Crowned in the Waters: The King Who Stands With Sinners and Fulfills All Righteousness

Sermon Title: Crowned in the Waters: The King Who Stands With Sinners and Fulfills All Righteousness

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17

Occasion: The Lord’s Day

Date: October 12, 2025

PRAY

O Father of mercies and Fountain of light,

We thank You for opening the heavens over Your beloved Son, and through Him over us.

Send now that same gentle Spirit who rested upon our King, that He might rest upon us— to soften hard hearts, to humble proud ones, and to lead us downward into repentance and upward into joy.

Let the Word we hear this hour baptize our souls afresh, that Christ may be formed in us, and that all our righteousness might be found in Him alone.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.

Introduction — A Coronation You Didn’t Expect

It was January 20, 1961.

The air in Washington, D.C. was sharp with cold—barely 22 degrees—as a crowd of over a million gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

Snow still clung to the marble from the night before.

You could see the mist of their breath in the crisp morning air.

A 43-year-old John F. Kennedy, the youngest man ever elected President, stood bareheaded in the biting wind.

His breath curled into the air as he placed his left hand on a family Bible and raised his right.

With his words, history shifted:

“I do solemnly swear… that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States… so help me God.”

Moments later came that unforgettable challenge:

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

It was more than a ceremony—it was an inauguration, a public beginning, a declaration to the world that a new administration had begun.

Power was transferring.

A mission was starting.

The nation leaned forward in expectation.

Now, picture another inauguration—one that didn’t take place before a Capitol dome but along the muddy banks of the Jordan River.

No cameras.

No marble steps.

No headlines.

Just a prophet in camel hair, a crowd of sinners waist-deep in repentance, and a Man walking forward through the dust.

He doesn’t wear a suit or carry a script.

His hands calloused from labor, His feet coated with wilderness dust.

Yet all of heaven leans in, because this Man isn’t there to take an oath before men—He is there to fulfill the will of God.

He comes not to begin a political administration, but to inaugurate a kingdom—a kingdom not of power, but of mercy; not built by might, but by righteousness.

This scene—Jesus’ baptism—is the inauguration of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

It’s the coronation of a King who doesn’t stand apart from sinners, but steps down into the water with them.

A King who will fulfill every demand of righteousness and open heaven for all who trust in Him.

That is why I have titled today’s sermon:

“Crowned in the Waters: The King Who Stands With Sinners and Fulfills All Righteousness.”

Matthew structures this passage like a divine unveiling, showing us who Jesus is and what His baptism means for us.

Sermon Outline

The King Who Stands With Sinners (vv. 13–14)

The King Who Fulfills All Righteousness (v. 15)

The King Whom Heaven Crowns (vv. 16–17)

And here’s the heart of Matthew’s message in this passage:

At His baptism, Jesus—the sinless King—steps into the waters of repentance to stand with sinners, to fulfill all righteousness, and to open heaven for all who trust in Him.

If someone asked you what the sermon was about, you could simply say:

“Jesus went into the water for us, so that we could be welcomed into heaven with Him.”

Transition to Point One

The Jordan River has grown still.

John the Baptist’s voice has been thundering across the wilderness, calling sinners to repent and prepare for the coming King.

But suddenly, through the crowd, a quiet figure steps foward.

The prophet pauses.

The people whisper.

And heaven seems to hold its breath.

Who is this Man who would step into the sinner’s water?

That brings us to our first point: Point 1: The King Who Stands With Sinners.

1) The King Who Stands With Sinners (vv. 13–14)

Matthew 3:13–14 ESV

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?”

Exposition

The word “Then” marks a redemptive hinge in history.

John the Baptist’s ministry of repentance has reached its height—crowds from all over Judea are confessing their sins and being baptized.

The desert is alive with repentance.

And it’s then—at the peak of this movement—that Jesus steps forward.

The voice crying in the wilderness now meets the Word made flesh.

Matthew writes, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan.”

