Dear friends in Christ.
Back in the 1800’s or possibly even earlier than that, an unknown hymn writer wrote the words to the hymn which our hymnals number as 545, Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit. Originally appearing in a book containing both secular and sacred songs for use in Lutheran elementary schools, the heading for this hymn read, “For the installation of a Teacher.” And if you think about it, what better song or hymn could be sung at the installation of a Teacher than a song that is a prayer to the Lord that he would send his Holy Spirit upon this servant so that he might faithfully carry out his duties of teaching young children the precious truths of salvation in Christ Jesus our Savior. Well, today, as we celebrate the festival of Pentecost, we join our hearts and voices in that same prayer as we ask the Lord our God to send his Holy Spirit just as he promised to do. In fact, this is the very thing that our Savior is promising to do for us as John records in our text. Jesus says, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. ” “I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ” (John 15:26,27; 16:4–7, NIV)
Now, when Jesus spoke these words, it was the second time he had clearly promised his disciples that he would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to them who would teach them all things, remind them of all he had told them, and enable them to testify to the Word. Though he had promised to send the Holy Spirit maybe an hour earlier while he and his disciples were reclining in the upper room, they had now left the comfort of that room and were most likely sitting together in Gethsemane where Jesus would soon be arrested and taken from their side, be handed over to be crucified, and give his life over to death. Though the disciples would see him again after his resurrection, no longer would have spend time with them like he did before his crucifixion. Thus in his last moments with his disciples, he promises them that he would not leave them alone, but that after he had departed, he would send them the Comforter—the Holy Spirit who would testify about Jesus, who would enable the disciples to testify as well, and who, through that very testimony, would convict the world of sin and unbelief.
It was this very promise, to send the Holy Spirit that Jesus fulfilled as he sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples roughly two months later, on the Day of Pentecost. Just, as Luke told us in our second lesson, from Acts 2: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ” (Acts 2:1–4, NIV)
What an incredible day it must have been for the disciples when Jesus delivered on his promise to send the Holy Spirit. What an incredible thing it must have been to be in that house, hearing the sound of a rushing wind moving through the house and yet, not a single curtain, drapery, or even shade fluttered in the slightest. What an incredible thing it must have been to see the tongues of fire separating and lighting on their heads, yet not one of the hairs on their heads was singed. What an incredible thing that suddenly these men who had received little to no schooling were able to speak in other languages as the Holy Spirit enabled them! What an incredible thing it must have been for them to realize that this was the very thing of which Jesus had been speaking when he had told them, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. ” (John 15:26,27; 16:7–11, NIV)
Jesus delivered exactly what he had promised when he sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples on that Pentecost Day, for just as Jesus had said, the Holy Spirit came to them testifying about Jesus to the disciples upon whom he came and through the disciples upon whom he came. On that day, the Holy Spirit testified about Jesus to all the peoples of the world who had gathered in Jerusalem. Through the disciples whom he had blessed with the ability to speak all sorts of different languages, The Holy Spirit testified about Jesus and convicted those present in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment. Just listen to what Peter had to say in his sermon to the people present that day: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. …Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. …Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. …Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. ” (Acts 2:14–17, 22–24, 29–33, 36–41, NIV)
Through the work of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to his disciples, 3000 people were cut to the heart and convicted of their sins. 3000 people realized that they were sinners who had not believed in the Jesus, the Messiah whom the Lord had sent to save them from their sins. 3000 people came to realize that the righteousness they thought they had could not possibly measure up to the righteousness of Jesus, the Sinless Son of God. 3000 people realized that if they continued on in the way they were going they would receive the very same judgment that satan had received when Jesus died and rose again. Through the testimony of the Holy Spirit proclaimed by the disciples on that Pentecost Day, 3000 people came to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, received the declaration of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus and found that since they had been judged as God’s chosen people through faith, they were free from the judgment that the Lord had declared on the prince of this world.
This is what the Holy Spirit is still doing for you and me today, which is why our prayer today is that the Lord would send his Holy Spirit to us so that he might still testify to us about Jesus Christ our Savior. Our prayer is that the Lord would send his Holy Spirit to us so the Holy Spirit might continue to testify to us about Christ Jesus our Savior, so that we too, through the Holy Spirit might go out and testify to the world about our Savior. This is why it is so important for each and every one of us to gather regularly for worship whether we are enjoying time at home or we’re away on vacation. This is why it is so important for each and every one of us to be in the Word of God on a regular basis. This is why it is so important for our children to gather for Sunday School and confirmation Class. This is why it is so important for our Adults to gather each week to delve deeper into the truths of God in Bible Study. It is so important to us because it is through the Word of God that the Holy Spirit still comes to us, speaks to us, testifies to us about Jesus, and prepares and enables us to testify about Jesus whenever we are asked about our faith.
