In our gospel reading for the first Sunday of Christmas, John the Baptist is interrogated by the Pharisees for the crime of baptizing without a license, and they want to know, “who does he think he is?” John claims no special status, except, he has been called to fulfil the prophet Isaiah, to make straight the way of the Lord. John will reveal to Israel...whom they should think Jesus is....
The new guy. The upstart. The rookie. Every once in a while, someone appears on the scene who doesn't follow the established norms and customs, who doesn't respect the hierarchy that is already in place. They take liberties, messing with things they are not qualified for. For those who have invested their very soul in climbing that hierarchy, this is more than just extremely annoying, it is an existential threat. It is worth any price to break the new guy, and put him in his place....
The Pharisees were at the top of the religious hierarchy of Israel. And they looked with suspicion at this upstart named John, who was commandeering their Jewish ritual of baptism...to do what? They had many questions for him, in the attempt to neutralize him. Would he claim to be the Messiah? The Pharisees were the experts in the qualifications for Messiah, they would certainly be able to debunk his claim. Would he claim to be Elijah, who was promised to return before the Messiah arrived by the prophet Malachi? No, but Jesus would later claim it for him on his behalf. Would he claim to be a prophet in the mold of Isaiah? If he did, the Pharisees could use his haughty presumption against him in the hearts of the people. Whoever this John thought he was, it was important that his influence be minimized, for the sake of the power and prestige of the Pharisees.
The world has similar questions for Jesus. “Do you claim to be real, or are you just a myth, a fable told to instruct children?” The world is constantly putting effort into trying to “debunk” Jesus and his commandments. “Do you claim to be human, or are you just a ghost, a mass delusion from 2000 years ago?” The world is constantly putting effort into trying to “de-historize” Jesus and his sacrifice. “Do you claim to be divine, or are you just some guy who got himself crucified by the Romans?” The world is constantly putting effort into trying to “de-deify” Jesus and his resurrection. Whoever this Jesus thought he was, it is important that his influence be minimized, for the sake of the power and prestige of those who profit under the system of the world.
Against the liars and the antichrists, we have the clear testimony of John the Baptist: “the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Jesus is real, human, and divine – he was born of the virgin Mary, was crucified by Pontius Pilate, and was raised from the dead on the third day. And the implications are that God sent his Son, the Christ, to be the passover lamb, the atoning sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.
We celebrate in this season of Christmas, the real, historical birth of the Son of God. And at the occasion of his baptism, we celebrate our baptisms in his name. We celebrate the abiding presence of the Triune God within us. And we celebrate the influence Jesus has on us, and on our world through us, bringing light and love and life.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus to be our Christ, our anointed Saviour. Help us to witness courageously like John, to his presence, his humanity, and his divinity, in Jesus' name, amen.