This was no casual walk but a purposeful journey—an 80- to 100-mile trek on foot through rough terrain.

To put that in perspective, that’s like walking from Sanford to Fort Myers—under the relentless Florida sun (For Jesus, Desert Sun. Even worse!), blistered feet, dust in the air, and no fanfare.

Every step is a sermon of humility—God coming down, moving toward sinners, not away from them.

And notice where He comes from—Galilee.

Not from Jerusalem, the center of religious influence, but from the forgotten northern hills.

Galilee was a mix of cultures and peoples, a place despised by the religious elite—called “Galilee of the Gentiles.” (Matt. 4:14) Yet it was also the one part of Israel not directly ruled by Rome, living on the edges of imperial power.

It was ordinary, overlooked, unrefined.

But Matthew includes that detail with purpose.

Isaiah had foretold this centuries earlier:

“In Galilee of the nations, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light” (Isa. 9:1–2; cf. Matt. 4:15–16).

This King comes first to the dark places.

He walks into the region that symbolized distance and despair.

From the very start, Jesus brings light to the margins, hope to the hopeless, and grace to the forgotten.

The prophecy that once spoke of Israel’s hope now unfolds before our eyes in the muddy banks of the Jordan.

When Jesus arrives at the Jordan River, the scene slows to a holy stillness.

This river has seen much in redemptive history—it was where Israel crossed from wilderness into promise (Josh. 3-5), where Naaman washed and was made clean (2 Kings 5:14), where God’s people learned that salvation always comes through the waters of His mercy.

But now, something greater than Joshua, greater than Naaman, and greater than Moses has come.

The true and better Yeshua—“the Lord saves”—steps into these same waters to begin a greater exodus.

Not from Pharaoh’s bondage, but from sin’s dominion.

And as Jesus steps forward, verse 14 tells us, “John would have prevented Him.”

The prophet who called others to repent now stands silent before the sinless One.

“I need to be baptized by You,” he says, “and do You come to me?”

John recognizes that the roles are reversed—the Lesser is being approached by the Greater.

This is holy hesitation.

The herald bows, and the King stoops.

The same river that once marked the entrance into the Promised Land now marks the beginning of redemption’s plan.

The place where Israel once entered promise becomes the place where God’s Son enters pain—for us.

Theological Thread

From the beginning of Christ’s ministry, Jesus chooses solidarity with sinners.

He doesn’t stand apart, pointing from the shore—He steps into the same water with us and for us.

His baptism isn’t confession; it’s identification.

The sinless One stands where sinners stand.

The author of Hebrews describes it this way:

Hebrews 2:17–18 ESV

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

BUT this identification points forward—it’s substitutional.

What happens here is a preview of what will happen at the cross.

The King stands where sinners stand so that one day sinners can stand where He stands.

He enters the waters of repentance so that we might enter the waters of life.

As one theologian wrote,

“The baptism of Jesus is the first act of His great substitution—the sinless standing with sinners, the pure taking the place of the polluted.”

Luther said,

“Christ took our sins from us and dived into the water with them; He drowned them, and they no longer come back.”

The river here is a shadow of the cross—where the innocent will bear the guilty, and grace will drown the curse.

Illustration

I’ll never forget the day my son fell into my parents’ pool.

It happened so fast—one moment laughter, the next, panic.

I didn’t stop to shout instructions from the deck.

I didn’t tell him, “Kick your legs!” or “Swim toward me!” I just jumped in—clothes, shoes, phone, everything—and pulled him out.

That’s what Jesus does at the Jordan.

Humanity is drowning in sin, and the King dives in—not to be saved, but to save.

He joins us in our weakness so that those whose faith is in Him might rise in His resurrection strength.

Pastoral Application

Beloved, this is the gospel.

Our King does not wait for you to climb out of your guilt—He steps into it with you.

He meets you not in your success but in your need.

Matthew wants us to see this morning, that at the Jordan river, the Son of God entered our story—stepping into the waters of our humanity—so that through Christ, we might be written into God’s greater story of redemption.

