First Sunday after the Epiphany –
Mark 1:9-11 - At that
time Jesus came from
There Frank stood, his heart on
fire, as he shared his faith with his co-worker. He was excited at how well the witness was
going and how much his fellow worker seemed to believe in God. But Frank knew that a belief in a god without
faith in Jesus didn’t mean much. So, he
began telling his co-worker who Jesus is and what Jesus did to win our
salvation. There was an awkward
silence. Frank’s co-worker was suddenly
quiet. Finally, the co-worker explained,
“I’m sure Jesus was a good man and a wonderful example, but I don’t believe all
that dying on the cross and rising from the dead stuff.” Frank’s heart sank as he realized that if his
co-worker continued to deny Jesus he would have no saving faith, because the
only true God is the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In the world in which we live, there
are those within and without the visible church who deny, reject, and scoff at
the teaching of the Holy Trinity. Some
attempt to stress the oneness of God but fail to see that this one God reveals
himself to us in three distinct Persons.
Others deny the saving work of Jesus because they are living under the
delusion that they can save themselves. While
others deny that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity. But this error of denying, rejecting, or
simply pooh-poohing the Holy Trinity is not just some small oversight. It isn’t merely a slight difference in
denominations. It is not just a little
misunderstanding. It is poison that will
kill the soul. Apart from the Triune God
there is no salvation. Therefore, on
this first Sunday in the Epiphany season, as it is made known that Jesus is the
Son of God come down from heaven to be the Savior of mankind, we travel to the
The quiet period in Jesus’ life had
come to an end. Scripture is silent
concerning the years between Jesus visit to the temple at age 12 until his baptism. But now Mark records, “At that time Jesus came from
Yet, have you ever asked, why did
Jesus go to be baptized? After all,
unlike us, Jesus had no sin. No stain of
imperfection that needed to be washed away in the cleansing waters of
Baptism. For you and me, of course, there
is a desperate need for baptism. We have
sin, the stain of original sin. Original
sin is the wretched condition we inherit from our sinful parents. It’s the reason infants cry even when they
are well rested, fed and changed. It’s
the reason no is often times the first word many children learn. Jesus explained to Nicodemus, “Flesh gives birth to flesh” (John 3:6). With this he was saying: a sinful mother and
a sinful father can only give birth to a sinful
child. It can be no other way. Therefore, the moment we were conceived in
our mother’s womb we were charged with the guilt of Adam and the corruption of
our parents. Condemnation was our
doom. Without question, we desperately
need the cleansing waters of baptism that, as Peter says, forgives and
saves. (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21)
Not Jesus, though. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born
of the virgin Mary.
He had no sinful flesh. So, when
Jesus presented himself to John for baptism, he came as the sinless Son of
God. And yet he was sin-stained. Not by his own sins, but by the sins of the
entire world, by your sins and mine. By
his baptism, Jesus identified himself completely with man’s sin and
failure. As the perfect Lamb of God he
needed no Baptism, but as our Redeemer he became our substitute. So, the Sinless One was made sin for us so
that when he presented himself for baptism he entered upon the way to the cross
where our sins would be paid for and our guilt washed away. As Paul tells us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians
So we see here the Second Person of
the Trinity, the Son of God, declare himself to be one
with sinners, taking up our burden of sin.
Now, let us listen to what God the Father has to say. Mark records, “A voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am
well pleased.”
If there was any doubt who it was that stood in the
God the Father was pleased with his
beloved Son because by volunteering for baptism, our Lord Jesus willingly
entered the ranks of sinners and so continued to carry out the work of
providing a perfect redemption exactly according to the Father’s saving will
and desire. Jesus confirms this thought
when he says, “The reason the Father
loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again” (John
And thank goodness he did, because approval
with God is not something we have by nature.
