Beloved brothers and sisters,
We live in a world obsessed with results—impact, success, influence, and power. We admire those who change history, who move nations, who leave their mark on the world. Yet when we look at Jesus—the One who changed the course of human history—we discover something surprising.
Before He preached.
Before He healed.
Before He confronted injustice.
Before He went to the cross.
Jesus entered the water.
The world-changing ministry of Jesus did not begin in a palace or on a platform. It began in a muddy river called the Jordan. Today, we reflect on a simple but profound truth:
Jesus entered the water before He changed the world.
I. The Water Came Before the Work
Matthew tells us that Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized by John. John hesitated. He knew who Jesus was. “I need to be baptized by You,” John said, “and do You come to me?”
But Jesus replied,
“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
Jesus insisted on entering the water.
Why?
Not because He had sins to confess.
Not because He needed cleansing.
But because He chose solidarity over separation.
Jesus stood where sinners stood. He joined the line of the broken, the repentant, the longing. The work of salvation began not with distance but with closeness.
Church, hear this clearly:
God did not save the world from afar.
God stepped into the water with us.
Before Jesus changed the world, He first entered it fully.
II. The Water as Humility
The Jordan River was not impressive. It was not the cleanest river, nor the most beautiful. It was common, ordinary, and muddy.
Yet this is where Jesus chose to begin.
He did not demand a throne.
He did not seek recognition.
He did not bypass the human process.
The Son of God humbled Himself.
This moment reveals a deep truth:
God’s power is revealed through humility.
Before glory, there was obedience.
Before authority, there was surrender.
Before the cross, there was water.
Many of us want to change the world, but we resist humility. We want influence without obedience, power without submission, results without surrender.
Jesus shows us another way.
III. The Water as Identity and Affirmation
After Jesus was baptized, Scripture tells us that the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven declared:
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Notice something crucial.
The Father affirmed Jesus before He performed a single miracle.
Before a sermon was preached.
Before a demon was cast out.
Before the sick were healed.
Jesus was affirmed not for what He did, but for who He was.
This is good news for us.
We do not earn God’s love by changing the world.
We do not earn God’s pleasure by proving ourselves.
We are loved first—then sent.
If you are exhausted from trying to be “enough,” hear this today:
You are God’s beloved—not because of your achievements, but because of grace.
IV. The Water as Transition
Jordan was a place of crossing. Israel once crossed it to enter the Promised Land. Now Jesus crosses into His public mission.
Baptism marked a turning point:
From preparation to proclamation.
From private life to public ministry.
From waiting to walking in purpose.
Every calling has a water moment.
A moment where we let go.
A moment where we die to self.
A moment where obedience costs us comfort.
There is no resurrection without burial.
No transformation without immersion.
No new life without surrender.
If you are standing at a threshold today, unsure of what God is calling you into, perhaps God is inviting you—not to leap into success—but to step into the water.
V. A Word for the Church Today
Church, we often want to change the world through power, platforms, and politics. But Jesus changed the world through incarnation.
He entered human pain.
He stood with the poor.
He walked with the rejected.
He touched the unclean.
The Church is not called to stand on the riverbank shouting instructions.
We are called to enter the water with the people.
To be present where there is suffering.
To walk with those who are wounded.
To love before we lead.
Because real transformation begins where humility meets obedience.
Conclusion
Before Jesus changed the world, He entered the water.
The water was His beginning.
The cross was His cost.
The resurrection was God’s confirmation.
And today, He calls us to follow Him—not just in words, but in the way of humility, obedience, and love.
If we want to be agents of God’s transforming grace in this world, we must be willing to step into the water first.
Because the water is where God meets us.
And from the water, the world begins to change.
Amen.