This is also why I have often encouraged you to consider sending your children to Christian Grade Schools in St. Peter or Belle Plaine, and to consider sending your children to MVL for a Christian High School education. I have often encouraged you to consider our Lutheran Elementary Schools and High School because it is in these schools that children are surrounded with the word of God in the same way that children in our public schools are surrounded by evolution. Not please understand what I’m saying. We have a great public school system here. Our children receive an excellent education in our public school. Never the less, many of you parents have spoken about how your children speak about evolution as fact, and I have had students question the validity of the Creation account in Confirmation Class, and even argue against it. This is why I have encouraged you to consider utilizing our Lutheran Schools so that your child might be surrounded with the Word of God, so that your child will be taught from the perspective of Scriptural authority, so that through that daily connection with God’s Word, the Holy Spirit can continually work in your children’s hearts and strengthen their faith and their love for their Savior. In fact, if you want an example of this, just look at my children know about their Savior and how their faith shines through in everything they say and do simply because the Holy Spirit has the opportunity to testify to them through God’s Word on a daily basis.
Because the Lord Jesus has sent his Holy Spirit to us through his Word, we now hear him testifying to us about Jesus our Savior. He is also the one who now enables us to testify to the world about Jesus our Savior. He is the one who enables us to share our faith with others in the world so that they too might know what we believe. He is the one who uses those small testimonies to convict the world in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment. For through those moments when we share our faith, he is able to speak to the heart and convict that person in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment. Sometimes it will be a clear victory as the person reacts like the 3000 on Pentecost who recognized their sins and were called to faith in Jesus and were added to the kingdom of God on that day. Sometimes it will be a more prolonged process as the Holy Spirit continues to convict that person in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment through our regular discussions of faith or our continually invites to worship. But sometimes it will be victory that displays the Lord’s glory and righteousness as the person simply refuses to listen to the Holy Spirit, remains trapped in their sins and unrighteousness and continues on the path that will lead to their eternal judgment. Though God our Savior does want all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth not everyone will. Though we are saddened to see those who reject the Holy Spirit in this way, God’s righteousness shines through in their choice to refuse the gift of salvation which the Lord Jesus has given us through the Holy Spirit.
Thus, our prayer today, has been that prayer written so many years ago, by an anonymous German hymn writer, “Send, O Lord, your Holy Spirit,” which is exactly what our Savior has done for us. He is the one who promised to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples, even before he was taken from them. He is the one who delivered on that promise on the Day of Pentecost when he sent the Holy Spirit in a stunning display of power and might. He is the one who continues to send His Holy Spirit into our hearts through the Word that he has given us.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Le Sueur, MN
Showing posts with label Spirit Baptism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirit Baptism. Show all posts
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
A simple question reveals the Lord’s Messiah (Luke 3:15-17, 21, 22)
Dear friends in Christ.
A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn't so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?" "Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist." Well, in the same way that a simple question asked by his mother eventually revealed Isidor Rabi as a scientist, so also a simple question asked by a group of Israelites on the banks of the Jordan River was the avenue the Lord used to reveal his Messiah to his people, as our text tells us: “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.” (Luke 3:15 NIV)
Now, as our text opens, roughly 30 years have passed since last week. The Magi had come, worshiped the Savior, and returned to their home by another route. The Lord had sent an angel to warn Joseph to take his family to Egypt so that they might all be safe from Herod and his murderous plot. Herod had died, Joseph and Mary had returned to Bethlehem, discovered that Herod’s son was now ruling in his place, and quickly moved back to Nazareth because they knew no one would be looking for them or their son in what was essentially the smallest and poorest community in all of Israel. Though the Bible mentions how Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with his family when he was 12 years old, it says nothing else about him until a simple question reveals him to be the Lord’s Messiah. It was the question that all the people were wondering, because John had done his job so well!
So expertly had he prepared the way for the coming Messiah that the people wondered if John might actually be him! After all, John was the first Prophet the Lord had sent to the Israelites in nearly 400 years. He came, wearing the traditional marks of a prophet, garments made out of camel’s hair and a leather belt, just as the Prophets of the Old Testament had warn (see: Zechariah 13:4 and 2 Kings 1:8), and even though there were undoubtedly others who were traveling as prophets throughout the land of Israel, John preached with such authority that the people were drawn to him. He was the one who called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers. He was the one who condemned the people’s superstitious notion that they would be saved simply because they were descendants of Abraham. He was the one who so forcefully preached the message of God’s law that the people were moved to repentance and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. He was the one who so lovingly and so regularly preached the gospel of forgiveness that the crowds continually asked him for advice on how they could live their faith in their everyday lives. In short, as John prepared the way for the coming Messiah, the people were simply buzzing with anticipation, expecting that in any moment the Messiah might come walking down the road, step out from behind a tree, or simply miraculously appear right before them. So primed were they for the Messiah’s appearing that they began wondering if the Messiah might already be standing before them.
