God's Love Before Performance
First Sunday of Epiphany: Baptism of our Lord: Isaiah 42:1–9; Psalm 89:20–29; Acts 10:34–38; Matthew 3:13–17
There is a sentence that the modern world can barely hear without flinching: "You are mine." Why does this make us uncomfortable? Because we have been trained to believe that identity must be achieved, curated, earned, proven. But what if everything we've been taught about earning our worth is backwards?
The Revolutionary Order of Grace: The air we breathe says: Do something. Become something. Produce something. Then you can say who you are. But on this Sunday, the Church makes us stand still and listen. Before Jesus preaches a sermon, before He heals a leper, before He raises the dead, before He casts out a demon, before He teaches the crowds or confronts the powers—God speaks over Him in Matthew 3:17: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Not after His ministry. Not as a reward for His success. Not as applause for His performance. Before. And that is not incidental. That is foundational. Here is our unifying theme today: God gives identity before God gives assignment.
Why Jesus Entered the Waters of Repentance: When we look at Matthew 3:13-17, we see something puzzling. Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John resists, saying "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" John's instinct is right—his baptism is a baptism of repentance, and Jesus has no sin to repent of. So why does He do it? Jesus answers with a sentence that demands slow reading: "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." In Matthew's Gospel, "righteousness" is covenant-faithfulness: God's right-ordering of His people and His world; God's saving justice enacted, not merely discussed. So Jesus is saying: This is how God's saving plan moves forward. How? Not by separation, but by identification. The Holy One enters the place of the unholy. The Sinless One takes His stand among sinners. The Judge of all the earth steps into the line of the judged. Not because He requires cleansing—but because we do.
The Gentle Strength of God's Servant: Isaiah 42:1-9 gives us the blueprint for how God's chosen Servant operates. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him." There's our Matthew echo—the Father's voice over Jesus is not random; it is Isaiah coming true.
But notice the method this Servant uses: "He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice... A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench" (Isaiah 42:2-3). This is not weakness. This is holy strength under control. A bruised reed—already bent—He will not snap it. A wick—barely lit—He will not extinguish it. That is a rebuke to every impatient, dominance-based way of 'getting things done for God.' Yet Isaiah also says: "He will faithfully bring forth justice... He will not grow faint or be discouraged" (Isaiah 42:3-4). "Do you hear the paradox? Christ is gentle without being weak. He refuses to break the bruised reed, yet He Himself will not be broken by resistance or suffering."
God Shows No Partiality: In Acts 10:34-38, Peter makes a shocking announcement: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." This isn't saying all religions are the same—Peter is announcing that "the God of Israel is keeping His promise to bless the nations through Israel's Messiah, and therefore the old boundary markers that once separated Jew and Gentile are being reconfigured around Christ. Peter summarizes Jesus' ministry this way: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). And now—here is the hard pastoral application: If God shows no partiality, then the Church must repent of partiality. This hits close to home because partiality shows up in respectable clothes: we honor the impressive and overlook the ordinary. We center the wealthy and sideline the poor. We excuse sin in the competent and crush the weak.
The Bread from Heaven; The Cup of Salvation: Now we come to the Altar. And here is the point that many miss: Holy Communion is not a religious add-on after the 'real message.' It is the message in sacrament where God feeds his people. At the Table, Christ doesn't say "Prove you are worthy." He says "Take, eat." Not because we are strong, but because we are His. So, if you are tempted to build your life on performance…if you are tempted to despair because you have not 'done enough'... If you are tempted to pride because you 'have it together’ … the Table contradicts you.
The Central Truth That Changes Everything: We do not work to become loved; we work because we are already loved. That is Epiphany light: God revealing who Jesus is. And it is also baptismal light: God revealing who we are in Christ—received, named, and sent. This isn't therapy or positive thinking. This is a theological fact grounded in the Trinity: The Father speaks. The Son stands in our place. The Spirit descends and empowers. And the Church is caught up into that life by union with Christ.
Putting It Into Practice: Practice obedience as response, not audition.
We do not obey God to earn His acceptance. We obey because we have already been claimed. So, repent of living as though you are always being evaluated, and return each day to your baptismal identity: you belong to Christ.
Refuse bruising ministry. Isaiah's Servant does not snap bruised reeds. That means our speech, our leadership, our parenting, our discipleship, our correction must carry Christ's manner: truthful, but not crushing; direct, but not domineering.
Refuse quitting faith. 'He will not grow faint.' Some of you are tired. Then do not romanticize fatigue or glorify collapse. Return to the means of grace: Scripture, prayer, fellowship, confession, and the Sacrament. The answer to weariness is not self-invention. It is divine sustenance.
Repent of partiality with actual obedience. Acts 10 is not a slogan; it is a conversion. Identify where we subtly rank people, and then perform the opposite action: include, honor, welcome, listen, share the gospel without suspicion.
So, hear the gospel plainly: At the Jordan, God speaks over Jesus the truth of who He is. And in Jesus, God speaks over all who are in Him: not because we have 'done enough,' but because Christ has stood in our place.