“When God Speaks …” - Matthew 3:13-17
January 13, 2008
Dr. Michael C. Yarbrough

          Elijah expected God to speak to him in a cyclone because that was often the way that God spoke to the Hebrews.  I once stood on the deck of a ship in the middle of a dark, January storm in the Mediterranean Sea, and I heard the voice of God in the howling wind.  Has God ever spoken to you in the midst of a storm?

          In biblical texts, God has spoken in visions of burning bushes and mysterious writings on a wall.  I have not yet heard God speak to me in such a vision.  Has God ever spoken to you through a vision?

          God spoke to many biblical characters through their dreams.  Sometimes, I offer up problems to God in bedtime prayer, and through early morning dreams, creative solutions are given to me.  Has God ever spoken to you through your dreams?

          Once in a while, a quiet inner voice whispers in my head, and later events confirm that it was the voice of God guiding or comforting.  Psalmists and biblical prophets attest to the fact that God even speaks that way.  Have you encountered the voice of God as a quiet inner voice, gently ministering to you?

          Here, at Bread of Life, we begin each meeting with a period of intentional silence.  Then I read the lectionary text for the upcoming Sunday worship.  We then return to the silence to reflect on the text.  Then I read the scripture again, and ask the group, “What message from God did you hear in the text for Bread of Life Christian Church?”  We have received some marvelous words through this experience.  Have you ever heard a message from God through the reading of the scriptures?

          The biblical witness is that God speaks through the words of Hebrew and Christian prophets (like John the Baptist).  God speaks in the alignment of stars (such as those that guided the magi to the baby Jesus).  God speaks through heavenly messengers we call angels.  God speaks through series of incidences (such as those Paul attributed to the guidance of the Holy Spirit).  God speaks in the biblical words we read, through the voices of friends or family – and God most powerfully speaks to us through the words and actions of a carpenter’s son named Jesus.  Have you experienced the love – or the promises – or the comfort – or the guidance – of God in any of these ways?

          Last Sunday was the beginning of the church season that we call “Epiphany.”  In study and worship, Epiphany lifts up three moments in Jesus’ early life.  We remember the time that the magi came to honor the infant Jesus.  We recall the story of the time that Mary and Joseph took the little boy Jesus to be dedicated at the temple in Jerusalem.  And, we remember the baptism of Jesus.

          The word “epiphany” is defined as “a sudden recognition of (or insight into) the meaning (or significance) of something.”  The six weeks between the Christmas season and the Lenten season is the Church’s time to discern who Jesus is through the events in his early life that are “pointers” to his destiny.

          In two of the three events, God spoke directly to humanity.  The magi heard God’s message through dark night constellations and a heavenly messenger who spoke in a dream.  At Jesus’ baptism, heavens ripped open so that the Holy Spirit could descend onto Jesus, and a distinctive voice made a powerful proclamation.

          Jesus’ baptism was God’s opportunity for revelation about the significance of Jesus.  By understanding something about his baptism, perhaps we can come to better understand who Jesus is.  Perhaps, we might also remember, for a moment, our own baptisms – and in doing so, gain a clearer understanding of whose we are!

          Matthew didn’t waste words.  He described Jesus’ baptism in one five-verse paragraph.  Writing fifty to fifty-five years after the death of Jesus, he was most concerned with one thing: why Jesus was baptized.  His intention is to reveal the meaning and the purpose of it.

          Jesus, according to the account, went intentionally to “the Baptizer.”  It was a plan.  Matthew indicates that John recognized that Jesus was different than the others who had come to him.  John suggested that it should not be as Jesus requested, but rather that Jesus ought to baptize him!  Jesus’ unique relationship with God transcended the baptism of John, but Jesus wanted to participate in the act “to fulfill all righteousness.”  In other words, “because God willed it.”

          In Matthew’s telling of the story, Jesus’ baptism was an “epiphany.”  It gives insight into the meaning of who Jesus is!  The heavens opened up – a biblical sign of God’s revelation.  Jesus looked up and saw a dove-like appearance of God’s Spirit descend and alight on him – a symbol that Jesus was now empowered through that Spirit for his ministry.  There was a voice that made the all-important declaration: “This is …” (God chose words of public declarative instead of the private and intimate “you are …”).  “This is – my Son …”  Let there be no mistake: this young man, Jesus, is God’s Son.  These words echo the coronation hymns that are found in Psalms (2:7) sung when Israel crowned her kings.  This is a regal and triumphal moment!

          Jesus’ baptism is “epiphany” because, in that event, so many symbols – so much history – layer upon layer of meaning – converged in that Jordan riverbed on that particular day.  William Willimon, in his book Peculiar Speech (1992, p. 5) says this about baptism:

          Jesus’ baptism told the world – and especially the Church – something about who he is.  When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, it also told us something about who God is.  These revelations make this biblical event “epiphany.”

          Insight – discernment – uncovering – revealing – proclaiming – understanding something significant - - epiphany!  Because Jesus made the conscious decision to be baptized – a heavenly voice declared whom he is.  And because Jesus joins us in the waters of our own baptisms – each and every time – that same heavenly voice also tells us something about who we are!  Because we decided to join Jesus in the river current, we, also, are God’s children.  We are part of God’s family.  Because God spoke through Jesus – and spoke through Matthew’s stories, we now know that we belong to God!

          Let us pray:

          In various ways, you have spoken to each of us O God.  Sometimes we did not hear and you kept speaking.  Sometimes we heard and chose not to respond – and still, you continued to speak.  This morning, we ask for epiphany – an insight into the meaning – of our lives.  Speak, O God, and we will listen.  Command, and with the encouraging love of Jesus, we will obey.  In his name we pray it.

Amen.