Every Gospel records the baptism of Jesus by John.  It is an incredibly powerful moment, with many layers of meaning and significance.  Some of that we looked at in our sermon.  But one thing we didn’t touch on there was Jesus’ entering into His High Priestly ministry.  Behind His baptism lies a number of OT passages, including Lev.8:1-12, where Aaron is ordained – a process that involves both washing and anointing (Christ-ing).  Of course, when Aaron is ordained he himself is subject to weakness, and as such has to offer sacrifice for his own sin (Heb.5:2-3).  By contrast Jesus need offer no such sacrifice...  and of course, whereas Aaron is anointed with oil (the symbol), Christ is anointed with the Holy Spirit (the reality).  Jesus – the true High Priest is consecrated to His ministry (see Num.4, for the stipulation that a Priest must be 30 before he can serve in the work of the Tabernacle!). 

This is important to realise.  It’s obvious that Jesus has always known the presence of the Spirit.  That has been the case since His conception in Mary’s womb (Lk.1:35).  This descent of the Spirit is about Jesus’ being equipped and empowered for His ministry, specifically His (High-) Priestly ministry.  This is something that Luke really focusses on and draws out throughout His Gospel.  Luke loves the idea of Jesus as Priest, fulfilling so much of the Levitical foreshadowing, and it is a recurring theme throughout his Gospel.   The Priest is tasked with keeping uncleanness in any form out of the camp, and for leading the people in their offering sacrifices.  The High Priest is uniquely responsible for the annual sacrifice of atonement, and is the one person who is able to enter the Holy of Holies.  It is images such as these that frame Luke’s biography of Christ.

This is why Luke introduces Jesus’ genealogy at this point too.  When Ezra brings the priests back from exile there is a problem surrounding some of the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzilla.  ‘These searched for their family records, but they could not find them, and so were excluded from the priesthood...’ (Ezra 2:61-62).  As Luke is presenting Jesus as the (High-)Priest, it is no surprise that he would be keen to show Jesus has the required genealogical credentials.  For modern readers, the second half of chapter 3 is a tedious interruption, likely to be skipped as we read through the Gospel.  For Luke, it is critical, and he wouldn’t dream of going any further in the biography without showing us that Jesus is qualified to do all that He will be seen to achieve.  And so Luke traces Jesus’ family tree back to His true Father.  Jesus is ‘the Son of God’. 

Questions

How would you sum up the ministry of a Levitical Priest?  Have you ever thought of Jesus in these terms?  Can you think of events in Jesus’ ministry that have a ‘priestly’ feel in Luke’s Gospel?

What other Old Testament passages can you see lying behind Jesus’ baptism?  What is Luke teaching us as he weaves these images together (think for example of you’ve seen a dove over water before... or where you’ve heard the Father speaking from heaven before)?

Why does the Spirit descend in the form of a dove, and not as fire, or wind or any of the other images that are associated with Him in the OT?

Luke shows us the full Trinity in operation.  What do we learn about God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit in these few sentences?   Have a read of Is.48:12-22.  What insight does a passage such as this give us into the heart of our God?

We are so used to speaking of God as love (I Jn.4:8), we might be unsurprised by the Father’s declaration of His love for the Son.  Why does the Father choose this moment to open heaven to proclaim this deep truth? 

How is the Father’s love for the Son, different from the love He has for His creation?   Does God love everyone the same?  Does He, for example, love unrepentant people the same way He loves repentant people?  Does He love them the same as He does His Son?

How can we experience the love of God as Jesus does?

Do you think it is right to say that God hates the sin but loves the sinner?  To what passages from the Bible would you turn to back up your answer?

Do you think it is right to say God loves us unconditionally?  To what passages from the Bible would you turn to back up your answer? What is the connection between the Father’s love for Jesus, and His being well pleased with Jesus? How can we experience that love?