Has anyone famous gone out of their way to meet you? I bet that no matter the celebrity, John the Baptist has you beat. He was minding his own ministry down by the Jordan River when Jesus came for a visit. Having the Son of God show up in the flesh at your school, work, or bedside would be pretty cool.
It was amazing, but what was even more amazing was that Jesus wanted John to Baptize him. Why was that amazing? Jesus was the sinless Son of God and didn’t need to be baptized. John did not want to do this. John knew that he needed Jesus to baptize him, not the other way around. John did relent. He had to let it go. If Jesus wanted it to happen, they he should probably just do it!
I can be easy to target John the Baptist in our criticisms. If Jesus came to us, of course we would do exactly what he told us to do, no matter how crazy or confusing it might be. We would let go of our inhibitions and our doubts and just do it! Or would we…
Consider the thought that there are things that God tells us clearly, commands burned into our heart, and, at times, I think everyone has a hard time with them. If we are slandered or hurt, why not lash back out in revenge, it feels good? On that topic of feeling good, is there really any harm in drinking to excess in the comfort and safety of our homes? Everyone enjoy sex, who cares if we are married? No one in our society! On that topic, why is gay marriage so terrible? They love each other. At work there are things that your business wouldn’t miss, and your supervisor is good with you taking them. Is that really stealing? The answer to everyone of these is yes! If God says it’s wrong, then it’s wrong. God gives us his will because he loves us. Those commands aren’t optional.
Unlike the greeter at WalMart, he’s more than just a nice guy. He created us. Redeemed us from our sins. He’s reserved a place for each of us in heaven. While it might be difficult, we don’t need to be so worried about what we want. Consider what God’s plan is for our lives. If the plan we have doesn’t line up with God’s, let it go.
Watch this week’s sermon from Matthew 3 to see how in baptism someone more famous that Taylor Swift welcomes us into his family.
Topic(s): Epiphany
Book(s): Matthew
Tag(s): Baptism
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg