Mark 1:4-11

This morning I would like to share with you some thoughts on the topic as printed on the service sheet “Who do you think you are?” Before we do that, I am going to tell you a story. No, this story is not a true one, but rather funny. The story goes that Jesus and the Apostle Paul were playing golf one day. As Jesus got ready to tee off he pulled out a nine iron. Paul said, “Lord, I would not use that if I were you. You should be using the driver. If you use a nine iron you will not be able to hit the ball over the water hazard. Only Tiger Woods could hit a ball that far with a nine iron.” Jesus said to Paul, “Well, if Tiger Woods can do it, I can also do it.” So he hit the ball and landed right in the water hazard. Jesus went down and when he got to the water he walked out on the water to the exact spot where the ball fell in and reached down for it. Then Jesus came back up and started to tee off again with the nine iron. Paul interrupted and said to Jesus, “Lord, please be patient with me, but I already told you once that if you use the nine iron the ball will land in the water hazard.” But Jesus went ahead, and same as the last time, the ball again landed in the water. Again he went down and walked across the water until he came to the place where the ball was. Just then some people came up, and they saw Jesus walking on the water. Stunned, one of them said, “Who does he think is? Jesus Christ?” And Paul replied, “No, he is Jesus Christ, but he think that he is Tiger Woods.”

We may find this joke to be rather funny, but it shows to us a very important point. Who we are is actually very important. Who we are defines what we do. Other people build up their expectations of us on the basis of whom they think we are. You know that I am Edwin, however, if I started acting like John Illsley, you will not be very happy with me, and you will say, “Who do you think you are?” In the story, we can see that one of the golfers got the shock of his life when he sees another golfer water walking on water. But Paul was not shock at all, as he knew that the person on the water was Jesus. When we started acting out of place, or acting like someone else, people will start getting angry and say, “Who do you think you are?”

This is important because Jesus' friends thought they knew who he was. Up to the time that Jesus started his ministry at the age of thirty, he probably lived a rather ordinary life. The Bible doesn't tell us much about that life. In fact the book of Mark just completely jumps over it. We know that he was a carpenter. Other than the incident that Luke records when he was twelve we know nothing else.

If you had asked them, Jesus' friends and acquaintances would tell you who he was. He was Jesus the carpenter. He went to work every morning, and then went home every night. On the Sabbath he was in the Synagogue. A smart hard working fellow.

So it took people by surprise when he started acting like God. They took offense and tried to kill him. They said "Isn't this the carpenter the son of Mary and aren't his brothers and sisters here with us." "Who does he think he is claiming to be the Messiah." We should teach him his place. He is just an ordinary carpenter.

They thought Jesus was a carpenter but we know he was the Son of God. This fact became clear at his baptism. After Jesus was baptized God spoke to him out of heaven and said, "You are my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." God is speaking to Jesus. He says, "You..." Now I assume that Jesus knew who he was. It was unlikely that God is telling Jesus something he did not already know.

God was claiming Jesus as his own. This was a signal to Jesus that the time had come for him to start living out his true identity. Jesus' baptism was his calling to begin saving the world.

And that is what Jesus did. God said "you are my beloved son" and right away Jesus started acting like the Son of God. Just look at the sequence of events in Mark. The first thing Jesus did after his baptism was to go into the desert to meet the Devil and defeat him. Then he started gathering together his disciples.

It is clear that Jesus' baptism was the beginning of his earthly ministry. But why was Jesus baptized to begin with? John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. It says that John was calling people to repentance. And when they were baptized they confessed their sins. In Judaism a baptism was a ritual washing of something. It was common for them to wash pots or eating utensils. The idea was that they be purified of any uncleanness. John was calling people to a ritual cleansing that symbolized the cleansing that the Messiah would work in them.

But Jesus had no uncleanness. He was perfect without sin. He didn't need to repent of any sin. He didn't need to be cleansed of any impurity. So why was Jesus baptized?

The only possible answer is that Jesus was baptized as an example to us. He wanted to show those who would be his followers what kind of relationship they would have with God. He didn't need to repent of his sins, but we do. We need allow God to wash our lives clean. And like him the Holy Spirit descends upon us when we turn to God.

But more importantly than that, in our baptisms God claims us as his own. When Jesus was baptized a voice came out of heaven and said, "You are my beloved son, in you I am well pleased."

When we were baptized God claimed us as his own also. Certainly none of us were born daughters or sons of God in the same way Jesus was. But because of the blood of Christ, God adopts us. We are adopted sons and daughters of the living God. Now some of us were baptized as infants, and some of us were baptized as adults. Some of us were dunked in the water and some of us were sprinkled on the head. It doesn't matter how is was done. What matters is that your baptism represented God's action of accepting you.

Now we were not baptized for nothing. When God claimed Jesus and said, "You are my son in whom I am well pleased," Jesus didn't just stand there. Jesus responded to God's statement of who he was. He started acting like the Son of God. He started acting like a Savior. Jesus' baptism was his calling to ministry.

Likewise, our baptism was our calling to ministry. When God baptized each of us, God also called us to ministry. God said, "You are my beloved daughter, You are my beloved son." And God expects us to respond to that. God has claimed us as adopted sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. And through the Holy Spirit, God expects us to act like it. We are to go out into the a World that doesn't know of the love of God and proclaim it.

Now when we do that, people are going to take offense. They will say, "who are you to tell me I should love my neighbor." "Nobody could love me. Who are you to say that God loves me?" "Who are you to even say that there is a God?" "Who do you think you are telling me how live my life?" And we can respond, "I am and adopted daughter," or "I am an adopted son of God. Christ is my brother." "Do you want to be our sister or our brother too?