Jesus' Baptism: Reflection on a Humble God

Luke 3:21-22

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized to.  And as He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

 This is one of those passages you read in Sunday school picture books.  You see the picture of Jesus waste deep in water wearing a white robe looking up to parting skies and smiling at a dove descending.  I don’t really remember what I thought of this as a kid, if I thought anything about it, but reading the story recently struck me as much more significant than it ever had before.  I started with a pretty simple question; why did Jesus get baptized at all?  Baptism is symbolic of a washing away of sins, of repentance; Jesus is without sin, so what was the point?

 I think the key to understanding at least part of His purpose is in the phrase “when all the people were being baptized…”  Jesus had come to be one of us, human, and in getting baptized by John, He was identifying with those He came to save.  Amidst the rebellious crowd in desperate need of the baptism He would provide, Jesus humbles Himself and is baptized.  This was scandalous in many ways.  John himself tried to deter Him, saying that things should be the other way around (Matthew 4:14), but Jesus insisted.

I’m always amazed at the moments of humility Jesus displays in scripture.  As if leaving perfect and close fellowship with the Father to become human was not enough, He lived in poverty, He lived perfectly, He lived like us, He suffered for us. 

This is what changes us.  God’s Law reveals our need but it can’t save.  We become Pharisees, assured by false righteousness, or we become prodigals, burnt out with trying, choosing to live in any way we please.  But for the love given by a God Who stepped out of heaven to live with His creatures we’re changed.   

Reflections on Grace

Being a church rat and having wonderful, Christian parents, I have lived what the world would consider a “good life”. As a people pleaser, I avoid conflict and prefer to be the doormat or the peacemaker quite often and so have been labeled a “good kid”. Though I spent most of my life learning that I was a sinner who fell short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and that grace was what saved me (Ephesians 2:8-9), I did not live my life as if I really understood this. The way I viewed others, especially in comparison to myself, was harsh, unfair, and unjust. But then, the Lord began to do a painful but important work in my life. I am quite certain the root of the sin that humbled me existed long before the fruit was born, but I of course made excuses for it, thinking it was quite harmless. But as the Lord would have it, that tiny seed I glossed over became a plant, humbling me painfully, showing me that apart from God’s grace I would be just as sinful as those I judged. It amazed me that sin could be used in such a way, to reveal something so essential to God’s character, but it most certainly did. It made my salvation that much sweeter, God’s mercy that much more clear, and His grace quite evident. Getting a taste of the depth of my sin did not only deepen my view of God, however, it also began to grow my sense of grace towards others. Whereas before I could not understand or sympathize with a great majority of the “sinners” around me, it suddenly became so clear that I was as in much need of grace as they were. The stories of the Pharisees not getting it when Christ told them it was the sick that needed a doctor finally broke through to me and I understood that I was alive in Christ but ill because I still needed His gracious work in my life as I worked out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

Of course, that does not give me the excuse to go on sinning, rather, the grace is constantly motivating me to flee from the sin that steals my joy and interferes with my relationship with God. Because I know that through grace Christ has set my relationship right with the Father, and that He saved me to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), I want to sow to the Spirit so that I can live by the Spirit. While this is by no means easy, I know that even when I do make mistakes, that God promises to forgive us of our sins. And so as I continue to run the race, my prayer is that I will understand grace more and more daily, trusting that the Lord is good and faithful, and will continue to extend it to me until the good work He began in me is carried out into completion.

A Powerless God I Could Not Praise

"This, then, is of faith, that everything, the very least, or what seems to us great, every change of the seasons, everything which touches us in mind, body, or estate, whether brought about through this outward senseless nature, or by the will of man, good or bad, is overruled to each of us by the all-holy and all-loving will of god. Whatever befalls us, however it befalls, us, we must receive as the will of god. If it befalls us through man's negligence or ill-will or anger, still it is, even the least circumstance, to us the will of god. For if the least thing could happen to us without God's permissions, it would be something out of God's control. God's providence or His love would not be what they are. Almighty God Himself would not be the same God; not the God whom we believe, adore, and love." Mary Wilder Tileston

