A Word about Getting More than you Bargained For

 

Today I want to share a word about getting more than you bargained for, as I comment on Luke 3:15-17 and 21-22:

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 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. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

MORE THAN THEY BARGAINED FOR:

Sometimes we get more than we bargained for. I remember once when Teddy, our Chocolate Labrador, was a puppy and he decided to get in the face of Oreo, one of our momma goats, barking as dogs do when they want to intimidate another animal. He discovered that he'd made a mistake when she, as goats do, launched herself at him, horns and head first. Teddy boy was knocked sideways for several feet, and after that he decided to leave Oreo alone. 

I have to believe that the people who gathered at the river to inquire of John about Messiah had no idea what they were about to hear and see. From the time of Adam and Eve, people have been caught off guard by God again, and again, and again. It seems to me that the Baptism of Jesus was one of those occasions.

MORE THAN JOHN:

John was a remarkable man with a remarkable ministry. His birth, too, was eagerly awaited and involved the Hand of God, but John was not the Messiah. The people there on the riverbank that day may not have been ready to hear John say that, since they had been so blessed by his ministry, so he gave them two concrete examples of the superiority of the real Messiah.

First, the Messiah would give people spiritual power by sending God’s Spirit upon them. People, as a species, are talented, but we are spiritually weak and addicted to our sin. Power from the Messiah is the only hope humanity has to overcome their fragility. John could only call them to repentance, but the Messiah would give them power to live for God.

Second, John was a mere mortal. As dynamic a preacher as he was, and as much as he denied himself to serve God, he was just like everyone else gathered at the river that day. Like them, he knew that his righteousness was like filthy rags as compared to the Messiah. He was, like them, a sinner in need of a Savior.

The people gathered at the river knew John, and they followed John, but John was not enough. They, too needed a Savior, a Savior that John was not and could never be.

MORE THAN A MIRACLE WORKER:

One part of this passage that we often overlook is John’s description of Jesus as farmer who separates the wheat from the tares. Because the Messiah is righteous, He has the authority to do this. Because the Messiah is spiritually powerful, He has the ability to do this. Because He was responsible to His Father, He had the responsibility to do this.

Many people came to Jesus during His ministry seeking a miracle as entertainment or to resolve a crisis sin their lives. Jesus did help people, but His priority was not to heal physical wounds, but to heal spiritual wounds. His priority was not to make our lives more comfortable, but to transform them and make them new. This requires a spiritual winnowing that can be compared to the way a farmer discards the tares but retains the wheat or how a smith refines silver by burning away the dross.

The Messiah was more than a miracle worker; He was a purifying agent for sinful humanity.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE:

When Jesus came to John for Baptism, other passages of Scripture record that the crowd paid no attention to Him. He appeared to be an ordinary Jewish man, with nothing visible to mark Him as different, as Holy.

Only John recognized Him and the tried to prevent Jesus from being Baptized, because he knew Jesus had no reason to repent. Jesus, however, knew that there was more than one reason to be baptized. He needed to be obedient to His Father and to fulfill all righteousness. 

When Jesus came up from the water, God the Father affirmed Him visibly and audibly. It must have been an amazing event!

Those who took Jesus for granted did so at their own peril. He was so much more than what could be seen and the same is still true today!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt