JESUS COMES TO BE BAPTIZED
Matthew 3:13-17 - January 11, 2004
MATTHEW 3:13-17
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
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Dearest Fellow-Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:
There is a difference in the purpose of life that we live and the purpose of life with which Jesus lived. We are born into this world, and we live on this earth. Our earthly life is known as our time of grace. It is a time of grace because by grace God brings us to faith, and in His grace believers learn the importance of God’s love for them. During this time of grace every believer is given the opportunity to grow in the knowledge and salvation of our Lord. This is our purpose in life: to live learning more about salvation, praising God for His grace, and then finally seeing Him face to face.
When we look at the purpose of Jesus’ life, we discover that His ultimate purpose was that He was born to die. In the creation of the world and since the creation of the world, Jesus is the only one with that purpose. We are born to live, but we know that Jesus’ purpose really was to die, to die on the cross for the sins of the world. We also know that in between that time when Jesus was born and the time when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead, He did many other things. Jesus taught in synagogues and healed the sick and performed many miracles. In all of that time part of His purpose, as He looked at the ultimate purpose of sacrificing Himself on the cross, Jesus carried out His heavenly Father’s will.
As we look at His baptism today, we learn once again that Jesus is doing the will of His Father. The book of Hebrews tells us: "Then I said, ’Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll--I have come to do your will, O God’" (HEBREWS 10:7). As Jesus comes to be baptized, we see He wants to be baptized to do once again God’s will. God’s will is explained for us in our text.
Jesus comes to be baptized (all according to God’s will)
I. both to show that He is the sinners’ Savior,
II. and show how sinners are also to be saved.
I. Jesus comes to be baptized to show He is the sinner’s Savior
We will look at the second half of our text first and see the power and testimony that is given at the baptism of Jesus. We are told: 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. He had come to the Jordan River to John to be baptized by him. They went down into the river and Jesus was baptized. This is all we are told about His baptism. We are not told whether Jesus was immersed in the water, if He was sprinkled with water, or how He was baptized--only that He was baptized with water.
We see the further testimony that is given, because Jesus has come to be baptized: At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. We picture the heavens being opened. We can picture the Holy Spirit like a dove descending, and John saw this. The crowds that were there saw this. It was a testimony that Jesus was more than just the son of Mary and Joseph. Now, ff seeing that testimony was not enough, they also heard the testimony that was given from heaven itself: 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Again, the crowd heard that voice, and John the Baptist heard that voice. They began to realize, because of the testimony that was given about this Jesus, that He was indeed the Messiah. This Jesus was more than just another prophet from Nazareth. Jesus looked like the people gathered in the crowd and talked like them. Jesus was been born like them, but He was also God’s Son. Jesus came to be the Savior of mankind. The crowd heard this when they witnessed Jesus’ baptism. Jesus came to be baptized in order to show that He was the sinners’ Savior.
As a sideline, of course, we learn more about the teaching of the Trinity. We see the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, three Persons, yet one God. We know that at His baptism probably everybody was astonished to see such a testimony, to see such a thing happen. At this baptism the crowd had to admit that this Jesus was the Son of God. The impact of this testimony was short-lived.
As Jesus began His public ministry and went around teaching and preaching, He met many who opposed Him. As Jesus went around to the different towns, He met many who did not want to believe in Him. Yet we also see that those who were His enemies had to admit that this Jesus was the Son of God. By the end of Jesus’ ministry, because of God’s grace that was upon Him, people realized that indeed He was more than just Jesus of Nazareth. We are told of the account when He drove out those possessed by demons, how they even recognized Him as the Son of God. In Mark: "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" (MARK 1:24). So the demon calls Jesus of Nazareth the Son of Man, but he also recognizes Him as the Son of God. Here is his testimony once again that Jesus is God’s Son. In our day and age the testimony that Jesus is God’s Son is sometimes denied. People look at Jesus and see Him as a teacher, as a miracle worker, as an all-around "good guy." But to say that He is God’s Son, this goes beyond what some want to admit. To say that this Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Son goes beyond what some one may want to believe.
This brings us back to the fact that purely by God’s grace alone, we are able to see not only that Jesus is God’s Son; but also we are also able to know and to believe that He is God’s Son. We know and believe this, not on our own, but again by God’s grace. Paul describes God’s grace for us in Corinthians: "However, as it is written: ’No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’--but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 CORINTHIANS 2:9,10). Just as that Spirit of God descended on Jesus at His baptism, so the Spirit of God has descended on us at our baptism. The Spirit of God has revealed in our hearts the truth that Christ Jesus is the Savior of the world. He has revealed to us what is the truth--that Christ Jesus is our salvation. Again, that is an important teaching. It sounds simple for us who know and believe and understand Christ the Lord.
Yet many in the world around us look for all kinds of ways to get into heaven. Humanly speaking, men like to consider themselves not so bad. Humanly speaking, men like to think that if they try hard enough and treat other people fairly nicely, the Lord will certainly not leave them out of heaven. There are church bodies that have gone so far as to say that some of the other religions in this world aren’t so bad. They teach goodness and kindness, and what is the matter with that? Yet the Lord reminds us time and again that it is only through Christ and Christ alone can anyone be saved. It doesn’t depend on man’s desire or effort. It doesn’t depend on man’s goodness, but it depends on the fact that Christ came to be baptized. Jesus came to show the world that He was the Savior.
