To Fulfill All Righteousness

Introduction

If you ever watch a movie with me you would probably get a little annoyed because I tend to comment during the film a lot. If something seems inconsistent, if the pacing is off, if the characters are not fleshed out I’m definantely going to say something about it. It drives my sister in law crazy.

One of my most common complaints is when an event happens in the story that isn’t developed well and makes it obvious that the writers wanted the event to happen so that something else later in the story could happen, but instead of developing it well it just sort of happens in a forced way.

However, I cannot complain about that happening in our text today because the purpose that this even serves is important, not just for the story of the gospel, but for our salvation. Although John the Baptist will step in to try to stop this event form happening, Jesus insists that it happen so that all righteousness may be fulfilled.

Jesus Comes to John

Our text begins by introducing a new event in this scene that was happening “in those day” ie. the days when Jesus was living in Nazereth with his parents. Obviously at this point Jesus is well into adulthood, but Matthew keeps the pace of the narrative flowing smoothly.

We are told that Jesus came from Galilee, the region the once belonged to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtli. This is a very different part of Israel than where John would have been Baptizing, which would have been closer to Jerusalem. We are told that Jesus comes for a singular purpose: “to be baptized by him.”

Jesus’ Intention to be Baptized

Jesus is not simply in the neighbourhood, Jesus has come out with intentionality to be baptized with a baptism that is supposed to be a declaration of repentance, which may seem like an odd way for the sinless son of God to begin his ministry.

But that is exactly what this scene is, the beginning of Jesus ministry. While Luke relays the scene of Jesus in the temple as a 12 year old boy, Matthew jumps right from the return from Egypt to this crucial event. In this Baptism, Jesus will:

Be publically recognized by the rest of the Godhead as to who he truly is.

Be humbled in obedience to the will of the Father.

Give up his home and livelihood for the work he has.

Bring the time of preperation to the time of acceptation in preaching the Gospel.

Begin his sufferings that will end at the cross.

John’s Prophetic Recognition

What is not clear at this point is the extent of John’s knowledge of Jesus. There are details in this account that we’d like to know but don’t. Was this baptism public? Did John know that Jesus was the Christ? After all, John would send his disciples to Jesus later to ask that very questions. It’s clear that John knows that Jesus is greater than he is. Its clear that John sees Jesus as a greater player in the coming of the Kingdom of God. But John will wonder later if there is another to come after Jesus, or if he is the Christ.

Regardless, John sees Jesus’ purity in contrast to himself. He recognizes that Jesus is so worthy that he, the baptizer, should be baptised by Jesus. In other words, John, the culmination of all the OT prophets, recognizes that Jesus is someone greater than any prophet that has come before.

And whether John realizes it or not, his exposure to the incarnate Son of God immediately makes him aware of his own sin. Like the prophet Isaiah recognizing his own uncleanness in the face of God’s presence, John recognizes his own need of repentance and forgiveness in the presence of the one true God.

John’s Objection

And so John objects, not in a sinful rebellion, but in shock of how backwards Jesus request seems to him. Jesus is the Christ, he is the one whose coming John’s baptism is meant to prepare people for. Imagine if we had an announcement tomorrow that the Queen was going to visit Scaroborough in a week and she will be paraded down Lawrence Ave. As the city and businesses are cleaning things up and putting up the decorations, the Queen herself arrives in overalls and sneakers to help set up. How both shocking and confusing this would be, for it is her arrival that we would be preparing for. This is the confusion John is experiencing. He knows that his own heart is not yet as prepared as it ought to be and a deeper repentance could be reached if Jesus would baptise him, but Jesus wants to take part in this cleansing ritual, though he has nothing from which to be cleansed.

Jesus alone has loved the Lord his God with all his heart. Jesus alone loves his neighbour as himself. Jesus alone brings pleasure in the sight of the Father in himself, without need of sacrifice or ritual cleansing. Of every human being that has ever or will ever be born, Jesus is the one that does not need to repent of anything. So why would he come to John for a Baptism of repentance meant to prepare the hearts of a rebellious people to be saved from the wilderness of God’s wrath and led back into his promises for them?

Jesus Answer: To fulfill all righteousness

Jesus, in answer to John, does not contradict his logic. Of course, John sees that according to human reasoning this request makes no sense, and Jesus does not seek to argue otherwise. Instead, Jesus simply answers, “Let it be so now.” The word translated “let it be so” has the sense of saying, “Allow it, permit it, tolerate it.” The sense that Jesus is speaking to John is not a command to do something per se, but rather a command to let happen what must happen. To get out of the way of what Jesus means to have done and let it happen despite it going against his reasoning.

