Week 1 The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-15   Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 

John said his baptism was for repentance.  People were baptized “confessing their sins” (Matthew 3:6).  So why was Jesus baptized by John?  We know he did not need to confess his sins, for the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  No one was more surprised at this request than John himself.  John made very clear that he was subordinate to Jesus, saying that he was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ shoes (the job of a slave).  John tells Jesus, “No way, you be the rabbi, I’ll be your disciple.” But Jesus tells John to accept it that way for now, that he can “fulfill all righteousness”.

I have read many explanations of why Jesus was baptized by John.  Some say it was just for Jesus to give his stamp of approval on John’s ministry and message.  This could be part of it, for Jesus preached the same message as John preached.  Some say it was Jesus being humble, and certainly, Jesus’ humility shows throughout his ministry, even to the point of the humiliation of death on the cross (Phil. 2:8).  Some say he was baptized as a model for us, and certainly Jesus’ way of living is our model of how to follow God. Still, others say that John was calling a nation to repentance, and Jesus was born a Jew, a member of that nation and thus in need of repentance for the corporate sins of his forefathers.¹  But John asked Jesus this very question, and how does Jesus answer?

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

What righteousness is Jesus fulfilling by being baptized by John?

I think Jesus is doing here what he will do on the cross.  He takes responsibility for sins that he didn’t commit.  Jesus was innocent.  He had no sin, but Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  The righteousness Jesus is fulfilling is ours, because we can’t fulfill it on our own.  He has no personal need to repent, but he enters the waters of repentance with us.  Isn’t that what Isaiah predicted he would do?  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14).  Immanuel means “God with us”.  We celebrate each year that Jesus came from his place at God’s right hand to be one of us.  He came to experience humanity that he could identify with us.  He came to know our hunger, to know our pain, to know our temptations, to know rejection, to know abuse, to know suffering.  And by becoming a human like us, he shows us how to be a human like God intended us to be.  

“I will be with you.” It it the most common promise in the Bible.  It is the way Matthew begins his gospel, quoting Isaiah.  It is the way Matthew ends his gospel, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).  It is only fitting that this is the way Jesus begins his ministry.  He enters the river with us.  He awaits his turn with those repenting of their sins and being immersed.  He rises up out of the water and looks out at those who have not yet been baptized.  You can almost hear the words now that Jesus will say many times in the coming year.  “Follow me.”   Follow me in repentance.  Follow me in the waters.  Follow me as I rise to minister.  If we follow him, he promises to always be with us.

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

Jesus is fulfilling my righteousness, he is fulfilling your righteousness. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Thank you, Jesus.  Let us all now follow him into the waters of repentance as we enter this journey with Jesus.

1. We don’t talk a lot about corporate sins, but recently there has been a movement to accept the guilt of our forefathers for their mistreatment of people groups in the past (specifically the issues of the treatment of Native Americans, slaves, and minorities.)  The Bible is very clear that each person accepts the punishment only for his own sin, not that of his fathers (Deut. 24:16, Jer. 31:29-30).  Children are only guilty of the sins of their fathers if they imitate their fathers, though sometimes we reap the consequences of what was sown in previous generations.  Yet the sins of the past are relevant.  We should acknowledge them and renounce them. But there is no need to repent of sins we didn’t personally commit.  Kevin DeYoung, in his short book (with a long title) Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time  said it this way:

“We are not meant to live with a sense of corporate guilt for an ethnic, racial, or biological identity we did not choose and from which we cannot be free. Self-flagellation is not a requirement for spiritual maturity. It is one thing for us to love God and love our neighbors; it is quite another if the call of Christian discipleship means we must, on account of the failures of others, hate ourselves.”

If you have ever felt like it is impossible to measure up as a Christian, read this book.  There is no need to live with constant guilt and remorse.  (That’s part of what makes the baptism that Jesus will bring different than the baptism that John does.)