This is what I call “grace in motion”— God in incarnate, here, is drawing near to the undeserving, heaven’s light stepping into our darkness, that we who dwell in the shadow of death might see a great light.

Transition to Point Two

But if He had no sin, why be baptized at all?

What righteousness was He fulfilling in that moment?

The answer Jesus gives to John—and to us—reveals the very heart of His mission and the depth of God’s redeeming plan.

Let’s look next at Point 2: The King Who Fulfills All Righteousness.

2) The King Who Fulfills All Righteousness (v. 15)

Matthew 3:15 ESV

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

Exposition

John hesitates—his conscience trembles at the thought of baptizing the sinless Son of God.

But Jesus answers with the first words of His public ministry:

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

The phrase “let it be so now” (Greek aphes arti) means “permit this for now.”

Jesus isn’t brushing John aside—He’s affirming that this act is necessary for God’s redemptive plan.

The time has come for the King to identify with His people and begin the mission of salvation.

You might be wondering,

“If Jesus is sinless, why would He need to ‘fulfill all righteousness’—doesn’t that sound like He’s making up for something wrong?”

That’s a good question.

To “fulfill all righteousness” is not about confessing sin but about completing the entire righteous purpose of God.

In Matthew’s Gospel, righteousness means perfect obedience to the Father’s will (cf. 5:6; 6:33).

Jesus fulfills that standard not only as an example, but as the representative of His people—obeying where Adam failed, Israel rebelled, and we fall short.

Here, Christ stands as the Second Adam, the head of a new humanity who will succeed where the first Adam fell.

What the first Adam lost in the garden, the Second Adam begins to restore in the waters.

This is the first public act of the Messiah’s obedience—an act that inaugurates His earthly mission.

From this moment forward, every step He takes is fulfilling what sinners could never accomplish.

A pastor recently summarized this section (Matt. 3) of John and Jesus’ baptism this way:

“John the baptist prepared the way; Christ perfected the way.”

Here in verse 15 we see the beauty of Christ’s obedience in full display.

In theology, Christians have often spoken of this in two ways—active and passive obedience.

Simply put, these describe the two sides of Christ’s saving work:

His life and His death.

His active obedience is His perfect life—His continual fulfillment of God’s law in every thought, word, and deed.

His passive obedience is His willing submission to suffering and death, bearing the penalty our sins deserve.

At Jesus’ baptism, both streams meet—the active obedience of perfect righteousness and the passive obedience of self-surrender.

The One who will one day hang on the cross first stands in the water, identifying with sinners and beginning the lifelong work of fulfilling all righteousness for His people.

This is what theologians call the great exchange—the righteous One standing in the place of the guilty, that the guilty might stand in the place of the righteous.

Jesus’ baptism is His declaration that He will bear our curse and bestow His righteousness.

The apostle 2Paul captures this stunning reality in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This is the gospel in seed form at the Jordan:

Christ steps into our place so that we might step into His.

He fulfills every demand of righteousness—both actively and passively—until, at last, He can cry, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

And he did finish the work, the resurrection is the proof of that!!

As one Reformed writer said,

“From His baptism forward, Christ’s obedience becomes the garment of all who trust in Him.”

Illustration: The POW Exchange

During World War II, in a Japanese prison camp, several prisoners were lined up for execution because a shovel had gone missing.

The guards demanded the guilty man step forward.

No one moved.

Moments before the soldiers began shooting, one man stepped out of line and said, “I did it.”

He was beaten to death on the spot.

Later, when the tools were recounted, none were missing.

That innocent man’s sacrifice saved everyone else.

He took the punishment they deserved.

That’s what Jesus does—only greater.

He steps forward for the guilty, not just to die our death, but to live our righteousness.

Where others stayed silent, He said, “I’ll take their place.”

He fulfills all righteousness by standing where we should have stood and doing what we never could.

That’s our Jesus, dear loved ones.

