to physically descend on Jesus, thus publicly revealing the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gathered together on this special occasion. What a glorious scene this amazing epiphany must have been!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, during this season of Epiphany, may I see you more clearly as the Perfect Man who came to seek and save me. Amen.