The Second Sunday after Epiphany ----- 7 January 2018

Mark 1:4-11

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.

·       Have any of you had the experience of opening a bag of pasta or cereal or snacks in such a way that the bag tore open and the contents jumped out? It’s a real mess and it’s frustrating because first, you have to clean up all the corn flakes or noodles or pretzels that ended up everywhere and second, now you have to find a new container since the bag is ripped up. It’s a bit of a joke, but I’ve done it and I think some of you might have as well.

·       It’s interesting that Mark uses the phrase “torn apart” to describe what Jesus saw as he came up out of the water: he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.

·       Mark uses this phrase again later in his Gospel when recounting the Crucifixion of Jesus. He says the curtain of the Temple in Jerusalem was torn in two. The curtain in question here stood between the inner sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, the place where the presence of God was most found.

·       So both the heavens and the curtain of the Temple were ripped up at these two important times in Jesus’ life. We might well wonder what that means.

·       If things are torn open/torn apart/ripped up in such a way that repair is impossible, something really new is going on. If the heavens are torn apart as Jesus is baptized by John, the separation of the heavens and the earth is done away with. They can’t be separated any more… and God is not far, far away. If the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the world is torn in two, God is loose in the world… and who knows what might happen. There’s more to all this than meets the eye at first.

·       This is not the gentle and cute baptism of a young child that we’ve all seen at our font. This event is a world-changer… and so it the baptism of a child, were we to look at it with the eyes of faith and no expectation of visible heaven-tearing and dove-descending. What we don’t see with our own eyes might be more important here.

·       There is more to this event. Something else happens here that happens again at the Crucifixion: Jesus is proclaimed the Son of God. Here it is done through a voice from heaven that accompanies the descent of the Spirit. Later in the Gospel, it is the voice of the centurion who commands the detail of soldiers who have crucified Jesus: Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’ (Mark 15:39)

·       This is why the Baptism of Our Lord is linked to the Epiphany. Most dictionaries say that an epiphany is “manifestation of the divine.” The Christian festival of the Epiphany celebrates the nations and peoples of the world, represented in the Magi, accepting the revelation of the child Jesus as the Word made Flesh. The Baptism of Our Lord celebrates the same thing, although in a more historic way.

·       Please don’t think I’m denying the visit of the Magi; I’m not and I like those fellows. Only Matthew, with his emphasis on the Good News to the Gentiles, even mentions the Magi. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all report the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptizer and John assumes it without reporting it. For all the Gospels to include this event, it has to be very important to the story of Jesus and the story of our salvation. The other powerful incident included in all the Gospels is the Crucifixion. As John’s Gospel relates: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe^* that Jesus is the Messiah,^* the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.  (John 20: 30-31) The importance of Jesus’ baptism cannot be denied. It is here that Jesus is revealed to all who might see. It is here that his mission begins. It is here that a new chapter in the story of the love of God for us and for all creation starts.

And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.