A friend of our family's recently experienced tragedy. One of the young men at her church died in a car accident. In a conversation with my mother, she rationed that "God did not want it to happen." This made my stomach turn. In painful times when we cannot understand and when our emotions run high we can see absolutely no good whatever in the situation. Our human minds, small and limited, grasp only what we see and therefore we say that if God is good then He mustn't have had anything to do with this great loss. But what we do not realize, what we have difficulty accepting, is that God is both good and sovereign. For the non-church rats in the crowd, sovereign means in control. He is the author of our lives. Romans 8:28 says "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." This is a great comfort, for if God was just good and not sovereign, then life is nothing but chaos. The deaths and hurts and sorrows and losses would all be meaningless, with no benefit in the end. If God is good and not sovereign then I have no protection whatsoever. If God is only good and not sovereign then I have absolutely no guarantee in my salvation. Personally, the thought of a good God with no control is terrifying to me. I would rather rest in the fact that He knows the number of my days, that He has my good in mind. A powerless God I could not praise.

1 Corinthians 11:3, Reflections on "Equality"

"Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11: 3

It truly saddens me when I hear people speak of the bible as being in some way sexist. The modern woman rebells vehemently against the idea of being created second, of being called to submit to her husband, and yet what she does not realize is how much the bible truly cherishes the female sex. Not being married, it is rather easy for me to promote the idea of wifely submission, after all, I don't have a husband I have to submit to at the moment, but I pray daily that if and when I do get married, God will grant me the strength to do so. Scripture provides extensively for women, especially during a time period where they were viewed as possessions rather than individuals, but one of the most incredible passages of scripture to me is 1 Corinthians 11.

At first glance, most modern women (who I have perhaps not so lovingly dubbed feminazis) recoil from the phrase "the head of the woman is man", and I can, in a sense, understand their reaction. It sounds as if Paul is saying women are second class citizens, that we do not share in the kingdom the same way as men, even that we are not as valuable. But if we remember to take scripture in context, if we remember to consider all the verses, we might remember what Paul said in Galatians 3:28, that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Clearly, Paul had a very high view of both men and women. Therefore, we must come to an alternative conclusion.

This summer I taught a Junior High bible study that consisted of both boys and girls. The book we studied was 1 Peter and, not surprising, we came across the section that spoke about wives submitting to their husbands. My personal convictions aside, I knew I would need to make this accessible not only to Junior highers (who have the attention span of a teaspoon for the most part) but also to the post modern mind. However, the most important lesson I wanted to teach the was that the bible is the source of truth. I began searching through scripture to find verses that would corroborate the passage in Peter. It was then that the Lord lead me (with the help of my trusty commentary) to 1 Corinthians 11:3.

What struck me about this verse, and what I tried to make clear to the kids I was teaching, was the very end of the verse, "and the head of Christ is God." Immediately I realized the implication. Christ is God, He is equal to God (Philippians 2:6-11), and yet He submits to the Father. If that is the case, then what Paul is saying is not that women are inferior to men, or that they share any less in the kingdom. Rather, Paul is describing the roles we were created to take. Christ takes the role of the Son in the Trinity and therefore submits to God the Father, and if He can do that without losing any of His worth or value, then why can't we as women accept the idea of submitting to our current or potential husbands? The clear answer is sin, our flesh refuses to do what it was created to do (Romans 7:14-21). Thankfully, God does not leave us here, rather, He changes us, gives us a new heart (2 Corinthians 5:17), and then works with us to become more holy daily (Ephesians 2:10).

May God continue to work in our hearts and advance His kingdom.

Appropriate Words for the Times

1 Timothy 6: 17 - 18

17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

Translating

This week, a medical team from the states has come down to Peru to do a medical campaign.  So far, they have given aid to the residents at two locations and they have three more to go.  Last month I was asked to translate, and, with much fear and trembling (my Spanish is decent but not great), I accepted the job.  Aside from having a little help from one of my students, I have been doing fairly well.  It takes me a bit to get into a groove, but when I get there I really enjoy it.  It's fun being able to help people medically even though I know nothing about medicine.  But despite the fun I am having, it also breaks my heart to see and hear about the pain that people are in.  Many have been living with parasites, many have rotting and broken teeth, and all of them are in pain.  I complain so much about my little aches and pains but these people really know what it is to suffer.  It is extremely eye opening to see and I am very thankful for this opportunity to not only help them physically but spiritually as well.  The doctors pray with them, show them the love of God, and help them with no charge.  My prayer is that our witness will heal them in every way, that God's name will be praised in the midst of suffering, in the midst of healing.  I also pray that God will remind me of what I've seen here when I start grumbling about any of my little aches and pains, and that I will be far more thankful for the blessings He has showered upon me, the worst of sinners.

