The Baptism of our Lord

First Sunday in Epiphany
1/9/11
Matthew 3:12-17
Bror Erickson

[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" [15] But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. [16] And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV)

“Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” There is always question as to why Jesus needed to be baptized. Much of this comes from what the New Testament has to say about baptism elsewhere. Baptism is for sinners. Baptism saves, it sanctifies, it justifies, it claims boys girls, men and women for God, makes them children of God. It creates disciples. Baptism offers the forgiveness of sins, and gives people the Holy Spirit. Baptism buries us with Christ so that just as he is risen from the dead, so we too might walk in the newness of life. It elects Christians to salvation. These statements concerning baptism are supported by verses littered through out the New Testament Epistles and writings of Peter, Paul, and Luke. Acts: 2, I Corinthians 6, Romans 6, Ephesians 5, Titus 3, I Peter 3 etc. And so there is question, what need did Jesus have of baptism? Why should he, who was born sinless, and led a sinless life, need to be elected, justified, sanctified etc. Of course, an astute reader of the New Testament will realize that there must be some distinction between the Baptism with which Jesus was baptized with and the baptism with which we are baptized, for if our baptism buries us with Christ so that just as he was resurrected from the dead we too might walk in the newness of life, then obviously the baptism of Christ that took place before his death and resurrection must have different meaning different import. Yes, this was a baptism that fulfilled all righteousness. It was a very different baptism, but without it our baptism would be as meaningless as our “baptist” brothers and sisters claim it is. For without it righteousness would not have been fulfilled, without it Christ’s death and resurrection would have been meaningless, for this baptism prepared him for that baptism too which we are joined, his death and resurrection. If fulfilled all righteousness that he would die for our sins a righteous man.
To fulfill all righteousness. To understand this we must understand who John the Baptist was, and therefore what his baptism was all about. He was a prophet. He was the forerunner of the Lord, the one sent to prepare the way for Christ, as law prepares a heart for the gospel. He came with strict observation of the law, calling the world to repentance, and baptizing for repentance. That is his baptism was an act of repentance. But other than that it was essentially empty. John the Baptist himself said that he baptized with water, but the one who would come after him, he would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with Fire. That is in comparison to Christ’s baptism, John’s baptism did nothing much, it was an act of repentance. And well there are all sorts of ways of repenting for sin and sins. On the one hand one could repent using any number of sacrifices in the temple, or even just prayer, and apologizing to those you sinned against. On the other hand though, to reject the baptism of John, was to not repent at all. Many of the Pharisees did this and refused to be baptized by John the Baptist. And this had repercussions. It indicated that they weren’t really repentant. It meant that they rejected John the Baptist, and did not believe he was truly a prophet with sanction from God. In rejecting John’s baptism, they rejected John, and rejecting John they rejected the one who had sent him, God himself.
It is the same phenomenon today among those who claim you can be Christian without being baptized. That faith alone saves, and therefore Christian baptism, which the New Testament says gives us the Holy Spirit, faith and salvation, can’t save. People believe they can have faith without baptism, without even the desire for baptism. Or once they are baptized, they no longer feel they need to be sustained by the word of God and the gathering of saints, and the Sacrament of the Altar, because they can just pray and be forgiven. And there is truth to the fact that God will forgive even as he hears the prayer of a righteous man, but then if you reject the other means by which he says that he forgives sins, are you not telling him that you really do not want to be forgiven? Yes faith alone saves, but faith believes, that is what faith is, belief. Faith believes God, Faith believes Christ and so faith desires baptism, faith desires to hear God’s word, faith desires to be fed with the body and blood of Jesus Christ where Jesus gives us the forgiveness of sins. So it is if one really was repentant of their sins they subjected themselves to the baptism of John the Baptist, realizing that he was a prophet sent from God. So Jesus in submitting to the baptism of John, for which he had no real need for himself, recognizes that John is sent from God, affirms John’s ministry of the law, because he did not come to abolish the law but fulfill it, to fulfill all righteousness. But something even greater then happened when Jesus was baptized, righteousness was fulfilled. Righteousness was fulfilled because the righteous man repented not for any sin of his own, but for the sins of the world, for your sins and my sins. But to repent of another man’s sins is to take responsibility for them. So Jesus took upon himself our sin. So Jesus exchanges with us the righteousness of God for our sin, and prepares for the baptism of his death and resurrection, where sin is buried with death, that we who are baptized into his death and resurrection might enjoy the newness of life.
And this so pleased the Father that he opened heaven that the Spirit of God might descend to bless His Son with whom he was so pleased. The other persons of the Trinity could not help but show up for such a major event in the salvation of man. And just as all three persons of God were there for Christ’s baptism by John. So they are all there in each and every baptism done in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, wherever Christ’s righteousness is exchanged for the sins of man, to be buried with him in his baptism that you and I would walk in the newness of life, rejoicing with the Father in the forgiveness of sins.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.