Matthew 3:13-17

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen

Matthew 3:13-17

13 At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?!”

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now, for this is how it is appointed for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So he let him.

16 Immediately after Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending and alighting on him like a dove.

17 And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Dear Congregation,

At the beginning of the year, the important topic is baptism. In our Lutheran tradition, it belongs to the beginning of a life or the beginning of a life with Jesus.
The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan also represents a beginning. The beginning of his ministry as Christ. Up to this moment, Jesus is Jesus from Nazareth. He is a man in the prime of life. He is a devout Jew, and it is known that a special power emanates from him.
But through baptism, Jesus of Nazareth becomes Jesus Christ.
Now Jesus is no longer just a grown, devout Jew from a small town, but he receives a new task and identity: "You are my beloved Son!"

Let's take a closer look at this.
John and Jesus meet. They know each other well. After all, they are second cousins. They are the sons of Elizabeth and Mary. We know how close these two women were.

John became a preacher. He is known for his clear words. He can also be harsh. He preaches asceticism. He is a radical man.
He calls for repentance. He preaches to people and appeals to their conscience. He urges them to reflect on their lives and make a decision. Change yourselves. Start anew.
His baptism is a profession of repentance. Many churches still practice this kind of baptism today: they preach repentance to God and encourage people to change their lives and seal this with baptism.

Now Jesus appears. He wants to be baptized by John. John no longer understands the world. Why should I baptize Jesus? He doesn't need it. Jesus is already on the right path. John submits. He, who otherwise knows exactly how people should live, experiences in his encounter with Jesus: here it's the other way around. Here I could learn something. A power emanates from Jesus. There is no reason for repentance, no cause for penance, and therefore no necessity for his baptism.

But Jesus persists. “Let it happen!” or, translated another way: “Allow it!” Jesus explains to John. We are not the ones doing the acting in this moment. It’s not about what we do, but something is happening to us. Let it happen. Let God work now:  through us, and in us.

This is a completely different aspect of baptism. Here, the starting point is not the firm will and desire to change one’s life. Here, the starting point is the profound insight: In baptism, something happens to us. We recognize who we truly are. “You are my beloved son!” “You are my beloved daughter!”

Let it happen! Many people struggle with this “letting it happen!” I can understand that very well. Because it can very quickly seem as if we are leaving everything to God. As if we are not responsible for anything. We can sit back and do nothing and trust God. He will take care of it.

Just recently I had a long conversation with a family who are in dire financial straits. They were lured in by promises that were far too good to be true. They made some very foolish financial decisions because they were promised the moon. It's a terrible situation, and their reaction was: "Die Here sal ons help!" "Mag die Here dit regmaak!"

I wonder: what is God supposed to do here? At first glance, that sounds very pious and humble. But that's precisely not the kind of behavior meant by "let it happen!"

Here, it would probably be John's turn to speak to people's consciences, to shake them awake and make them aware: Repent and turn back. Change your lives or understand that you are responsible for some things yourself.

And yet, "letting it happen" is so important. "Let it happen now!" Jesus encourages John.
What is John supposed to let happen? He is supposed to make room for God. There is human action and there is divine power.
Here in this story, both come together: Both have their place.
John's awakening preaching makes people aware that they are responsible for much of the misfortune in their lives and therefore also for some of the happiness. And in contrast, Jesus, through whom and in whom God becomes visible, and how God works in this world, together with us humans, becomes clear.
Jesus allows it to happen that he is called. Jesus experiences that he is not thrown alone, but that God is and remains connected to him. Jesus experiences that he is a beloved child of God

What he allows to happen is that he has a special task. His calling is not primarily to plead, "Here help me." "Help me, God!" Rather, Jesus is called to help God: by allowing God to work through him.

This is also illustrated by the fact that right after the baptism, Matthew recounts the temptation of Jesus
The temptation is to believe that one has superhuman powers through the power of God. The temptation is to overestimate oneself. The temptation is to get involved in deals that promise the moon. Opportunities that are too good to be true.

Do you notice how Matthew brings together two important poles here and creates a field of tension? This is the field in which we move: On the one hand, our human responsibility: our good, life-affirming decisions, and on the other hand, our bad decisions with which we put ourselves, our fellow human beings, and the entire planet in distress. This requires insight, courage, and conversion, repentance.
And on the other hand, our human, merciless over extension of ourselves, as if we had the world in our hands and our lives completely under control. This is where the preaching of God's grace comes in.

Let's look at baptism one last time: John baptizes in the Jordan:
He immerses people—perhaps a bit roughly: People, understand: the water
is up to our necks, and you, with your lifestyle, are partly to blame. I'm immersing
you: so that all this guilt is washed away and you emerge as new
people.
God doesn't act for us—but not without us either.

And then Jesus comes: not a rough immersion, but a trusting
surrender in the water: learning to swim. That, too, is baptism: learning to swim in the
river of life and trusting the water that carries it.
Repentance without grace is hard. Grace without repentance is cheap.

How good that we emphasize different aspects in different churches. How good it is that we don't play John and Jesus off against each other—one more important than the other. Jesus interrupts this game.

How good it is when we become wise in our lives and understand when it is time to pray and plead: “God help me!” and when it is time to turn back, to stop certain behaviors and attitudes that only bring unhappiness.

At the beginning of the year, John and Jesus invite us to ask: “What is our calling in the world?”
And they also invite us to recognize: “God is at work in us and through us!” Let it happen.


A summary in text message length:
Baptism doesn't mean we'll never sink.
Baptism means we can trust the water that carries us.
And that we learn to move—with our own strength, yet held.
Christ doesn't call us to a secure existence, but to a responsible life.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.