Pr. DFD

Saturday, January 3, 2026

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD study notes

First Sunday after the Epiphany

Isaiah 42:1–9
Romans 6:1–11
Matthew 3:13–17

The Holy Triune God Is Manifested and Reveals Himself to Us in Holy Baptism

Collects for the Baptism of our Lord: Father in heaven, at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan you proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful in their calling to be your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life.

Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan, You revealed Him as Your own beloved Son. Keep us, Your children born of water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever.

The Baptism of our Lord is an “epiphany” of the one true God in the flesh and blood of Jesus. He is the chosen servant of the Lord, anointed with the Spirit for the rescue of God’s people and to “bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1).

Thus, He makes all things new, and He is given “as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations” (Isaiah 42:6).

In the waters of the Jordan, He takes His place with sinners and takes all the sins of the world upon Himself. He undergoes the Baptism of repentance in order to “fulfill all righteousness” for us (Matthew 3:15).

He submits Himself to the curse of sin and death in order to redeem us. We are baptized with a Baptism like His, thereby dying and rising with Him, so that “we will also live with him” (Romans 6:8).

Indeed, all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus are anointed with His Spirit and named by His Father as beloved and well-pleasing sons and daughters.

The message of Jesus and John is the same. "Repent for the kingdom is here..." "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin." Repent, be baptized "and you will receive the gift of the Spirit."

God accepts Jesus as His Son at His baptism. The Epiphany season deals with the manifestation of God’s glory in Jesus. At Jesus’ baptism, God is glorified in Jesus by the voice of God declaring Jesus as his Son, and by the appearance of the dove, indicating the gift of the Spirit. Jesus received the Spirit and was declared by God to be his Son. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism differs in two ways from the other Synoptic accounts. Matthew tells of John’s reluctance to baptize Jesus who insists upon it in order that he might fulfill righteousness and identify with all who need repentance. The big question is, if Jesus were sinless why would he want John’s baptism of repentance? The other difference is that God’s voice of acceptance and approval of Jesus is addressed to the spectators: “This is my beloved Son.” Mark and Luke make it a personal experience: “Thou art my beloved Son.”

Matthew 3:13–17

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13

Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

Why the Jordan?

- Jordan where sin/death are left behind

- Israel crossed over forgetting sin and receiving life.

-Matthew 3:14

ὁ δὲ ωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με;

John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus becomes the serpent who is lifted up for life. Jesus refers himself to the serpent nailed for life.

John knows who Jesus is. It makes no sense.

Matthew 3:15

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἄφες ἄρτι, οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτόν.

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

"Permit it" Ἄφες ἄρτι, οὕτως is same word for forgiveness "let it be"

Look at the pronouns Jesus says "us" all together. As with John he uses you, me.

These are Jesus' first words in Matthew's gospel, "let it be so."

Matthew 3:16

βαπτισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς [d]εὐθὺς ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος· καὶ ἰδοὺ [e]ἠνεῴχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδεν [f]πνεῦμα θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ [g]περιστερὰν ἐρχόμενον ἐπ’ αὐτόν·

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,[a] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

Matthew 3:17

καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα.

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,[b] with whom I am well pleased.”

- Heavens are open

-Spirit descents came down as a dove

Genesis 8:6-12, The end of wrath the dove is a preacher of peace.

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

The Baptism of Jesus copyright Ed Rijos, Higher Things

Friday, January 2, 2026

Saturday prior to Christmas 2

[1]

Luke 2:41-52 - The Hymn of the Day is Within the Father’s House (Lutheran Service Book #410)It recounts the Gospel reading of the Boy Jesus in the temple, and then offers up a prayer in stanzas 5 and 6 that we, by grace, might grasp and hold to the mysteries of the Incarnation and the Holy Trinity till they are at last made fully known to us on that great day when our Lord returns in majesty and glory.

5 Lord, visit Thou our souls
And teach us by Thy grace
Each dim revealing of Thyself
With loving awe to trace

6 Till we behold Thy face
And know as we are known
Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Coequal Three in One.

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Friday prior to Christmas 2

[1]

Luke 2:40–52—The Jewish rabbis were astounded by the teaching of this young Boy. How could such a One expound the Scriptures as He did? The antiphon from the Introit proclaims it well: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word made flesh expounded the written Word to these great teachers. We have not only the written Word (Old Testament) that they had, but we also have the benefit of the Holy Gospels, the record of the words and the deeds of the Incarnate Word.

Let us never take God’s Word for granted, but diligently ‘read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ it, so that ‘by patience and comfort of [God’s] holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Thursday prior to Christmas 2

[1]

Ephesians 1:3–14—Even if we seem to be lacking in worldly wealth or wisdom, we are assured that we, the elect of God, have a treasure far greater than anything on earth. We have the salvation planned by in eternity by God and won in time by Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us with His blood and forgiven us of our trespasses. Furthermore, He has bestowed upon us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance until the Last Day, when all His promises will be fulfilled.