Where Adam fell, where Israel wandered, where you and I falter daily, Christ runs the course and finishes it in perfect obedience—for us.

Pastoral Application

Beloved, verse 15 dismantles our pride and heals our despair.

God wants you to know this morning that standing with him doesn’t rest on your performance—it rests on Christ’s perfection.

Every command you’ve broken, He has kept.

Every failure you carry, He has covered.

His righteousness is not a ladder for you to climb; it is a robe for you to wear.

To the weary who feel like you never measure up—take heart.

The Father already delights in the Son, and by faith, you are hidden in Him.

To the self-assured who measure worth by morality—be humbled.

The only righteousness that counts is the perfect one fulfilled in Christ and credited to sinners by grace.

This is the heart of the gospel:

The righteous King obeys fully so that the unrighteous might be made right with God.

Romans 5:1–3 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God…

Transition to Point 3

Matthew ends verse 15 with a brief but loaded phrase: “Then he consented.”

The word means to yield—John submits, and the divine order unfolds.

The servant steps back; the Son steps forward.

Earth obeys, and heaven is poised to respond.

What happens next in verse 16 is no ordinary scene—it is Trinitarian glory unveiled.

As the Son rises from the water, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks.

Jesus opens what we could not reach!

The heavens open, and God Himself crowns His King.

This leads us to our final point:

Point 3 – The King Whom Heaven Crowns (vv. 16–17).

3) The King Whom Heaven Crowns (vv. 16–17)

Matthew 3:16–17 ESV

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

Exposition

Verse 16 is the great moment—Jesus is baptized, immersed beneath the waters in the sinner’s place (prefiguring Jesus fulfilling all righteousness), and then immediately rises from them water, prefiguring His resurrection (conquering sin and death and pointing forward to new life).

Matthew slows the scene with sacred wonder—like a filmmaker shifting from slow motion to real time—and twice he says, “Behold.”

It’s his way of saying, “Stop and look—something heavenly is happening here.”

First behold points us to, “the heavens opening.”

And when heaven opens, you know it’s not for a weather report—it’s for a Word from the Lord!

For four hundred years, heaven had been silent—no prophet, no word, no visible glory.

The prayer of Isaiah 64:1 is finally answered:

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!”

Now at this moment, Jesus rises from the waters, the silence is shattered.

The barrier between heaven and earth begins to part.

The God who seemed so distant steps near again.

Then Matthew writes,

“He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him.” (V.16)

This moment is not symbolic only—it’s supernatural.

The Spirit descends visibly and remains (rests!) upon Jesus, marking the anointing of the Messiah.

This fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy:

Isaiah 11:2 ESV

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

The Spirit’s descent “like a dove” signals peace and purity—the gentle power of God equipping the Son of God to accomplish the redemption of God.

This isn’t the Spirit momentarily visiting, as in the Old Testament, but resting—abiding—on Jesus, the true and final Anointed One.

And in this moment, heaven becomes a coronation hall.

The Father and the Spirit together commission, inaugurate (or install), and crown the Son as the promised King.

The Father speaks from heaven, the Spirit descends from heaven, and the Son rises from the water—each Person of the Trinity gloriously present, unified in purpose.

This is the public inauguration of Christ’s messianic mission—heaven’s royal endorsement that the true King has come.

Here the Father delights, the Spirit anoints, and the Son receives His divine commission to fulfill redemption.

This is not merely approval; it is enthronement.

Heaven crowns its rightful King in the waters of the river Jordan.

But then we have another behold (V.17)!

This moment here in verse 17 is deeply tied to authority and identity.

But I want you to see here that before Jesus performs a single miracle, preaches a single sermon, or calls a single disciple, the Father and the Spirit publicly affirm who He is.

The Father’s voice declares,

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”(V.17)

In other words, before Jesus does, the Father establishes who He is.

That’s not incidental—it’s essential.

God the Father is preparing His Son for the road ahead—the wilderness, the ministry, the rejection, the cross.

