JESUS’ BAPTISM,
TRADITION AND REFORMATION
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
Sermon from January 11, 2004
John answered all of them by saying,
"I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful
than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his
sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Lk 3:15-16
One of the recurring phenomena in all religions is that, in
time, insights of faith become institutionalized. Doctrine
has been worked out in detail, duly recorded and taught to
believers. Worship services become liturgically set. Roles,
responsibilities and authority of leaders become well
established. Like any corporation, the product is produced
and marketed to standard. With time, the original purpose
and vision becomes obscured. So it has been throughout the
history of Christianity. For example, the malaise of the
medieval institutional Church led to the Reformation of the
early sixteenth century. Since then, there have been
numerous examples of reform movements within Protestantism
that has given rise to various denominations. The same
thing was going on in Jesus’ day. The Judaism of the
Pharisees sought to interpret the Torah- the Law of Moses
as cautiously as possible to avoid inadvertently
contravening it. A metaphorical “fence” was
placed well away from the edge of the pit to avoid falling
in. The principles were developed through the teachings of
leading Rabbis passed on in such schools or traditions as
those of Hillel and Shamai. Great attention was given to
obeying the Law through which one could be
“righteous” or, in Hebrew, “Zedek.”
Trust or faith in God was conceived in terms of obedience
to his commands that would lead to his peace (Shalom) and
blessing. The problem with this is that legal rigidity can
do injustice in some cases or give a false sense of
security through doing what is required rather than what is
right.
The Sadduccees had become overly dependent on the Romans
for wealth and power. This group, with the High Priest,
controlled the ruling Council- the Sanhedrin, and the
Temple. They were comfortable with Hellenstic culture and
had no time for Rabbinic traditions. They were the
pragmatic, more secular, party that knew how the game of
power was played and won. Disillusioned, the Essenes
withdrew from the religious life in Jerusalem and set up
their own community to await the advent of Messiah of David
and the Messiah of Aaron. Zealotes or Sicarii led a strong
nationalistic movement that wanted to drive the Romans out
of the country. Concealing daggers in their clothes, they
embarked on a campaign of assassination of Romans and their
Jewish collaborators in order to force the Romans out. They
sought to recruit a network of people who would rise up in
arms at the appropriate time to expel the Romans through
force of arms.
In the midst of this situation, John the Baptism began
preaching by the Jordan River, calling the people to gather
around him and listen to his message. He was very much
concerned about the dangerous developments that he saw
going on around him. In opposition to the nationalists,
John welcomed soldiers and Jewish collaborators- tax
collectors, telling them not to collect more than the
required amount and not to extort money (Luke 3:13-14).
Rather then expelling the Romans and killing quislings, he
advocated moral conversion on their part in order to
participate properly in the new Israel. To the Sadducees
and their wealthy life-style in Jerusalem, John said:
“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has
none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
Almsgiving and concern for the poor had long been a part of
Rabbinic teaching and Pharisaic tradition. John goes a step
further by advocating a more radical and sacrificial form
of charity. To the Pharisees who prided themselves on being
righteous before God through obedience to the Law, John
used a play on words that is evident in Aramaic and Hebrew:
“Do not begin to say to yourselves ‘We have
Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able
from these stones (ha ebenim) to raise up children (ha
benim) of Abraham.” We can never look to conformity
with institutional requirements to boast about having
fulfilled our responsibilities before God. We can never
rely on past blessings to face the future. We need to
respond to God’s call in our generation through
obedience to the spirit of the Law, not just its letter.
Jesus joined John the Baptist near the Jordan and was
baptised as a sign that he shared John’s vision for a
new and reformed Israel, constituted on the principle of
radical love and discipleship that is more concerned about
substance and life-affirming relationships than rigid form
and tradition that often misses the point. Our
righteousness in not achieved by institutional conformity
but rather by catching a vision for a new people of God
that is distinguished by loving God with all our heart,
mind, soul and strength, and our neighbour as
ourselves.