Epiphany II

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be alway acceptable unto Thee, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

From the Gospel: “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Last week our bishop told us there are many “epiphanies,” or manifestations, revelations of Christ recorded in Scripture.

The first one we think of is the epiphany we heard about last Sunday, the revelation of Christ to the gentiles, specifically to the wise men.

Another which comes to mind is the Transfiguration, which reveals to us the appearance of Jesus in his glorified state.

Of course, we think of the post Resurrection appearances of Christ, especially those to his apostles, which form the basis of our apostolic Faith.

Then too, if you think about it, each of Jesus’ miracles revealed his divine power; his teaching revealed his divine wisdom.

There are also revelations of Christ in visions, remembering especially his appearance to Paul on the road to Damascus, and to Saint John in the Apocalypse.

There are also many reports of the saints having had visions of Christ down through the centuries.

Even in the Old Testament, we find revelations of Christ in prophecies, promises, and prefigurations, the ram with which God provided as a substitute for the death of Isaac being one of the clearest.

Each of these epiphanies are precious to us because they reveal something about Christ, and through those revelations, something about the Father.

As Jesus said to Philip at the Last Supper, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father;” (John 14:9)

The Baptism of Jesus, which we observe today, is the launch of his public ministry.

Up until then, Jesus had been known to only a few, from then on, he would be very much a public figure, loved by some, hated by others.

The Baptism is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels, although with a few differences in details, which is to be expected.

(For example, Matthew adds the detail about John’s initial reluctance to baptize Jesus, arguing he needed to be baptized by Jesus, but then his acquiescence at Jesus’s urging.)

Saint John’s account of the Gospel does not include the event of the Baptism itself, but clearly alludes to it, using it to give additional insights into the person of Jesus.

This is typical of John, of course; he assumes we know about the Baptism itself from the Synoptics; he is interested in supplying the deeper meanings.

Our account for today is taken from the Gospel according to Saint Mark.

Mark tells us nothing about the birth or childhood of Jesus.

His account of the Gospel begins by introducing John the Baptist, concluding with John’s prophecy, “there cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” (Mark 1:7-8)

Immediately thereafter Mark continues with his account of the Baptism of Jesus.

“… it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11)

This is typical of Mark; like Sgt. Joe Friday, he is interested in “just the facts ma’am, nothing but the facts.”

He gives us the unvarnished facts with very little commentary, believing the facts will speak for themselves.

In this case, Mark assumes we will understand Jesus is the one mightier than John who will Baptize with the Holy Ghost.

The Baptism of Jesus is clearly a bit mysterious.

In terms of our salvation, it is of the utmost importance, along with His Passion, and the Institution of the Lord’s Supper.

We need to understand Jesus’ Baptism to make sense of our own.

What makes it confusing is John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.

Those who were baptized by him confessed their sins and were forgiven and cleansed, to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.

This raises the very real issue of why Jesus was baptized.

He was sinless; He had nothing to repent.

Nevertheless, He was baptized by John.

Clearly this was not done for His benefit; he had no need for it.

This leads us to a very important insight.

Our Lord’s Baptism is best understood as being vicarious.

The word, “vicarious,” means something done on behalf of another.

My title, “Vicar,” comes from the same root word.

I am not the Rector of Saint Patrick’s; I am the Vicar.

Saint Patrick’s is a Mission, not a Parish, which means the bishop is our Rector; I am his vicar, I minister here on his behalf.

Jesus was baptized on behalf of each of us.

His Baptism did nothing for him; it is infinitely valuable for us.

This makes sense of his Baptism.

He had absolutely no need to receive the Holy Ghost; He and the Holy Ghost are eternally in complete and perfect union.

We, on the other hand, most definitely need to receive the Holy Ghost; we need Christ to baptize us with the Holy Ghost.

By the same token, there was no need for the Father to proclaim Him as His Son; He is eternally God the Son.

We, on the other hand, do most definitely need to be adopted as God’s children.

We are born the children of Adam, the children of wrath, but in Baptism, we are cleansed from sin and adopted by God as His own precious children.

Again, there was no need for the Father to proclaim Himself as well-pleased with Jesus; they eternally are one.

We, on the other hand very much need to become the objects of God’s favor.

All of this is accomplished through our Baptism, through which we participate in Jesus’s Baptism.

To use Saint Paul’s wonderful expression, in Baptism we are made to be “in Christ.”

Because we are “in Christ”, when the Holy Ghost descends upon Jesus, He descends upon us.

When God the Father proclaims Jesus His son, He proclaims us His children.

When God the Father pronounces Himself well pleased with Jesus, He pronounces Himself well pleased with us.

Jesus was baptized was not for His benefit, but for ours.

When we are baptized the “innumerable benefits” of His atoning sacrifice on the Cross are applied to us.

This notion of vicarious ministry is of the utmost importance in understanding the whole program of salvation.

In terms of the atonement, Jesus’ Passion and Death are best understood as being vicarious rather than as being a penal substitution.

He died on our behalf, not as our substitute.

The atonement was not the penalty for our sins, but a sacrifice offered for the remission of our sins; our penalty is now graciously remitted when we meet the conditions of salvation – repentance, faith, and Baptism.

Prior to Baptism, we abode under the wrath of God despite the fact the atonement had already been made for our sins.

The penalty for Sin is not physical death, even so awful a death as crucifixion; the penalty for Sin is eternal damnation.

Jesus did not suffer eternal damnation; therefore, He did not suffer the penalty of our sins.

His atoning sacrifice is accepted in lieu of our penalty; it is not the penalty itself.

Through his shedding of blood, the penalty of damnation for our sins may be remitted.

The Scriptures state emphatically the Jesus tasted death for every man and died for all men, but his death does not provide automatic salvation; it provides a conditional salvation available to all.

Jesus died for the remission of sins, yet even after the atonement men are still called to repentance and Baptism for the remission of sins.

Jesus died to reconcile us to God, and yet after the atonement men are still told to be reconciled to God.

The atonement of Christ is the provision through which men can be reconciled and have their penalty remitted -- but not necessarily or automatically so.

The Bible is also clear that God had mercy before the atonement and that God still has wrath after the atonement.

Sadly, those who reject the Gospel choose to remain under the wrath of God.

Biblical propitiation does not render God more favorably disposed towards Man, for if God were not already favorably disposed towards Man before the atonement He never would have arranged for the atonement in the first place.

It is not that the atonement gave us a merciful God but that a merciful God gave us the atonement.

The atonement is the demonstration of His love and mercy towards us.

It is propitiatory because it is the means by which God exercises His mercy and turns from His wrath, which He does when we repent, believe, and are baptized into Christ.

What then does this mean for us? What are we called to do about it?

In terms of our own salvation, what is required of us is gratitude, gratitude which is expressed in worship, continued spiritual growth through examination of conscience and repentance, and acts of charity and mercy to our fellow men.

Above all, we are to act as Christ’s vicars in extending the offer of salvation to those who have not yet availed themselves of it.

If we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, the most loving thing we can do for our neighbor is to offer him the gift of eternal salvation.

Amen.