Strengthen us, O Lord, by your grace, that in your might we may overcome all spiritual enemies, and with pure hearts serve you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“Who am I?”
Reflection on Matthew 3:13-17
In this passage, we catch up with Jesus for the first time since he was 12 years old. We know that he grew in height and wisdom, and was loved by God and all who knew him (Luke 2:52), but other than that, we’ve pretty much been left in the dark. 18 years have passed… Jesus is now about 30, and we find him at the Jordan River. His 80-mile journey from Galilee (probably Nazareth, his home town) to the place where John was baptizing (probably somewhere near Bethany or Jericho) would have taken at least 4 days to cover on foot.
John is bewildered when Jesus asks to be baptized. He recognizes Jesus’ superiority, and in an act of humility is asking, “Who am I to baptize the Son of God?” But we know John was commissioned to “prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 1:76). So, in obedience to God’s will, John baptizes Jesus. And, in obedience to God’s will, Jesus humbles himself to be baptized. Next, something incredible happens: John finds himself in the real presence of the Holy Trinity! The Son stands before him, the Spirit descends from the heavens, and the Father’s voice comes from the clouds. I like to imagine what this would have looked like- the sky parting, heavenly light pouring down…. The proud voice of Abba, pleased with His Son. I imagine everyone stopping in their tracks, gawking at the awesome beauty that is the presence of God. The Father is presenting Jesus as His Son, and he’s doing it with honor, and glory, and love (Matthew 3:17). Moments later, John presents Jesus to the people as God’s Son, and he does it with humility and praise (John 1:29-31)
Our story is not so different. Don’t we have our own commissioning, like John? Aren’t we called to be (and make) disciples? God wants us to present his Son, too. Though we are not fit to carry his sandals, we are commanded to prepare the way for the Lord. He wants us to give Jesus honor, glory, and praise. He wants us to serve others with love and humility. We may ask, “Who am I?” but the fact is that God already knows us perfectly! Now let us serve Him in obedience, so that he may be well pleased!
Samantha Jablonski
Zion Episcopal Church – Oconomowoc
1 comment:
Thanks for this reminder of the gifts bestowed on us all at Baptism. I wonder how the Church would be different if we began to understand (even a smidge!) and live our lives like we are well-pleasing to God because we are God's Beloved?
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