Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."


Can U imagine a meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. & Malcom X?

Or, a similar meeting between & Pope & the Dali Lama?

Perhaps between Tutu & Mendella? Mother Theresa & Billy Graham?

Some of these actually happened. Some haven’t. In any case, it would be interesting to imagine the dialogue, the mutual goals, ideas, support, encouragement.

I was curious if Malcolm & Martin had ever met, so I did a google search. Apparently, they never met. However, in 1987, there was a fictional play that speculated what such a meeting might have been like.


''The Meeting'' takes place in 1965 in Malcolm X's room at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem. Dr. King's visit, at Malcolm X's invitation, displeases Malcolm X's Black Muslim bodyguards & other followers.

In the play…..each of the men makes a strong case for his vision of freedom for their people and the best means of getting there. Malcolm X, who sees integration as ''the white man's solution for control,'' mocking the civil rights movement for ''sitting 'round a camp fire singing 'We Shall Overcome' while a cross is burning.''
Dr. King responds with a passionate defense of incremental victories, like the Voter Registration Act of 1965.
What do you think they would have said to each other?

Our text for today shares an encounter between two spiritual giants. Jesus & John the Baptist.

All four of the Gospels have Jesus being baptized by John, but Matthew is the only one that shares the encounter in such detail.

In this passage we get a glimpse of the dialogue…at least reconstructed my Matthew.

What we see is: a Connection, a Confirmation, a Clarity of Purpose.

And, what we see is a useful path for us as we try to discern truth & wisdom for our lives.

First, Jesus sought out John. He heard where he was conducting his ministry and went to find him.

But what do you think prompted him to do this? What was the catalyst or reason for wanting to do this? Usually we understand baptism as “a new beginning” a “washing of sin” or some other marker as the start of a new path.

That why the term “christened” is used for baptism as well as the commencement of something like a new ship.

So, why now for Jesus? Think he got fed up with his life? Why would the “sinless” one need baptism?

Don’t know the answer to that. Let you speculate & ponder. But something drove him out into the wilderness to seek John & be baptized.

Maybe he heard about what John was doing and just had to see. Maybe he sought the counsel of one who was already at it. Maybe he did it to fulfill scripture.


Maybe He found in John a connection. A common purpose and drive.

Their goal: to Usher in the Kingdom. To bring change to both the religious establishment as well as society.

Go back to Martin Luther King for a second….

Have you seen old black and white video footage of the civil rights marches in the sixties?

Martin Luther King often at the front received his share of stinging high-pressured water hoses. Rev. King once remarked that he and the other marchers had a common strength. He put it this way, as:

"We went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were a Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water."King goes on…. “You and I know water. All of God's children know the water. We share by our faith this common symbol, this initiation, this rite, this power of God over the deep and often raging chaos of life. We know water! All over the world Baptism unites us.”

We know water!! , Even unto today!

When we need to make a decision,..we too often seek counsel, connection.

There’s something helpful about sharing our burden and talking through the issues. Having a mentor, sponsor, wise elder helps in our process.

We also seek connection with the divine. Through prayer & discernment, we seek Holy Communion….we seek Confirmation., we seek new life.

This is where the actual baptism comes in. There is something powerful and cleansing about it. There is something unique and powerful that goes beyond words.

We call it a sacrament for that reason. God is present in a powerful way to confirm our path.

I’ve been reminded recently of a movie I love that portrays this in a broad way. Some prisoners in New Jersey got free recently…though they were caught. However, the news said the did it like in the movie.

You remember it?

The Shawshank Redemption. An innocent man, Andy Dufresne played by Tim Robbins, is sent to prison for the murder of his wife. Even after evidence emerges that would clear him, the corrupt warden of the prison keeps Andy incarcerated for his own purposes.

Two decades go by. During this time Andy, chips away at the rock in his cell with a tiny pick. The pick was so small that it was never confiscated.

Over those twenty years of continuous picking with this tiny instrument, Andy fashions an escape tunnel. The tunnel leads to the main sewage pipe of the prison complex.

On the night of his escape, aided by a loud thunderstorm that masks his movements, Andy crawls through raw sewage. The sewage pipe is 500 yards long. Can you imagine? Approximately one-half mile of sewage.

When Andy finally emerges, he is standing in an open cesspool. But it is still raining from the thunderstorm.

For a moment Andy stands there in that blessed driving rain falling from heaven while the water washes away the sludge and the stench and the fatigue from both his body and his soul.

Andy is free! For the first time in twenty years he is free! Who can help but see in that driving rain a representation of Christian baptism?

Jesus’ Baptism Confirmed it was time to start his ministry.

At times we need a confirmation of our call. We need someone to say…yes, you are on the right path. You need to hear affirmation…..confirmation.

But, before that….you need to get to a place of saying….I need to do something differently. I need to make changes in my life. I need help. I need meaning and hope in my life.

And when you make that decision, the Lord of Life will confirm your call.

And when that happens….usually you get some clarity.

Unfortunately, the clarity is just in broad terms.

It’s like an “aha” moment. It confirms things, but doesn’t necessarily lay out a future that is clear and easy.

In fact, it probably won’t be easy, for carrying your cross is never easy.

But in the Christian path there is joy. There is peace. There is an inner knowing that you aren’t alone. There is an inner knowing that you are loved.

So, whether or not you remember your baptism, stand on the promise that you are loved, incorporated, included. You are confirmed as beloved of God. Amen.