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Matthew 3:13-17 Do you remember the first time you went underwater? All the way under water? Your head was submersed and you had the sensation of being enclosed by liquid. I remember it very well. We were on a family vacation in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. There's a large public pool there, filled with warm water from the natural hot springs. I was with my dad and we were wading around in the shallow end of the pool. I saw the big kids jumping off the side of the pool into the water and I wanted to know what it was like to go underwater. So, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and dunked myself into the pool. It was a brief experience, but I was very proud of myself. In the controlled environment of that public pool, I experienced the almost soundless, weightless experience of being submersed in water. That led to many happy childhood experiences at the swimming pool. Years later, I had a very different experience of going underwater. A friend of mine took me out onto a lake to teach me to water ski. He pulled the boat into a cove and I got ready for my first ski lesson. Then I jumped off the side of the boat into the lake. It was the first time I'd jumped into water where I couldn't see the bottom. As I took the plunge, it felt like I was diving farther than I ever had into the water. The lake was murky, and as I descended the light began to fade out. I could hear only muffled sounds - the sounds of bubbles around me. Finally, my descent ended and I began to float back toward the surface. Gradually, I began to see more light above. I could see the hull of the boat come into view. And, when I broke the surface, there was a flash of perception - it was like I was seeing the sunshine, hearing sounds, smelling the air - all for the first time. As we go through life, we sometimes become submerged in things other than water. We allow our hurts, disappointments, anger, weariness, and frustrations to wash over us. As we plunge deeper, we begin to lose sight of the sights and sounds of living that bring us joy and happiness. Today we consider the scripture passage that tells the story about the baptism of Jesus. Last month we spent some time thinking about John the Baptist. You'll remember that John had gone out to the River Jordan where he was teaching people how to leave their past behind. He encouraged them to turn away from the attitudes and behaviors that held them back. As John's followers accepted his message, they were baptized in the Jordan River. In this symbolic act, they allowed themselves to be covered over with the water - just as they had been covered by the mistakes of their lives - before coming to the surface with a fresh viewpoint on living. So, here's the scene. John is out in the desert, baptizing his followers in the River Jordan. And Jesus makes his way from Galilee to see John. Jesus wants to be baptized. What can we learn from the experience of Jesus?
Did you notice what happened when Jesus presented himself to John for baptism? John refused to baptize him! He said, "Wait a minute. You should baptize me! You want me to baptize you?" This raises an interesting question. Why was Jesus baptized? If Jesus was without sin, why did he need to repent? Why would he go through the same ritual that was a mark of changed lives for John's followers? Scriptural scholars have debated this question for years and there is no single answer. But three reasons have been suggested; and each one of them has some truth. First, some say that Jesus was renouncing the sheltered life of home and dedicating himself to a dangerous ministry. And that's what he did. He left his parent's home and became a homeless man who had nowhere to lay his head. Second, others say that when he was baptized Jesus took on the common sin of all humankind. At his baptism, Jesus took the sins of all humans to himself (not to become a party to the sin) in order to share in our shame and pain. By absorbing our sin into the wholeness of his love, he brought about reconciliation. Finally, some say that Jesus wanted to be baptized because he knew that God had a mission to give him. John, who was the cousin of Jesus, served to prepare the way. And, at his baptism John was the conduit for the commission of Jesus' ministry. As Jesus came to the surface of the Jordan River, he heard the voice of God. He had a new understanding of his purpose in life. There was a crystal clear knowledge about his relationship to God and what he needed to do. How does all of this relate to us? Well, we all know that we have fallen short of what we could be in life. We know that we've made serious mistakes, some of those mistakes have hurt others badly. Some of our shortcomings have hurt us - keeping us from becoming what we could have been. We understand the need to repent. But, we can become trapped in shame and sadness about our shortcomings. In fact, our guilt can add to the murky water swirling around us. It can keep us from breaking free to find new life. Just as Jesus came to the surface and clearly understood his relationship to God, we can break into the sunlight of God's love and acceptance.
Have any of you ever gone underwater in a submarine or a diving bell? If you have, you know that it's important to understand the effects of underwater pressure. The pressure within a diver's body tissues must also equal the surrounding pressure. For example, at a depth of 80 meters the pressure within the body must be equal to nine times normal atmospheric pressure. This compression is achieved by pumping a mixture of oxygen and an inert gas such as helium into the diving bell or submarine. When divers return to the surface, however, they can't simply decompress at the same rate as compression. If they did, after spending a significant time at depth, inert gas bubbles would form in the blood and tissues resulting in the "bends." The symptoms of the bends are joint pain, fatigue, numbness or tingling of the skin, and even weakness or inability to move an arm or a leg. To avoid this effect, divers must come back to the surface gradually. If you've ever come to a sudden realization, a breakthrough understanding, you know that it can have a disorienting effect on you. Much like the bends, you can feel overwhelmed - weak, tired, or incapacitated. Today's scripture reading reminds us that Jesus was fully human. I don't think it's irreverent or sacrilegious to assume a slow clarifying in Jesus mind - a deepening awareness during his years in Nazareth - that God had a special destiny in mind for him. Such an understanding is an acknowledgment of the humanness of Christ. We can only guess at the inward soul stirring by which he slowly knew that he would walk a difficult and lonely path that would change human history. Maybe he was finally sure that day at the Jordan River. As he went to be baptized, he may have been aware that the soul-shaking moment was at hand. As we seek for spiritual understanding and maturity, it's easy to get frustrated. We want instant gratification. We want God to reveal everything to us right now. We want to know God's direction for our lives. We crave spiritual enlightenment. But, the truth is, we come to the surface gradually. To do otherwise would probably be overwhelming for us. Rather than giving us a case of the spiritual bends, God lovingly nudges us toward the surface where we can bask in the knowledge of God's love.
As Jesus came to the surface of the Jordan River and heard God's voice say that he was his beloved Son, the seal was set. The person and purpose of Jesus was far different from what John had expected. He was no political power, plotting to take control of the government. Instead, Jesus chose to take on human form and to share the dark hopelessness of submersion in failure. This was his task, utterly alone, to build a bridge between heaven and earth. How else could we be released from the crushing weight of our sins? How else could we be led toward the light at the surface of the water, except by one who knows the source of the light? Yesterday I saw a documentary about flood victims. One man described his experience when his car was swept off a road into a rain-swollen river. He talked about his desperate effort to get out of the car. Once he came to the surface of the river, he talked about having an entirely different purpose. He had new energy to get out of the river and everything that held danger. Many of us who have found ourselves crushed in by the weight of trouble and pain know the exhilaration of finally breaking through to the surface. And we know that new energy and purpose come with that joy. Today we are encouraged to rely on God's power to bring us to the surface of all that holds us back. We are nudged to find our buoyancy in the love and forgiveness of Christ. When we stop struggling against the current and allow God's love to lift us, we will begin moving toward light and freshness in our lives. But, we shouldn't forget the purpose that we find in our lives. Because God's love is intended for all who are thrashing about in the dark waters of despair and hopelessness. We are also called to share the good news of God's love so that others might also come to the surface.
Amen. |