Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Luke 3:7-18, 21-22 (June 20, 2004) Key Verse: Luke 3:16 "I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Here is a sermon with power and fire. Luke begins innocently enough by telling us we’re in for a “sample” of John’s preaching to the crowds that came out for baptism. The sample we get makes us wonder what makes this wilderness preacher so angry. “Do you think a little water on your snake skins is going to deflect God’s judgment?” he asks at the outset of this “sample”. And we know the answer. It won’t. So what does baptism accomplish (as John practiced it) and why does he attack the crowds who want to be baptized? In Greek, the root meaning of “bapto” is to dip repeatedly, when dying a cloth another color. One of the meanings of “baptitzo” is to overwhelm. The baptisms John practiced in the Jordan River represented far more than a religious exercise. Before the passage we read today, Luke reports that John preached a baptism of repentance or life change, leading to forgiveness. John recognized that not everyone was ready for this radical life change. The ceremony of the water touched only their skin, but not their hearts. What interests me about their response to John’s harsh accusations involves their immediate capitulation. Something has happened to their hearts. Instead of arguing with John or defending themselves, they respond to his accusations with a simple question: “What should we do?” This all-important question parallels the one people asked Peter after his Pentecost message in Acts 2:37. When the Spirit convicts our hearts, we are freed from defensiveness and hiding. Since God knows all anyway, and loves us still, we have no need to fear the kind of life change offered. In this passage, John speaks to three parties. To the crowd in general, he counseled generosity: give your second coat and extra food to someone who needs it. To the tax collectors, John ordered them to stop extorting money from the people. To the soldiers (what were they doing by the Jordan river?) John gave the order to stop robbing people and to be content with their pay. When Jesus comes for baptism, he gives the first indication of what John has hinted will follow: a baptism by water and by the fire of the Holy Spirit. The heavens split apart and a dove anoints the Savior of the world for battle with the forces of evil that enslave all people. He will not merely talk them to death. Jesus will commit his body and soul in a fight that will open the possibility of life change and forgiveness to everyone. For further reading, see Acts 2. Questions for Reflection
Next Week: Read Luke 4:1-13 and reflect on the necessity for spiritual testing in our life with Christ. When have you been tested? What can you learn from Jesus’ experience? |
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