What Did Jesus Do?
Joining Jesus on His Mission - From Matthew • Sermon • Submitted
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· 18 viewsIn John's baptism, Jesus identified with us sinners. In Christ's baptism, we sinners are identified with Him.
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One of Steve Urkel’s famous catch-phrases in “Family Matters” comes after yet another disaster that he initiated. Most of you all know it: “Did I do that?” Every now and then, though, something happens that is not Steve’s fault. Then the plaintive bleat of a crestfallen Steve turns into a stark, accusatory, “Look what you did,” generally directed at Carl, the one who serves as Steve’s sometimes unwilling mentor and friend. Today’s text presents John the Baptizer as the uncomfortable foil to an action that makes no sense to him, though its consequences are far more beautiful than Steve’s usual destructive best intentions bring to Carl.
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 take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. … through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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?”
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Baptism of Christ
Baptism of Christ. This event is recorded by the first three Evangelists and implied by Jn. Even those critics who question the historical accuracy of many details in the Gospels accept that Jesus Christ came to hear St *John the Baptist and, like others, received baptism at his hands, thus endorsing John’s mission. Mk. 1:10–11 tells of a vision of the heavens opening and a Divine Voice declaring His Sonship. Later accounts, including Ignatius, *Justin, the Gospels of the *Ebionites, *Nazarites, and *Hebrews, develop the tradition, reflecting some perplexity that the sinless Son of God should undergo a baptism of repentance, and at the hands of a subordinate figure.
The event is presented or referenced in , ; ; ; John the Baptist’s question finds its echo in Peter’s initial refusal to allow Jesus to wash his feet in . Seemingly, John the Baptist’s protest contradicts his testimony in (I myself did not know him); however, consider what Luke wrote about John the Baptist and his development:
And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
This statement seems to imply that John and Jesus did not see much of each other, if at all, between the time of Mary’s visit with Elisabeth and Jesus’ coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Nevertheless, while John did not personally know Jesus, being “filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb” (), John might have recognized the Messiah, even though he did not know Jesus. John did know his role: he “was sent to baptize,” and his purpose in baptizing was “that he might be revealed to Israel.”
There is another thing that John recognized. Even though he knew that he was a prophet sent from God, and that he was fulfilling God’s purpose, John also knew that he needed the same thing that he was proclaiming to others. John lived in the wilderness, apparently alone, where, it would seem, the enticements to sin would be almost completely absent, in that seven of the Ten Commandments require a target, a person against whom one is sinning, in order to be broken. But there was no one who could baptize him - until Jesus came his way. Pastors often feel a similar burden, for the congregation and the community often look to the pastor as the moral and ethical pillar upon whom they, perhaps unfairly, pin their expectations of what it means to be a “good Christian.” James did write,
There is another thing that John recognized. Even though he knew that he was sent by God, that he was a prophet sent from God, and that he was fulfilling God’s purpose by his ministry, John also knew that he needed the same thing that he was proclaiming to others. His baptism, a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, applied as much to him as it did to those to whom he was preaching. John lived in the wilderness, where, it would seem, the enticements to sin would be almost completely absent, in that seven of the Ten Commandments require a target, a person against whom one is sinning, in order to be broken, and he was apparently alone until his ministry began to attract attention. Yet, John knew that he had the need of his own baptism, and there was no one, before Jesus, who could baptize him. Pastors often feel a similar burden, for the congeregation and the community often look to the pastor as the moral and ethical pillar upon whom they, perhaps unfairly, pin their expectations of what it means to be a “good Christian.” James did write,
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Yet, we preachers need to hear the Gospel just like our audiences do. We need to have our faith fed by hearing, just like you do. Paul wrote to Timothy, regarding one who “aspires to the office of overseer,” or Bishop/Pastor, that
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
The very nature of what we do makes us susceptible because our preparation put us in a position to be viewed with admiration, respect and a certain awe by those whom we are called to serve, but are often treated as if we are called to rule.
Back to our text, I find Jesus’ response to John to be quite interesting.
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
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.