In the very next passage, the devil will tempt Jesus by attacking that identity (Twice!! ):

“If you are the Son of God…” (Matt. 4:3, 6).

The first words from heaven are about who Jesus is; the first words from hell question it!!

The Son being fully and truly human (in the words of the Chalcedon Council over 1,500 years go) must know who He is before He faces what’s coming.

Jesus’ identity anchors His obedience.

His security in the Father’s love enables His endurance to the end-to accomplish redemption.

Theological Thread

This moment is both divine revelation and personal preparation.

The Spirit rests on Jesus, empowering Him for His ministry; the Father delights in Jesus, affirming His mission.

Just as the psalmist prophesied hundred of years before this moment:

Psalm 2:7–8 ESV

I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

Together here at the Jordan river in Jesus’ baptism, friends, we see the Father and the Spirit preparing the Son for the cross to accomplish redemption that the nation would be his heritage and the ends of the earth His possession.

But look closely- before Jesus ever acts, He is assured.

Before He ever performs a miracle or preaches a sermon, the Father secures His identity: “You are My beloved Son.”

This has always been the pattern of God’s redeeming work—identity before mission, affirmation before obedience. (REPEAT!)

John writes,

“The Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing… For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing” (John 5:19–20).

Paul says,

“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him” (Phil. 2:8–9).

And Peter declares,

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38).

All of this began here at the Jordan—the Father’s delight, the Spirit’s empowerment, and the Son’s readiness to obey.

His identity as the beloved Son precedes His work as the obedient Savior. (REPEAT!)

And this truth is vital for us, too.

Christ came not only to redeem us but to secure our identity in Him.

Paul reminds us in Romans 8:15–17 that the same Spirit who rested on Jesus now bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Ephesians 1:5 tells us that God predestined us for adoption through Christ before the foundation of the world.

And Galatians 4:6 declares,

“Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”

Just as Jesus ministered out of His sonship, so believers must live out of theirs.

We’re not working for God’s acceptance—we’re working from it.

Because in Christ, the Father already delights in us.

As John Calvin wrote,

“The Son of God was declared beloved, that we in Him might be made sons, and know that the Father is well pleased with us.”

For it is this—it is here—through a secured identity in Christ that we can withstand the storms of life, the wilderness of pain and disease, the cruelty of persecution and abuse.

When the winds howl and the waves rise, this truth anchors the soul: We are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s! (1 Corinthians 3:23)!!

These verses—1 Corinthians 3:18–23—completely changed the trajectory of my ministry and my life. (Just last year after time in Biblical counseling)

It was a paradigm shift.

Understanding who I am in Christ began to crush the fear of man that once ruled my heart.

I’m learning not to live chained to people’s approval, because I’ve already been accepted by God.

And as that truth sinks deeper into my heart, I’m beginning to taste the freedom Jesus promised:

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Beloved, we must remember this:

We belong to Jesus.

We are His, and He is ours.

That is our strength in the storm.

That is our peace in the pain.

That is our confidence in the call.

Illustration

I tell my kids the same thing before every big moment—whether it’s Leo stepping onto the ice, Cayden onto the field, or my girls walking out for cheer or choir.

I look them in the eye, place my hand on their shoulder, and say,

“No matter what happens out there, you are my child, and I love you.”

The game may test them, the crowd may rattle them, but their confidence flows from their father’s love.

Before Jesus ever faces the wilderness, the Father places His hand on His Son and says, “You are Mine. I am pleased with You.”

Application

Brothers and sisters, before the world questions your worth, before Satan whispers lies about your failure, remember your identity in Christ.

The same Spirit that rested on Jesus now lives in you.

The same voice that declared, “This is My beloved Son,” now declares over you, “You are My beloved child.”

We live, serve, and suffer not for identity, but from it.

Knowing who we are in Christ keeps us on mission when trials come.

We can stop ruining relationships trying to find our identity in community.

We can stop striving to get ahead, trying to find our security in our mission, and in the process, wounding people and organizations.