Well, even as they asked their simple question, wondering if John might possibly be the Messiah, he simply told them that he wasn’t and once again called on them to prepare for his coming, as our text tells us, “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” (Luke 3:15–17, NIV)
Unlike we Lutherans, who will simply look in the guest book if we really want to know who a visitor is, the crowds directly asked John their question, and through their simple question John had the opportunity to once again prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. In short, his answer was a resounding, “No. I am not the Messiah.” Rather, he was the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He was the one who was constantly pointing the people toward the Messiah, encouraging them to look for him, and calling on them to put their faith and their hope in him. John was not out to make a name for himself, no! His sole purpose was to bring glory to the Lord by preparing the people for their Messiah, and that is exactly what he did with his answer! For even as he answered, John told them that he was merely the Lord’s humble servant! He was the Lord’s humble servant who wasn’t even worthy to stoop down and untie the Messiah’s sandals. Even though John was a powerful and authoritative preacher, his mission was to point to the one who was more powerful than he, the Messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Now, when people hear this statement, that the Messiah would come to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, so often, they get all bent out of shape. They begin to think that John’s baptism wasn’t up to scratch and they now need a special baptism by the Holy Spirit in order to be faithful Christians. The thing that they don’t realize is that with this simple sentence, John is summing up the entirety of the Savior’s mission on earth. When the Messiah came, he would come to his people in love and grace proclaiming the message of salvation to all who believed. He would be gentle with those of weak faith and build them up in their trust in him, just as Isaiah had prophesied: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4, NIV)
Jesus was the one who would come as the Lamb of God to be the sacrifice for all people, just as the Lord had demonstrated through all of the sacrifices he had commanded. He was the one who would take back his life and return to heaven, and only then, after he had been gloried, on the Day of Pentecost, would he baptize the people with the Holy Spirit and Fire. For it was on that day, as I said last week, when all the nations were gathered in Jerusalem that the Lord Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit on his disciples. Not merely the 12, but all the disciples who had gathered together in that house, and they were given the opportunity to proclaim the message of the Messiah to the peoples of the world right there in Jerusalem. He is the one who would winnow and separate the believers from the unbelievers and at the end of days take the grain into the barn and the chaff into the fire. Right now the harvest is taking place. Each day the workers harvest more and more grain from the harvest field of the world and bring it to the threshing floor of the Lord’s presence, where the oxen of the Lord’s Word continually walk its prescribed path, breaking up the kernels, beginning the separation of the grains from the chaff. Each day our Savior stands with his winnowing fork in his hand, observing the process, and waiting for the exact moment to begin the winnowing. On the Last Day, he will use his fork to toss the kernels into the air so that the grains might fall back to the ground and the chaff be separated landing elsewhere. When the winnowing is done, all the grain will be gathered up and taken into the store house of heaven, but the chaff—those who did not believe in Jesus as their Savior—they will be burned up in the unquenchable fires of damnation.
In such a simple, and yet straight forward way, John answers their question, revealing that he was not the Messiah, and yet preparing them for his immediate arrival. However, when the Lord answered their question, he clearly revealed Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Messiah for whom they had been so well prepared. Our text tells us, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21–22, NIV)
At the very height of John’s preaching career, while all the people were coming to be baptized, in a rather quiet and unassuming way, the Messiah appears on the scene to be baptized. Though it doesn’t tell us here, from the other gospels we learn that John was so surprised that Jesus would come to him to be baptized that John was rather hesitant to do it. Instead, John insisted that he needed to be baptized by Jesus. Though John would have been correct on any other occasion, Jesus showed him that it was necessary now, at the start of his earthly ministry that John baptize Jesus in order that Jesus might be anointed and revealed as the Messiah who had come to his people!
It was in that moment, after Jesus had come out of the water and was praying on the shore that the Lord answered the people’s question revealing Jesus to be the Messiah. For in the same way that characters in a play will be lit by spotlight in order to emphasize their performance, the God the Father tore open the heavens revealing his glory. The Holy Spirit descended from the heavens in the form of a dove, lighting on Jesus, and remaining with him, as the Father proclaimed, “You are my most beloved Son, with whom I am completely pleased!”
