Episode 1042: Baptism and Relationship

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1042 of the inspired stewardship podcasts.

[00:00:07] Raven Harris: I'm Raven Harris. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your call. Having the ability to lead yourself and others is key.

[00:00:25] And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader,

[00:00:34] Scott Maderer: and Jesus goes into this world. He goes into it and he knows of the broken. Yeah, he doesn't approve of it. He doesn't want it, but he embraces it and he carries it with him. He embraces what was right with the world, as well as what was wrong with the world. Welcome. And thank you for joining [00:01:00] us on the inspired stewardship.

[00:01:03] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:24] And today's spiritual foundation episode about investing in others. I talk with you about Luke chapter three, verses 15 through 17 and 21 and 22. I share how this baptism story relates to our relationship with God. And I also talk about how it shows what is really important. Luke chapter three, verses 15 through 17 and 21 and 22 goes like this.

[00:01:50] 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 [00:02:00] saying, I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy spirit and fire.

[00:02:12] His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his grave. But the chaff, he will burn with unquenchable fire. Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus had also 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.

[00:02:34] You are my son, the beloved with you. I am well-pleased this idea of. The baptism of Jesus is interesting to me this passage talking about how this happened. This is in the lectionary for the first Sunday, after a . The story of the baptism of Jesus is the second of [00:03:00] three different apifany that happened during this Christmas season.

[00:03:04] It starts with the Wiseman and the star and the revelation of the child being born. And then there's also this apifany with the baptism. And then there's also a transfiguration passage with the experience on the mountain. When they see Jesus transformed and transfigured, what's interesting about this baptism story is how little the baptism actually figures into the story of all.

[00:03:35] The passages that we've skipped in the middle, there are all about John the Baptist and how he comes into the stage and begins his ministry and calls people out. I talked about that a few weeks ago on the show. And then here, it says, baptism of Jesus. It happened, it [00:04:00] just happens.

[00:04:01] We are almost late to the show. Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus had also been pap ties, we don't hear much about the event and given how much we argue about baptism and how it should happen and what's the right way. And what's the wrong way. It seems like maybe there would have been a little bit more time spent on it here.

[00:04:22] We don't know. Liturgy was used during the baptism. We don't know what vows were taken during the baptism. We don't know if John was doing it the right way or the perfect way or what happened during the event, but instead Luke just almost treats it as an aside. JE Jesus had also been baptized.

[00:04:47] That's it. So he's saying in a way that the method isn't what was important and then even more, why was Jesus even there to be baptized in the first [00:05:00] place, if Jesus is without sin and baptism and the passage that John is preaching, the purpose behind baptism is repentance or turning away from sin.

[00:05:10] Why then is Jesus there to get back to. And the first thing place. And trust me, that's something that theologians and scholars have argued about for now thousands of years. And the next verse after this, what I didn't read Luke goes on about the genealogy of Jesus. He talks about the family tree of Jesus.

[00:05:36] And that's pint of part of what's going on here, I think is the reason we're talking about this is because this is a sample or an example of John pointing out that Jesus is entering into the messy world. And into the relationship is a human as well, and let's face it. The world then [00:06:00] and now was confusing and it was a world that was deaf finitely and desperately in need of repentance.

[00:06:09] And Jesus goes into this world. Knee-deep ID, neck deep. He goes into it and he knows of the brokenness. He doesn't approve of it. He doesn't want it, but he embraces it and he carries it with him. He embraces what was right with the world, as well as what was wrong with the world. And he tries to give meaning and explanation and purpose to this.

[00:06:41] But Jesus is silent. His response to the Baptist. He silent in part, because the whole important things that are happening there is the response. That's next, the dove coming down and hearing the words, [00:07:00] spoken the words that basically say, I love you. I love you. Not for anything that you've done or you will do, or you might do, or you could do, but I love.

[00:07:12] For just being you. I love you. And it's given as a gift of grace and that is the same opportunity that we have as we go into this new year to build a relationship with God. Thanks for listening.

[00:07:32] Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired Stuart.

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[00:08:15] until

[00:08:15] Scott Maderer: next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world.