New Beginning

Luke 3: 15 – 17, 21-22 (January 10, 2010)

1) The Text

15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

2) The Context

This small episode in Luke's gospel is the third in a group of six witnesses, or testimonies, to Jesus. This particular episode concerns the witness of Jesus' baptism. We see in Jesus' baptism the hope of redemption and in the words from heaven, the commissioning of God's servant messiah on our behalf.

People flock to John the Baptist, responding to his urging to start new, ethical lives as a way of preparing for Jesus (vv. 3-6). John has condemned those who seek his baptism with no intention of reforming their ways (v. 7). He has warned that being Jewish is no assurance of being part of the renewed Israel. Failure to respond to his call to repentance can lead to condemnation at the end of time.

With some important stylistic differences, all four Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ baptism by John: "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 = Mark 1:9–11= Matthew 3:13–17; John 1:29–34).

3) Interpretation

The baptism of Jesus celebrates both the uniqueness of Jesus and his role as a model for all who will be so baptized with the Spirit. Jesus' baptism inaugurated his public ministry. The second section of our text is the actual transition between the ministry of John and the work of Jesus. It is interesting that the actual baptism of Jesus is not recounted by Luke, who does not even tell us that John baptizes him. While the other Gospels focus on the baptism of Jesus directly, Luke is the only Gospel that places Jesus among the crowds of people responding to John’s preaching: "when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized." Whatever the reasons for this omission in Luke, the result is clearly a focus on the event after Jesus "had been baptized" (v. 21).

There is also significance in the fact that it was while Jesus was praying that heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended (v.21), a detail also unique to Luke’s Gospel. Luke later will tell us that Jesus often prayed, especially at important junctures in his ministry (5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 28-29, 11:1, 22:32, 41, 23:34, 46). For Luke, this communicates the direct relationship of Jesus’ life with the Father. It is in that context here of submission to God in prayer that heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit affirmed and empowered Jesus and His work in the world. There can be little doubt that Luke intends to draw a parallel between this event and the fact the early Christian community was gathered together in prayer when the Holy Spirit was given to the church (Acts 1:14). It is in submission to God that the power of the Holy Spirit comes.

Further, Luke is more concerned with emphasizing the newness that is coming into the world in the present as a result of the coming of Jesus. That suggests that heaven opening is really the inauguration, not only of Jesus ministry as the Christ, but also of a new way of God’s working in the world through the Holy Spirit active in the Church. This perspective is reinforced by Luke’s emphasis on the physical form of the dove that descended upon Jesus (v. 22), marking this as a revelatory event within history. In other words, it was the coming of Jesus and his unique role in opening heaven for the Spirit that provided the foundation, the grounding, the possibility, of the filling of the Holy Spirit in the church at Pentecost and throughout Acts.

As he has already done, and will continue to do, Luke is writing with a view to the church that is already rapidly growing as he writes his Gospel. He points to the coming of Jesus, his teachings, life, death, and resurrection, as the foundation of the church, as the beginning of a new work of God in the world, and calls us to participate in that newness, in that new beginning of the future by participating in the process of refining, of winnowing, and of allowing the Holy Spirit to enable us for being God’s people, the church, in the world now.

The second half of the pronouncement comes from the section of Isaiah that speaks of the servant of the Lord. While the first part of the heavenly pronouncement brought forth royal images of power and authority, the image evoked here is that of a servant to the nations, one who proclaims and brings justice. This dual role of Jesus as King yet as servant is an important faith confession for Luke. For Luke, the nature of the church is shaped by the nature of the one who called it into being. The descent of the Spirit marks the beginning of Jesus ministry, and defines that ministry both in terms of God’s work of power in the world (v. 16) evoking the imagery of a King, and the work of a servant who is bringing justice to the nations.

That same Spirit in the same two dimensions will also mark the beginning of the church as this new beginning makes it possible. As the Holy Spirit empowers Jesus for his task in the world, so the Holy Spirit empowers the Church for its task in the world. And that implies that the power of the King is really the power to serve.

4) Thought Exercise

What is the task for our church in the world?

How will you answer the call to serve in our church this year?