Who Baptized Jesus?

Read Luke 3:15-22 for context.

 

The baptism of Jesus is one of the few stories recorded in all four gospels. In all four gospels it marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. In Mark’s gospel, we see Jesus for the first time at his baptism, just 9 verses into the book. Matthew and Luke have extensive birth narratives, and Luke tells one story of Jesus as a 12 year old; still, we meet the adult Jesus for the first time at his baptism.  Even in John’s gospel, where it is clear that the Word was with God in the beginning, we see the incarnate Word, Jesus, for the first time at his baptism.

There is no question that this is significant. Baptism marks a beginning in all four gospels. And in all four gospels the Spirit descends in bodily form, like a dove, making it abundantly clear that God is physically present and evident for all to see. And then a voice from heaven speaks. Everyone recognizes that this is the voice of God the Father pouring out blessings upon blessings upon his beloved Son.

When a story shows up in more than one gospel it is always a good idea to compare the various versions, looking for similarities and differences. Much like listening to several different witnesses in a court of law, the testimonies point to the commonalities and they also inevitably tell us something about the witness. The fact that I might notice a detail that you miss, or that you might highlight an aspect that seems unimportant to me speaks more about us, as the witnesses, than it does about the event we witnessed.

There is no doubt that the four stories of Jesus’ baptism tell us a lot about the gospel writers. Mark is simply proclaiming the good news: Jesus was baptized by John at the Jordan. In Matthew, there is some question as to whether John is worthy to baptize Jesus. Jesus explains that this is how it is supposed to be and John consents. In Luke, we do not know who baptized Jesus, because John has just been locked up in prison. None-the-less, Jesus is baptized. John’s gospel infers baptism, but we are left wondering whether Jesus was baptized or not. Still, in all four gospels the Spirit descended in bodily form, like a dove and rested on Jesus.

I think these differences tell us more about our gospel writers than they do about Jesus. Clearly they questioned the purpose of baptism – well, except for Mark. Mark’s gospel is the earliest gospel, and clearly Mark saw the baptism of Jesus as his initiation into ministry. On the other hand, the author of John’s gospel wonders why anyone would baptize the Lamb of God who is without sin – the one who has come to take away the sin of the world. And Matthew wrestles with whether John is worthy to baptize the One who is more powerful than he is. After all, John’s baptism is a baptism for repentance, and Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke solves Matthew’s problem by throwing John into prison, leaving us all wondering who baptized Jesus. I must admit that I have always found this deeply disturbing. We have all grown up “knowing” John baptized Jesus in the Jordan. And yet, there it is, in black and white. Herod shut up John in prison and then Jesus was baptized.

What do you do with a Biblical text that is disturbing? Apparently I have avoided it, choosing to preach the story of baptism in Mark’s gospel even when the lectionary assigned Luke. In retrospect, that was cowardly of me. After all, Biblical texts are meant to be wrestled with. But there’s something even more telling: the committee who put the lectionary together – the three year cycle of scriptures that the Catholic church and most mainline denominations follow – skipped verses 19 and 20. Even the lectionary, in telling the story of Jesus’ baptism in Luke’s gospel, conveniently ignores that fact that John has been imprisoned.

Friends, we are no longer in a place where we can ignore difficult texts. As we start this study on The Way Forward, I think the most difficult conversation we will have will be about scripture. What do you do when it is there in black and white – John has been shut up in prison and then Jesus was baptized? We can’t be like the lectionary committee and simply skip those verses. And we can’t choose to ignore them and focus on something that is more comfortable.

I love how God works. In the midst of my wrestling this week, my daily devotional by Richard Rohr has been focusing on scripture. A few days ago this is what he wrote about reading scripture:

“Offer a prayer for guidance from the Holy Spirit before you make your interpretation of an important text. With an open heart and mind, seek the attitude of a beginner and learner. Pray as long as it takes to feel any certitudes loosen.”

Let me pause here: Pray as long as it takes to feel any certitudes loosen. I first had to identify my certitudes. Why does it matter who baptized Jesus? Why am I so certain that it had to be John? How do I let go of my certainty and seek the attitude of a beginner and learner?

Rohr goes on: “Once you have attained some degree of openness, try to move to a position of detachment from your own egoic will and its goals and desires—to be correct, to be secure, to stay with the familiar. This might take some time, but without such freedom from your own need for control, you will invariably make a text say what you need and want it to say.”

And I can’t help but laugh. Even the lectionary committee, in their need for control, tried to make the text say what they needed and wanted it to say. Of course Jesus was baptized by John! But not in Luke’s gospel. So now we must all ask the Holy Spirit to speak the truth into our desire to be correct, secure and familiar and to show us all how to read this text.

Rohr continues: “Then you must listen for a deeper voice than your own, which you will know because it will never shame or frighten you, but rather strengthen you, even when it is challenging you.” (Friday, January 11, 2019 – see https://cac.org/beginners-mind-2019-01-11/ for the full reflection.)

Friends, listening for that deeper voice than your own is far from easy. In the same way that each gospel writer tells the story of Jesus’ baptism through his own lens, we read the story through our own lens. And our lenses have their own certitudes and insecurities, their own fears and desires, their own degree of tolerance of the unknown.

So we faithfully read scripture by starting in prayer. Lord, let my certitudes loosen and give me the heart of a beginner. Help me step away from my own goals and desires to hear what You, Lord, have to say in this text.  Let me hear your voice and not my own.

And God speaks: It doesn’t matter who baptized Jesus. In the same way, it doesn’t matter who baptized you. It simply matters that you have been baptized. I am reminded of the conflict at the start of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. There were divisions among them as some said, “I belong to Apollos,” and others said, “I belong to Cephas,” because that is who baptized them.  Arguing about who baptized you simply leads to divisions. What matters is that you were baptized into this one body we call the church.

In the same way, it doesn’t matter whether you were dunked or simply had three drops of water placed on your head. And it doesn’t matter whether you were baptized as an infant or later in your life. What matters is that on that day you entered into a life-long relationship with God and with the church.

Now, over the years many of us have strayed from our baptismal vows. Some wrestle deeply with God, others find it easy to remain faithful. Some leave the church permanently, others return.  We are all at different places in our journey of faith. Still, in our baptisms God spoke a deep truth to each one of us: “You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased.”

There it is in black and white: You are my beloved. You are deeply loved by God. Turn to your neighbor and say to them, “You are deeply loved by God.” And more than that: God is well pleased with you. Turn to your neighbor and tell them, “God is well pleased with you.”

Friends, I’m not trying to make the interpretation of scripture easy. I’m not looking for simple solutions to difficult texts. I believe the knowledge that we have all been baptized into one body and the assurance that we are all deeply loved by God stand as promises – we can’t let go of these truths. At the same time, they challenge us to be open to the Holy Spirit who descended like a dove on Jesus, and then drove him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. They challenge us to be open to the Holy Spirit who fell on the disciples like flames of fire at Pentecost and gave birth to the church. They challenge us to trust that, just as God showed up at our baptism, God shows up as we seek to learn and grow and follow Jesus more faithfully.