Our identity is not found in comparison or competition—it’s found in Christ.

Who God says we are:

We are adopted.

We are beloved.

We are redeemed, forgiven, chosen, and secure.

We are sons and daughters of the King.

The cross shows us the extent of Christ’s love and the security of it, doesn’t it?

There, Jesus went to great lengths—unimaginable lengths—to secure His love for us.

He endured the wrath we deserved, the shame we carried, and the death we owed, so that we would know—without a shadow of a doubt—that He loves us, that we are his, and He is for us.

As a father, I think about what it means to show my children that I’m for them—it’s not just words; it’s presence.

It’s showing up.

If I never showed up, my kids would question that love and that security, and ultimately question their identity.

But Jesus didn’t stay distant—He showed up.

He showed up at the waters of repentance.

He went down to the water.

He came to us.

He stood with us.

He fulfilled our righteousness.

And He willing went to the cross.

He proved He is for us.

As the old hymn goes…

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus— Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free— Rolling as a mighty ocean In its fullness over me! Underneath me, all around me Is the current of His love

We are safe in His love.

We are secure in His grace.

And nothing can separate us from Him and His love.

Our identity in Christ steadies our hearts when temptation whispers, “If you really are God’s child…” It reminds us that before we ever do, we already belong.

Nothing can change that reality.

Transition

At the Jordan, Jesus’ identity is declared;

in the wilderness, it is tested;

at the cross, it is proven.

And because He stood firm, Those of us who are in Christ, our identity in Him can never be lost.

We are hidden, united, and secured in the Lord Jesus.

Conclusion — The Crown and the Cup

In 1910, the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton gathered a crew of men to attempt something never done before: crossing the frozen continent.

His newspaper ad was short and honest:

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”

Thousands volunteered.

Why?

Because deep down, people long to give their lives for something that matters—to follow a leader worth following.

But two thousand years earlier, another Man stepped forward—not to conquer ice, but sin; not to cross a continent, but to bridge the chasm between heaven and earth.

He didn’t call men to safety, but to surrender:

“Take up your cross and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24)

And unlike every earthly leader, this King went first.

He stepped into the water before we ever could, was Crowned in the Waters, and later crowned with thorns—so that sinners might be crowned with mercy.

Transition to the Lord’s Table:

And it’s that same King we remember now at this Table.

The One who entered the waters of repentance now offers the cup of redemption.

The One who stood in our place now invites us to stand in His presence.

So as we come to the Lord’s Table, come as those who belong—resting not in your worthiness, but in His.

And if you’ve never come to Him—if you’ve never trusted this King who stood in the water for you—come not to the table first, but to Christ Himself.

Lay down your guilt, your striving, your sin.

Turn to Him, and taste the wonder of a Savior who dove into the depths of our sin and sorrow to bring us home—to the Father’s love, to forgiveness, to life everlasting.

Because the King who was Crowned in the Waters now reigns in glory—and still says to all who come to Him by faith, united in His death and resurrection, saying:

“You are My beloved, and in you I am well pleased.”(V.17)

Come to Jesus—find your rest, your identity, and your joy in the voice of the Father’s delight.

PRAY

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for the King who stepped into the waters for us— the sinless One who fulfilled all righteousness in our place.

Jesus, your beloved son, with whom you are well pleased.

Now, as we come to Your Table,

let the grace that met us at the Jordan lead us to the cross.

Feed us with the body and blood of Christ,

that we might rise and walk in His righteousness and joy.

Through Jesus our Lord we pray. Amen.

_______

Bibliography

Primary Source

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016.

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Bugenhagen, Johannes. Commentary on Matthew 3:13–17.

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Capes, David B. “Intertextual Echoes in the Matthean Baptismal Narrative.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 9 (1999): 37–49.

Hill, David. “Son and Servant: An Essay on Matthean Christology.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 6 (1980): 2–16.

Webb, Robert L. “Jesus’ Baptism: Its Historicity and Implications.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 10 (2000): 261–309.