The First Temptation of Christ

I supplied today (1/9/11) for my friend Norma while she spends time following in Paul's footsteps (Epiphanies and Revelation). I've gone from preaching from a manuscript to using an outline. I tried preaching from a manuscript for my Preaching and Technology class (see the A Sower Went Out to Sow notes) and felt uncomfortable. So, I'm posting my form of my outline for my pinch hitting sermon on Matthew's telling of the Baptism of Jesus.


I warned Vicar Norma I may the wrong person to fill in for this Sunday
   Every ELCA Senior had to write a sermon and provide exegetical work for their Approval using this week’s text
   In addition, I did an Independent Study analyzing the four Gospel stories of Jesus’ baptism
   I’ve spent lot of time past 7 months looking at Jesus’ baptism
Matthew’s telling has some unique details
   This is the only Gospel that raises the question – WHY?
      Why would someone who is without sin be baptized for repentance and the forgiveness of sins?
   John the Baptizer recognizes Jesus’ superiority and ‘would have prevented him’
      Jesus responds ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’
      Jesus does not argue with John, He does not rebuke him
   Jesus tells him to baptize me
      The reason is ‘to fulfill all righteousness’
         That is the source of a lot of study and debate
   Righteousness is fulfilling God’s will; doing what God wants
      It is a theme of Jesus’ ministry in Matt’s Gospel
        Joseph acts in righteousness by not rejecting Mary
        In Sermon on Mount, Jesus will say
            ‘those who hunger and; thirst for righteousness … will be filled.’ And
            ‘those who are persecuted for it … will receive the kingdom of God’
      It is obeying letter of law by following spirit of Law
         It is an inward feeling with an outward expression
         It is knowing what right thing to do and then going todo it.
Jesus’ baptism, as told by Matthew, presents another perspective
   It is Jesus’ first temptation
      Because John realizes Jesus’ superiority, he acquiesces instead wanting Jesus to baptize him
   THAT is the temptation
      John isn’t plotting & planning as Satan is
      John just doing what makes sense – Jesus is superior to him
      Jesus easily say, “You’re right, you need baptized by me.”
          You need be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire
          Jesus could have taken winnowing stick and judged wicked humanity
       Had he baptized John, with ALL of Judea watching, Jesus could have been Messiah that Israel was waiting for
          But Jesus rejects John’s adulation and tells John to baptize him
             ‘Let it be so now’ is an imperative, it is a command
             It is not quite “JUST DO IT!” - But it is just as effective
    Jesus rejects John’s adulation and grabs our hand
       Because by being baptized as we are, He joined his fate to ours and ours to his
          He IS Immanuel - God WITH Us
       Because although he was without sin, he was baptized in repentance
         Turning from his wants and the expectations of John and Israel and turning TO the will of God
   He was baptized ‘to fulfill all righteousness’
      Obey the letter of the law by following the spirit of the law guided by Holy Spirit
      The Holy Spirit guides us to share the love of God through us to others
This is the model we can take with us from this lesson
   Each day, we feel that nudge to do what’s right - An urge, a voice, a feeling to go and do
   If it was an imperative for Jesus to be baptized ‘to fulfill’ and its promises mean
   In our baptism, we are washed free FROM our sins
      We are freed FOR other things, for doing God’s work
   By doing God’s will each day we can act ‘to fulfill all righteousness’