How incredible it must have been on that day when the Lord God simply pointed at his Son and said, “Behold! Here is your Messiah!” How incredible it must have been to have the question of Messiahship answered. How incredible it must have been to realize that the Lord who had sent John into the wilderness, baptizing the people for repentance, just gave his seal of approval to their baptisms by using the baptism of his Son to mark him as the Savior of all people. How incredible that on this day, when Jesus was baptized there would have been at least a few people who had heard the message of the shepherds and seen the Magi come to town some 30 years before. But how much more incredible that the Lord our God saw to it that this account was recorded for our learning! For from these words, our question of who the Messiah is, is clearly answered. We are assured that Jesus is the one whom God the Father chose to be our Savior.
Now, because Jesus’ baptism was given the approval of God his Father, we can take comfort and assurance in our baptisms, because our baptism today is no different than Jesus baptism by John. In fact, by John’s confession that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, baptism was marked even then as a Sacrament by the Authority of Jesus from whom baptism derives its divine power. Even though the Lord Jesus did not command baptism to be carried out by all believers among all nations until the day he returned to heaven, those who were baptized by John and by Jesus’ disciples received the same blessings as we do today, the forgiveness of sins, life, and the assurance of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.
What an amazing question we have answered today! Though it isn’t a question from our mothers asking us about school or if we asked good questions today, it is a question of utmost importance. For today we have asked a simple question about the Messiah and learned who he truly is and all that he has done for us.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Le Sueur, MN
A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science, how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn't so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, "Did you ask a good question today?" "Asking good questions," Rabi said, "made me become a scientist." Well, in the same way that a simple question asked by his mother eventually revealed Isidor Rabi as a scientist, so also a simple question asked by a group of Israelites on the banks of the Jordan River was the avenue the Lord used to reveal his Messiah to his people, as our text tells us: “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.” (Luke 3:15 NIV)
Now, as our text opens, roughly 30 years have passed since last week. The Magi had come, worshiped the Savior, and returned to their home by another route. The Lord had sent an angel to warn Joseph to take his family to Egypt so that they might all be safe from Herod and his murderous plot. Herod had died, Joseph and Mary had returned to Bethlehem, discovered that Herod’s son was now ruling in his place, and quickly moved back to Nazareth because they knew no one would be looking for them or their son in what was essentially the smallest and poorest community in all of Israel. Though the Bible mentions how Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with his family when he was 12 years old, it says nothing else about him until a simple question reveals him to be the Lord’s Messiah. It was the question that all the people were wondering, because John had done his job so well!
So expertly had he prepared the way for the coming Messiah that the people wondered if John might actually be him! After all, John was the first Prophet the Lord had sent to the Israelites in nearly 400 years. He came, wearing the traditional marks of a prophet, garments made out of camel’s hair and a leather belt, just as the Prophets of the Old Testament had warn (see: Zechariah 13:4 and 2 Kings 1:8), and even though there were undoubtedly others who were traveling as prophets throughout the land of Israel, John preached with such authority that the people were drawn to him. He was the one who called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers. He was the one who condemned the people’s superstitious notion that they would be saved simply because they were descendants of Abraham. He was the one who so forcefully preached the message of God’s law that the people were moved to repentance and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. He was the one who so lovingly and so regularly preached the gospel of forgiveness that the crowds continually asked him for advice on how they could live their faith in their everyday lives. In short, as John prepared the way for the coming Messiah, the people were simply buzzing with anticipation, expecting that in any moment the Messiah might come walking down the road, step out from behind a tree, or simply miraculously appear right before them. So primed were they for the Messiah’s appearing that they began wondering if the Messiah might already be standing before them.
Well, even as they asked their simple question, wondering if John might possibly be the Messiah, he simply told them that he wasn’t and once again called on them to prepare for his coming, as our text tells us, “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” (Luke 3:15–17, NIV)
Unlike we Lutherans, who will simply look in the guest book if we really want to know who a visitor is, the crowds directly asked John their question, and through their simple question John had the opportunity to once again prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. In short, his answer was a resounding, “No. I am not the Messiah.” Rather, he was the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” He was the one who was constantly pointing the people toward the Messiah, encouraging them to look for him, and calling on them to put their faith and their hope in him. John was not out to make a name for himself, no! His sole purpose was to bring glory to the Lord by preparing the people for their Messiah, and that is exactly what he did with his answer! For even as he answered, John told them that he was merely the Lord’s humble servant! He was the Lord’s humble servant who wasn’t even worthy to stoop down and untie the Messiah’s sandals. Even though John was a powerful and authoritative preacher, his mission was to point to the one who was more powerful than he, the Messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Now, when people hear this statement, that the Messiah would come to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, so often, they get all bent out of shape. They begin to think that John’s baptism wasn’t up to scratch and they now need a special baptism by the Holy Spirit in order to be faithful Christians. The thing that they don’t realize is that with this simple sentence, John is summing up the entirety of the Savior’s mission on earth. When the Messiah came, he would come to his people in love and grace proclaiming the message of salvation to all who believed. He would be gentle with those of weak faith and build them up in their trust in him, just as Isaiah had prophesied: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4, NIV)
Jesus was the one who would come as the Lamb of God to be the sacrifice for all people, just as the Lord had demonstrated through all of the sacrifices he had commanded. He was the one who would take back his life and return to heaven, and only then, after he had been gloried, on the Day of Pentecost, would he baptize the people with the Holy Spirit and Fire. For it was on that day, as I said last week, when all the nations were gathered in Jerusalem that the Lord Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit on his disciples. Not merely the 12, but all the disciples who had gathered together in that house, and they were given the opportunity to proclaim the message of the Messiah to the peoples of the world right there in Jerusalem. He is the one who would winnow and separate the believers from the unbelievers and at the end of days take the grain into the barn and the chaff into the fire. Right now the harvest is taking place. Each day the workers harvest more and more grain from the harvest field of the world and bring it to the threshing floor of the Lord’s presence, where the oxen of the Lord’s Word continually walk its prescribed path, breaking up the kernels, beginning the separation of the grains from the chaff. Each day our Savior stands with his winnowing fork in his hand, observing the process, and waiting for the exact moment to begin the winnowing. On the Last Day, he will use his fork to toss the kernels into the air so that the grains might fall back to the ground and the chaff be separated landing elsewhere. When the winnowing is done, all the grain will be gathered up and taken into the store house of heaven, but the chaff—those who did not believe in Jesus as their Savior—they will be burned up in the unquenchable fires of damnation.
In such a simple, and yet straight forward way, John answers their question, revealing that he was not the Messiah, and yet preparing them for his immediate arrival. However, when the Lord answered their question, he clearly revealed Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Messiah for whom they had been so well prepared. Our text tells us, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21–22, NIV)
At the very height of John’s preaching career, while all the people were coming to be baptized, in a rather quiet and unassuming way, the Messiah appears on the scene to be baptized. Though it doesn’t tell us here, from the other gospels we learn that John was so surprised that Jesus would come to him to be baptized that John was rather hesitant to do it. Instead, John insisted that he needed to be baptized by Jesus. Though John would have been correct on any other occasion, Jesus showed him that it was necessary now, at the start of his earthly ministry that John baptize Jesus in order that Jesus might be anointed and revealed as the Messiah who had come to his people!
It was in that moment, after Jesus had come out of the water and was praying on the shore that the Lord answered the people’s question revealing Jesus to be the Messiah. For in the same way that characters in a play will be lit by spotlight in order to emphasize their performance, the God the Father tore open the heavens revealing his glory. The Holy Spirit descended from the heavens in the form of a dove, lighting on Jesus, and remaining with him, as the Father proclaimed, “You are my most beloved Son, with whom I am completely pleased!”
How incredible it must have been on that day when the Lord God simply pointed at his Son and said, “Behold! Here is your Messiah!” How incredible it must have been to have the question of Messiahship answered. How incredible it must have been to realize that the Lord who had sent John into the wilderness, baptizing the people for repentance, just gave his seal of approval to their baptisms by using the baptism of his Son to mark him as the Savior of all people. How incredible that on this day, when Jesus was baptized there would have been at least a few people who had heard the message of the shepherds and seen the Magi come to town some 30 years before. But how much more incredible that the Lord our God saw to it that this account was recorded for our learning! For from these words, our question of who the Messiah is, is clearly answered. We are assured that Jesus is the one whom God the Father chose to be our Savior.
Now, because Jesus’ baptism was given the approval of God his Father, we can take comfort and assurance in our baptisms, because our baptism today is no different than Jesus baptism by John. In fact, by John’s confession that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, baptism was marked even then as a Sacrament by the Authority of Jesus from whom baptism derives its divine power. Even though the Lord Jesus did not command baptism to be carried out by all believers among all nations until the day he returned to heaven, those who were baptized by John and by Jesus’ disciples received the same blessings as we do today, the forgiveness of sins, life, and the assurance of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.
What an amazing question we have answered today! Though it isn’t a question from our mothers asking us about school or if we asked good questions today, it is a question of utmost importance. For today we have asked a simple question about the Messiah and learned who he truly is and all that he has done for us.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Le Sueur, MN
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