Adoption was not uncommon in antiquity. Among the elite it served the important function of allowing for an heir if one had no children, or if one’s children died. The adopted person (who could be a child or an adult) gained social status through association with the parent’s social status. In the same way a biological child would, the adopted child benefitted from the social and political connections of their parent. They also gained wealth through their inheritance. In return the adopted child honored the parent through taking the parent’s name and being loyal to them.

Similarly, adoption by God is a blessing for which the apostle Paul praises God. It is an action planned by God (vv. 5, 9, 10, 11) and also pleasing to God (“according to the good pleasure of his will,” v. 5). It results in the praise of God (vv. 6, 14) by the adopted ones, who have a share in an inheritance from God (v. 14).

The adoption indicated here is unique in that it is not the adoption of an individual but of a people. The language echoes the stories of God choosing Israel (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:6; Psalm 135:4; Isaiah 41:8), and the purpose of being chosen for “redemption” (Ephesians 1:7, 14) evokes God’s release of Israel from slavery (e.g., Exodus 6:6). In addition, all of the relevant verbs and pronouns (we, us) in the passage are plural. Paul is not so much concerned with God’s relationship to individual believers as with the claim that God has chosen a people for God’s self.

The adoption of God’s people is part of a larger plan that has been established in the past and has both present and future effects. Already God has gifted the community with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This is not simply a promise of future gifts to be experienced in heaven, but a present gift of spiritual blessings. Similarly, in Ephesians 1:14 the Gentiles are described as having been sealed with the Holy Spirit, likely a reference to baptism. The experience of transformation by the Spirit is “a down payment of our inheritance” (v. 14). Believers participate now in something that is a preview of the gifts that will be realized fully in the age to come.[2]

[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-15-2/commentary-on-ephesians-13-14-8

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Wednesday prior to Christmas 2

[1]

1 Kings 3:4–15—In the tale of Aladdin’s lamp, Aladdin desires and receives great riches from the genie in the lamp. If you could have anything your heart desired, what would it be? Power? Wealth? Long life? Solomon humbly asked the LORD for wisdom to rule God’s people well. His request was granted, and Solomon became the wisest man ever to have lived. Because of his altruistically wise request, the LORD also gave Solomon what he did not ask for: great riches and honor, far beyond any other king.

We can benefit from Solomon’s wisdom in the books of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. We can benefit from the wisdom of God in all 66 books of the Holy Bible.

This is the last day of an old year. A New Year will soon dawn. Many reflecting on the year past resolve to do something new; lose weight, drop a bad habit, start a new program. Sadly, within a few short days the New Year’s resolution is yesterday’s news and as for all those good intentions nothing really changes.

Solomon’s resolve is different. He asked the Lord for a descending heart. Each of us could benefit from godly discernment. May we be more keenly aware of the sensitivities of others, may we be quick to listen, slow to speak, with a discriminating and judicious; well judged mind. James teaches, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” –James 1:19

“Quick to listen” means that we train ourselves to wait for the whole story before diving in with our opinion. “Slow to speak” is the flip side of that. We control our words and don’t blurt out everything that comes into our heads. Solomon’s request stands as a guide as we close out one year looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that await us in the coming New Year.

Prayer for grace to receive the Word: Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with Your and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.[2]

New Year’s Eve (December 31)

Isaiah 30:[8–14] 15–17
Romans 8:31b–39
Luke 12:35–40

Our Times Are in His Hands

The Church and the world are awake, but for very different reasons. The world counts down to midnight; the Church watches eagerly for her Master who is “coming at an hour” we “do not expect” (Luke 12:40). For many, the changing year brings regrets, fears, and desperate wishes for improvement. The world delights in smooth talk and illusions of prosperity at any cost (Is. 30:9–10). It has already forgotten “the Holy One of Israel” born six days earlier (Is. 30:11).

The Church ends the calendar year differently. “In returning and rest...in quietness and in trust,” that is, in repentance and faith, for the Holy One saves us, and He is our strength (Is. 30:15). Our times are in His hands (Ps. 31:15), the hands of Mary’s Son—God not only with us, but for us (Matt. 1:23). So, who could be against us? If God has given His Son, “how will He not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31–32). The Church dresses for action not in fear, but in hope; Christ is coming to serve her with His gifts (Luke 12:37). Who is there to condemn us for the passing year? Christ has died, is raised, and intercedes for us! What distress will the new year bring? Nothing “can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:34–39)!

Sources:

Luther's Seal copyright Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Lectionary Summary copyright LCMS commission on worship

Monday, December 29, 2025

Tuesday prior to Christmas 2

[1]

Psalm 119:97–104—Psalm 119 is an example of Hebrew poetry, which is different than English poetry. First, the psalm is an acrostic: that is, every line of each section starts with the same Hebrew letter, in this case ‘mem’ (מ). Another characteristic of Hebrew poetry is parallelism, where the two halves of each line complement each other in some way. Here, we see that the second half of each line serves to amplify the thought in the first half. The psalmist proclaims that the Word of God is the source of wisdom; it rewards the one who meditates on it by making him wiser than my enemies and having more understanding than all my teachers. So, too, let us not fail to immerse ourselves in the study of God’s Word, for it is sweeter than honey to my mouth.

Collect for Psalm 119: Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves, for the same of Jesus our Lord.