Decisions

One of my least favorite things in the entire world is making decisions and I have a few reasons as to why.  First of all, and the most obvious I think, is that I'm afraid I'll make the wrong one.  What if, despite all my prayer to make the one God wants me to make, I end up going with one only because it's the one I want?  What if that decision affects others adversely?  What if I've made a decision that will take me down a really horrible road?  Second of all, and the second reason has a lot to do with the first, decisions make me worry.  I lose sleep, sometimes I get ulcers or even cold sores (last year it was particularly bad).  So needless to say, I do not like making decisions.  However, what I need to realize, what I need to get into my head, is that God is the one in control and not me.  Sometimes this also gives me a headache because the flesh in me wants to have control of everything, but that's another post entirely.  The comforting thing about God being in control is that even if I do make really crappy decisions (which I'm sure I do) God is still good and He still has what's best for me in mind.  

I've been reading Genesis in the mornings and what struck me is the kind of pathetic people God worked through.  Look at Abram?  75 years old when called away from his father's household, no children, and his wife was barren.  Not only that, but after God promised to make him a great nation, bless him, and give him the land of Canaan, he still did not trust him enough to protect his family while in Egypt.  Therefore, he lies and tells Pharaoh that Sari was his sister, twice!  And later, he marries Sari's maidservant to try and have offspring through her, despite God's promise of children through Sari.  Then there's Jacob.  The youngest brother, a mama's boy, and even worse, a liar.  And yet, God chose these two, well, losers, to be blessings on earth, not only in the lands they lived, but also to future generations.  Through Abram (who later became Abraham), Isaac, and Jacob came Christ.  God used these non-trusting idiots to bring His son into the world to save the world.  Gives you something to think about doesn't it?

So now, as I have been forced to make some decisions (that in turn have forced me to wait on God's will) I need to remember that if God could work through guys like Abraham and Jacob, He can work through me.  Not only that, but he has my best in mind.  I can't go wrong, even if the road it hard.  How comforting is that?

Matthew 7:21-33

'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!'

Early in this passage, Jesus says that "only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" will enter the kingdom.  At first glance, His rejection of those claiming to do good works in His name seems contradictory.  After all, they are apparently doing things to right the world twisted by sin.  However, with a closer look at the means of salvation, the reader can see that it is not contradictory at all.  

Romans 3: 10-12 says "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."  This causes us to question what it means to be righteous.  We see people all the time helping the poor, feeding the sick, and doing all sorts of kind things for others, and yet the bible calls us all dead in sin (Eph. 2:1).  So how do we reconcile this?  Our immediate reaction is to believe the bible is contradictory.  We all want to agree with Helen Keller in saying that everyone is basically good, because we don't want to believe that everyone is basically evil.  

It would help if we first define what it means to do good.  Matthew 7: 21 reconciles this.  Jesus defines righteousness by saying that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom.  Therefore, only good works that are specifically God's will are actually good works.  Isaiah 64:6 says that 'our righteous acts are like filthy rags'.  So who can enter the kingdom?

Only one man ever did the will of the Father.  Philippians 2: 5-11 tells us of Christ doing the will of the Father, and He was therefore glorified.  Only Christ can enter the Kingdom of Heaven on His own works, his own merit.  

So how on earth can we enter the kingdom?  Matthew 7:24-27 clears this up.  We must build our lives on Christ, put our faith in His works and merit and not our own.  Thankfully we do not have to initiate this.  Eph. 2:8-9 says that grace saves us.  

So I end my rather discombobulated argument with Paul's praise: "Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"