But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Rather than go into a lengthy explanation of what John’s baptism meant in relation to Jesus’ office and mission, or correct his misunderstandings so that John would understand and appreciate the role he was about to play, Jesus simply commands him to allow it, with the explanation that “it is fitting in this way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
John’s baptism was not the same as that which Jesus commanded the Apostles, and through them, His Church, in , which Paul describes in as uniting us “to Christ in His death,” in as being “united into one body” by the Holy Spirit, and being “buried with Him” in . In fact, according to , people who were only baptized with John’s baptism would need to be baptized again.
John’s baptism was offered to people to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah, and, with Him, the Kingdom of God. His baptism actually referred people back to the Torah, calling them to fulfill their calling as God’s chosen people, signified by His giving to them of His Law through Moses. In his preaching, John called them to do what the Commandments demanded of them. Their being baptized by him was an acknowledgement on their parts that they were not fulfilling their calling, and that they needed to turn from their transgressions.
Jesus was not guilty of any of this, in fact, Jesus was the embodiment of Israel, the ideal to which Israel was called to by the Law and the Prophets. He was “the Word of God [who] became flesh and dwelt among them,” as the Apostle John would later write in his Gospel. How would baptizing Jesus “fulfill all righteousness?” Although the Baptizer didn’t understand, by faith, he consented. John fulfilled His mission, and God showed it by what happened next:
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.”
While some might take from the words “to Him” in verse 16 that only Jesus saw what happened, John testified that this was a sign for him and that he saw it as well. In fact, there are two Latin manuscripts that add, “(“And when Jesus was being baptized a great light flashed (a tremendous light flashed around) from the water, so that all who had gathered there were afraid”).
Bruce Manning Metzger, United Bible Societies, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.) (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 8.
Since Word of God never falls to the ground void, but accomplishes the purpose for which He sent it, as written in , we must believe that something took place here, something beyond a simple act of obedience on John’s part, because it wasn’t just John’s righteousness that was being fulfilled, it was all righteousness. What did Jesus do here, that fulfilled “all righteousness?”
I can stop here now, I suppose, - you want that? No, that wouldn’t be right, not when there is a word that should build your faith here. There is something in this passage that should strengthen your faith, cause you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him who called you - but what?
John’s baptism was a baptism for sinners, but Jesus was not a sinner. John’s baptism was for repentance, but Jesus had nothing of which to repent. Let Scripture interpret Scripture
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It was here, at the Jordan River, the place where the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land and became the Nation of Israel, identified as God’s chosen nation, no longer just his band of rescued slaves, but now His instrument by which His goodness would be manifest in the world. It was here, at the Jordan River, where sinners confessed that God was right and that they were wrong and received a washing from God, through the hand of His prophet. It was here, that Jesus made what theologians have called “The Great Exchange.” He became identified with us in John’s Baptism, and we became identified with Him in His.
Thus we preach, in the words of the Apostle Peter, that “baptism now saves you,” words that offend the world, and, sadly, many who name the name of Christ as well. You see, we want to claim credit, even if it’s just a small shred or a sliver of it, for our being transformed by the renewing of our minds. We want to be able to say, in some small way, that “we built this” new life in Christ that we have. The truth about our baptism is that we were just as passive in our participation as a baby who was brought to Jesus for a blessing was. God has brought us to Himself, as we say in the catechism, as “the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”
What Jesus began here, in the muddy waters of the Jordan, he worked out through three years of ministry, sealed by offering up Himself as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, and confirmed by being raised from the dead by the power of the Spirit. He now continues that work in you, through the Body of Christ, His Church, as His ministry of Word and Sacrament expose and cleans you of your sins, and strengthens you in the one true faith as you regularly share in the communion of the saints and confess your faith to others that they might share our joy. It is the light of Christ that informs your good works that men see and give glory to God. That is the light that shines in the darkness, and the voice that bears witness to the Son even today as you hear the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ and it enters your hearts this morning. Jesus identified with us, and enables us to identify with Him, by water - what a life giving baptism it is!
So let the peace of God, that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.