You see, that sinful nature with which we are
born causes lots of problems. God
describes the condition of our hearts when we are born with these words: “Every inclination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). That condition of evil all the time then
causes the actual sins we see: the child who talks back to his/her mother or
father or the son or daughter who fails to do what they are told. Yet, not only that, it is the sins you commit
right now. The ones you were guilty of
yesterday, the ones you did this morning, and the ones you are doing right
now. It’s the willingness to indulge in
what is wrong even when we know it is not right. It is the attitude that determines our
happiness is more important than what God says.
It’s the indifference we demonstrate to God’s Word. It’s the greed we exhibit in our
offerings. It’s the lack of trust we
display when we worry. It’s the willingness
to indulge in immorality we reveal when we don’t avoid the movies and
television shows we know we should.
How many times couldn’t God say
about us what he said about the people during the time of Noah, “The LORD was grieved that he had made man
on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain” (Genesis 6:6)? So frequently we are not like the child of
God we have been called to be. So
frequently we show so little appreciation for the tremendous blessings that
have been showered upon us. So
frequently we displace God as first in our lives and live as if we are the most
important person. But then come the words, “This
is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The pleasure of God the Father rested on his Son, Jesus Christ, because
he willingly followed the Father’s will and stepped to our side, took up our
cause, and saw it through to the bitter end by laying down his life as the
perfect payment for, and substitute of, sinners like you and me. Now,
by faith, the pleasure of God extends to all believers in Christ. Now you and I are beloved sons and daughters
of God through his beloved Son because Christ took our place and removed our
sin.
So, not only do we see the Second
Person of the Trinity at Jesus’ baptism, but we hear the First Person of the
Trinity give his approval of what Jesus was doing. Now, what about the Third Person of the Trinity
- the Holy Spirit? Mark records, “As Jesus was coming up out of the water,
he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.”
In the Old
Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed into their
offices. This anointing signified that
the Lord was with the individual and had given him a measure of the Holy Spirit
to enable him to fulfill the office faithfully.
All three of these offices pointed to the promised Savior. Christ was appointed to fulfill the offices of
prophet, high priest and king in order to accomplish our salvation, and God
anointed him with more than just a measure of the Holy Spirit. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with
power to the fullest extent so that he would not fail in his mission. And right here at Jesus baptism is where that
happened!
This sending of the Spirit on Christ at his baptism was
his inauguration into the offices of Prophet, High Priest and King. Here Jesus becomes the Christ, which means,
the anointed one. And Jesus did not fail in his mission. During his ministry as Prophet on earth,
Christ revealed God. He traveled about
proclaimed God’s abundant love and mercy for the sinner. He preached forgiveness and salvation through
faith in him as the Savior. As Priest he
sacrificed himself, once for all, for our sins and the sins of the whole
world. As King, he sets up his gracious
rule of faith in our hearts. You see,
through the very Word of God, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit into our unfertile
hearts to make them fertile and create the gift of faith. That faith then, entirely the gift of Jesus
through the working of the Spirit through the Word, lays hold of the blessings
won by this very Jesus we see at his baptism.
So, not only do we see the Second Person of the Trinity at Jesus’
baptism, but we hear the First Person of the Trinity give his approval of what
Jesus was doing and the Third Person of the Trinity descend on him with power
so that Jesus could carry out the work of our salvation. Can there be any doubt as to who the true God
is? It is Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Can there be any doubt who our Savior is? It
is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Mary’s Son.
Here at Jesus’ baptism, the Father sends the Son into the world and
declares his pleasure with what the Son does.
The Son is sent into the world, becomes flesh, and takes upon himself
the sins of the world. The Holy Spirit
comes down upon Christ, anoints him to his saving office and gives him power to
accomplish what he was sent for. What
does this mean? It means that without a
doubt, the true God wants you to be saved!
The true God is on our side!
Now the Father declares the believer
one in whom he is well pleased because the Son has redeemed him with his
perfect work and the Spirit has descended upon him to create faith in him and
keep that faith in him when, and this is important, when the believer remains
connected to Word. What a blessing it is
to see the activity of the Trinity at Jesus’ baptism because it gives us the
certainty of our salvation. Amen.