You, Child

Bible nerd alert!

Although all three Synoptic Gospels– Mark, Matthew, and Luke– tell similar stories of Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River, one small but significant grammatical difference stands out. In the Gospel of Matthew, God’s famous declaration is in the demonstrative third person:

When Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

“This is my Son….” It’s a public proclamation of Jesus’ identity and authority directed at those who might be moved to follow him. Mark and Luke, however, record those same words in the second person singular: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” In Mark, only Jesus hears the voice; it’s a private epiphany, an affirmation intended only for him. But in Luke, God’s expression of love and approval is a word for all to hear, Jesus included.^[1]

What difference does it make that God’s pronouncement in Luke is personal, yet occurs in public? What does it mean that God picks Jesus out of the crowd and says You, Child; you are the one I love?

To be sure, it’s not a promise to protect him from adversity. Following his baptism, Jesus is immediately driven out into the wilderness to be tempted by evil. Then, he launches his messianic ministry, associating with undesirables, confronting the powers, and ultimately facing death for refusing to concede his conviction that human community is meant for more. So, God’s affirmation at his baptism isn’t an assurance of safety and comfort, but an anointing for the trying work of the kingdom: You, Jesus, I love you no matter what. So don’t be afraid, come what may.

Of course, that same affirmation rings out over the waters at every baptism. God’s capacity to love knows no bounds; it is precisely because Jesus is God’s Beloved Child that you are, too. When you come to the font, the message is as clear as the voice from heaven that day at the Jordan: You, Child; you are the one I love. And I love you no matter what. So don’t be afraid, come what may.

Hear how writer and minister Debie Thomas describes her journey to a new understanding of baptism: [excerpts from A Faith of Many Rooms, pp.67-8].

Welcome, especially to Devin today, and to all of you, welcome to the life of baptism. You’re here with this crowd at the river of God’s mercy not ultimately by your choosing, but by God’s. You are held securely by God’s promise to love you no matter what. So don’t be afraid, come what may. Treasure your place among this “ancient cloud of witnesses… [this] worldwide community of the faithful.” And come back to the water again and again to find yourself in “a liturgy that endures and evolves. A created universe that is wild and free as it whispers, laughs, and shouts God’s name from every nook and cranny.”[2]

[1] See Karoline Lewis, “The Power of ‘You,’” www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=5273.

[2] Thomas 68.