When the early apostles faced opposition and were thrown into prison, they were often let out with the condition that they would not talk about the name of the Lord. Yet, they could not help themselves speak about the things that they had seen and heard. What were those things? In the book of Acts we are told: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (ACTS 4:12). Salvation comes through Jesus and Jesus alone. That is why Christ came to be baptized.
Jesus came to be baptized to do God’s will showing that He was the Savior for sinners. Jesus came to be baptized to do God’s will so that believers also would see the way of salvation.
II. Jesus came to be baptized to show sinners how to be saved.
Our text began by telling us that Jesus went out of His way to be baptized. Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. You can picture for yourself once again Jesus coming from Nazareth, coming down to the Jordan River, walking along through the Judean countryside, making the journey. Then you are reminded of the same journey that someone else had made 30 years earlier--His parents as they came to Bethlehem again traveling through the Judean countryside all according to God’s plan, all according to God’s will. So that it is 30 years later, here comes Jesus walking by Himself, coming to the Jordan, coming to John the Baptist to be baptized by him: 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" John the Baptist knew who Jesus was. He knew that Jesus was the Promised Messiah. It came as a shock and a surprise to John to have Jesus come to him to be baptized. It was difficult for John for a number of reasons. John knew that he, John, was the lesser. Here the Greater comes to be baptized by the lesser. John just had been preaching to the crowds that there would be one greater than he would come. Lo and behold, this greater one than he is Jesus whose thongs on His sandals John was not worthy to untie. And, now, Jesus asked for baptism. John knew that Jesus did not need to be baptized, because Jesus was sinless. John knew instead that he himself needed to be baptized. Of course, he is not going to stop Jesus or stop God’s will, is he?
John tried to stop Him, but 15Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Jesus said that it is proper to do this to fulfill all righteousness. It is proper to do this that God’s will is carried out. It is proper to do this that the plan of salvation is carried forth to the ends of the earth. It is proper to do this according to what God wants done. Then we are told very simply: Then John consented. John agreed. He could not stop Jesus, could not stop God’s will. Jesus is baptized. In this way Jesus shows sinners the importance of baptism.
Of course, when we look at Jesus’ baptism, we realize a glaring difference. Jesus had not sinned ever in thought, word or deed. He didn’t need to be baptized ever to wash away sins. The glaring difference is that we sin by thought, word and deed. We need that washing of baptism. We have heard of its importance in our second lesson today in Titus(3:4-7) where God talks about that grace and mercy of God, appearing--Christ Himself. God tells us about washing us with the water and the Word, because we are sinful. We are born into this world as enemies of God, and thus Jesus comes to do God’s will to show us the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, to show us the importance of God’s Word.
Today, people don’t like to talk about sin. Yet, it is there. They like to think they can keep some of the commandments, if not all of them; but what does the Lord say? He says: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (JAMES 2:10). If we do one wrong thing, if we think one wrong thing, if we say one wrong thing, we are guilty of breaking all of the commandments because sin is sin is sin! So what are we to do?
We realize that we cannot stand before God in our own sinfulness. We cannot stand before God in our own righteousness because it is always tainted always by sin. All our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We depend, we rely, we believe on Christ the sinless Son of God as our Savior, that He came to be baptized to show us the way of salvation. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 CORINTHIANS 5:21). Remember what Jesus said to John? It is good to do this. Let it be done now so that we will fulfill all righteousness. Paul recalls those words when he says, "We who were unrighteous have become righteous, we who are sinners have become sinless--with sins forgiven by Christ, His perfect life, His innocent death and His glorious resurrection."
As we look at the baptism of Jesus, we remember that His purpose in living was to die. All along the journey of his earthly living, Jesus did only everything according to His Father’s will. Jesus obeyed because you and I disobeyed. Jesus lived, died and rose again so that we might live and die and rise again. All of this is the example of Christ’s great love for us. All of this reminds us of the importance of baptism. Baptism is not just a symbolic act, but it is an act of washing away sins. In Ephesians: "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" (EPHESIANS 5:25b, 26). The Lord washes away our sins with the water and the Word.
Jesus came to be baptized. He did not need to do this, but Jesus came to be baptized according to God’s will that He might show to the world that He is indeed the Messiah, the sinners’ Savior. There was the testimony of John the Baptist saying, "Here is the Messiah." There was the testimony of the Holy Spirit that came down from heaven. There was the testimony of His heavenly Father: 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." This testimony stands for our benefit that we too learn the value of Christ’s Word and His Sacraments in our lives, not just the day we were baptized but day after day. Luther writes in his Catechism: "It is by daily and contrition and repentance that we drown our sinful nature," referring to baptism (as a drowning of the sinful nature with the waters of baptism). Remember that our baptism saves us. Jesus came to be baptized according to God’s will, that the world would see him as the Savior. Jesus came to be baptized according to God’s will that He might fulfill all righteousness for us.
As Jesus continued His ministry (this is actually the beginning of His public ministry in a very visible way), He called the disciples to follow Him. (We are going to study that in the next few weeks.) As Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, John the Baptist was still around. John also continued to give testimony that this Jesus was more than a carpenter’s son. We are told John’s testimony in the Gospel of John: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ’Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’"(JOHN 1:29). This is Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is Jesus, the Lam of God, who comes to be baptized according to God’s will that the world would recognize Him as the Savior. This is our Lamb of God, Jesus, who comes to be baptized to show us the importance of our living in His salvation. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
