Presby-Musings

Today our pilgrimage in the Holy Land will take us to the Jordan River and the Yardenit baptismal site.   The site we'll be visiting is far from the traditional site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, which is to the south, near Jericho.  This site also happens to be the spot where the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River on their way to enter and take the Promised Land.   Some scholars also believe that it's also the site where the river miraculously parted when Elijah struck the river with his cloak so that he and his apprentice Elisha could walk over on dry land.  Elisha in turn struck the river with Elisha's cloak when he returned from seeing his master taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.  So the baptismal site of Jesus (the traditional one) is pretty important.   Mark's Gospel notes the baptism of Jesus with these words:  9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jor...

This Sunday is marked on the official church calendar as "Baptism of Our Lord Sunday"---the day that the church universal reflects on the meaning and implications of baptism, and looks to the example of Jesus to figure all of that out.   So, pretty important day. Which makes the choice of my main Scripture a tad interesting, since I am basically focusing on what happens AFTER Jesus' baptism---an account in Luke chapter 4 where Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. I'll get to why I am preaching from that passage instead of the passage before it in just a moment. Before we do that, however, let's get a little bit of the "story behind the story," so to speak: 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to...