God’s will often does not make sense to us, as we are unable to see the fulness of his plan. Maturity in faith is a willingness to obey and allow God’s revealed will to be carried out despite how counterintuitive it may seem. Preaching a Gospel of a bloody cross, and empty tomb, and a call to total self-denial and discipleship is not a message that is likely to attract a crowd, and speaking the Gospel as it is may seem counterintuitive to our desire to see many come to know the Lord Jesus, and yet God says, “let it be so now.” Paying taxes to a government that funds the slaughter of unborn babies and abusive hormone treatments to young children may seem counterintuitive, and yet Scripture commands, “let it be so now.” Continuing in a time of suffering, poverty, or grief may seem contradictory to the joyful life that living in Christ should be, and yet Jesus tells us, with his own scars of suffering still in his body, “let it be so now.” God gave us brains and we are meant to follow them, but when the will of God makes no sense to us, Jesus’ gentle words to his faithful disciples are, “let it be so now.”

But Jesus does give John some explanation: “For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” According to Jesus, his being baptized is part of God’s plan to “fulfill all righteousness.”

This is a phrase that has caused some debate, because Jesus is not very specific with John as to what this means.

“Fulfilling all righteousness” could refer to Jesus walking in the will of the Father. It means obedience to the Father’s will, even if the purpose of that will is unknown. While I think this is certainly part of what Jesus is saying, I don’t think it is the full picture.

Jesus is walking through the steps of the people of God, but in complete righteousness. As we will see in a future message, the events in Jesus life mimic the exodus. Like ancient Israel, Jesus goes to Egypt in exile, like them, he will pass through the waters of baptism as they passed through the Red Sea, cutting themselves off from the worldly society of Egypt. And as Israel would wander in the wilderness for 40 years, Jesus would wander for 40 days, williing to starve rather than faithlessly grumble as the Israelites did for food. In this way, Jesus is fulfilliing all righteousness by identifying with the people and going through with them even through a baptism of repentance so that he could truly be our merciful and faithful high priest. This is, in no way, is an admission of sin, but rather a partaking among sinners. In other Words, Jesus is partaking in a baptism of repentance, not to repent of anything himself, but to lead and occompany his people through their repentance. Is 53:12 would say that the Christ would be numbered among the transgressors.

Finally, this baptism would be a fulfillment of righteousness in that it would reveal the righteous plan of salvation through it. In Is 53:11 Isaiah says of the Christ, “by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous.” In orther words, when the Christ would become known, and he is shown to be God’s righteous servant, then many would be justified.

All three of these possabilities are likely true and they all compliment one another. Jesus submits himself in obedience to the Father’s will, which is that he would partake with his people in this cursed state and lead them through repentance and into God’s salvation by being the perfect example and leader for the people of God.

Conclusion: Then he consented.

Jesus’ unspecific response to John’s strong hesitency is enough to get him to consent, have his own will and thinkings step aside, and baptise Jesus. Next week we will see how that turns out, how the Father vindicates Jesus’ sinless nature by declaring him to be his son in whom he is well pleased.

For us, we are reminded of the nature of Christ’s coming. Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matt 20:28). Giving his life to ransom many did not start at the cross, it stars right here. He spends his life to get down among sinners, walk their road of sin-imposed suffering and punishment, and ultimately atone for it on the cross. His ministry was one of stooping down to where sinners are at, not standing on the other side of the Jordan waiting for us to get there ourselves first.

Sinner, Christian, whoever you be, Christ is not far. His love is not far. He became man to be near us. He passed through baptism to be near us. He healed the sick and ate with sinners to be near us, touch us, get our filth and disease on him so that we can be pure like him.

But as he passes through the baptism waters, the wilderness of temptation, into his ministry, and finally his suffering and death he bids you to come with him. He is not far, but you may not stay on the other side of the Jordan. You must pass through repentance, you must prepare your heart, you must follow him everywhere, and you must die to the flesh and life in Christ. Jesus’ work did not make the way through this wilderness of this world easy, but it did make it possible because it is he who leads us, he who gives us the Holy Spirit who strengthen us puts the old flesh to death, gives us ears to hear the voice of our shepherd to come after him.

The question is, will you come after him? Christ has done so much to draw near to you, are you drawing near to him? He has consumed the eternal suffering that your sins deserved, will you walk his temporary road of suffering? Discipleship involves the high price of Jesus’ death, and yours. This is what it means to be near him.

So will you be near the God who bacame man and took on all that he did to be near you, to save you? Do you want to be near someone who gave up so much and asks the same of you? Seeing the depths of his love and intention to save us leads to only one response, a depth of love to leave all we are behind and follow him.