Isaiah 42:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:23-31; St Matthew 3:13-17
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Baptism is not just plain water. But it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. Baptism works the forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe as the words and promises of God declare.
So why is Jesus receiving baptism from the hand of St John? St Mark tells us, John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins (Mk 1:4-5).
Jesus has no sins to confess. Yet He comes. He has no need to repentance under the Law, for He is perfectly obedient to the Law, both passively and actively. Yet He comes. He comes across the wilderness, from Galilee, to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. Behold the Lord, the Ruler has come, as the Introit sings. He comes as the new and greater Joshua, Ye-shua, the salvation of YHWH enfleshed. He comes from outside the promised land, from Galilee of the Gentiles, the place of no people, to the Jordan, to the place of God’s people.
For this is the same Jordan River which was miraculously parted by the Lord, when He commanded His servant Joshua to have the priests of Israel bring the Ark of the Lord to the brink of the waters. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and all the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap. And the people passed over opposite Jericho (Josh 3:13, 16).
This is the same Jordan River where the Lord, through Elijah and Elisha, miraculously divided its waters (2 Ki 2:8, 13-14). The same Jordan River where Naaman the leper was miraculously cleansed of his leprosy (2 Ki 5:14).
To this Jordan River came the Christ our Lord to be baptized by John. John would have prevented Him saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Like all Ministers of the Gospel, St John was a sinful man. A man burdened with his own weaknesses and failings. He was not worthy to untie the sandal strap of the Messiah, let alone administer holy baptism to Him. But Jesus answered him, “Let is be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Dear Christians who have been baptized, Jesus the Christ, the Anointed, the Messiah of God, does nothing for Himself. He is not conceived and born for Himself. He does not reveal His divinity to magi for His own purposes. He does not heal the sick, raise the dead, preach good news to the poor for Himself. He certainly does not offer Himself freely upon the Cross for His own benefit. Nor is He baptized for Himself, for the forgiveness of His sins or to secure eternal salvation for Himself. He does it for you. All that Jesus does, He does for you.
Thus does He give St John, the unworthy servant, a share in His righteousness. Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. To be sure it is Jesus, the Christ, who fulfills the righteous requirements of the Law. Jesus, the Christ, who submits Himself to the Word and will of His Father. But He does so for you. For your benefit.
It is as if He said to St John, “You must baptize Me, dear cousin. For I have come for the sake of sinners. I have come to become a Sinner and must fulfill that which God the Father imposes upon sinners in order that they might become and receive righteousness through Me. I give you share in this righteousness, even as they shall share in My righteousness.”
Your baptism works the forgiveness of sins. Your baptism rescues from the death and the devil. Your baptism gives eternal salvation. But not so for our Lord Jesus Christ. His baptism works the opposite precisely so that yours may give His righteousness under the Law.
His baptism drenches Him in the sin of the whole world. His baptism anoints Him for death. From the waters of His baptism He does not enter into the Promised Land, but is thrown by the Holy Spirit out into the wilderness in order to be tempted by the devil. Where Israel failed Jesus shall succeed. Where you have failed and faltered and been lured into temptation, despair, great shame and vice, the Christ our Lord has conquered. “Mark how the Lamb of God’s self-offering our human sinfulness takes on in the birth-waters of the Jordan as Jesus is baptized by John” (LSB 600:1).
And as He did for St John, so does He do for you. He gives you to share in His righteousness. Jesus enters into baptism in order to be anointed with your sin and death, so that, when you enter into Holy Baptism, you are clothed with His righteousness and life. As it is written, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27). He is Himself your baptismal robe and garment. Your glorious dress and righteousness. You have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. You are forgiven all your sins. You have been rescued and snatched from the jaws of the dragon.
How can water do such great things? Certainly not just water. But the Word-made-flesh has stepped into those waters and sanctified them, setting them apart to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin. Without God’s Word Incarnate, that is, apart from Jesus Christ who has been baptized for you, the water is plain water and no baptism. But with and in God’s living Word made flesh who comes to the Jordan to be baptized by John, it is a baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St Paul says in Titus chapter three.
There is an artists’ rendering of the Baptism at our Lord in the library at Concordia Theological Seminary. Some of the students have seen it. It’s part of a triptych. The center panel is our Lord Christ as the Sower who went out to sew; seeds falling on good soil, the path, rocky ground, and thorns. The thorns spiral into the right panel, forming the crown of thorns which encircled our Lord’s brow. The scene is the institution of the Lord’s Supper with the heaven’s opened above revealing the throne of the Lamb surrounded by the saints in adoration. Our Lord’s earthly ministry, His Holy Communion, last will and testament.
The left panel depicts the baptism of our Lord. He stands in the water, the heaven’s opened, the Spirit is descending in the form of a dove, and if you look closely, you can see, submerged in the water in which our Lord is baptized, chariots, wheels covered in mud. It is a brilliant theological depiction!
Beloved, you walk through the birth waters of your baptism, following after your Head and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, not into the promised land, not yet; rather into the wilderness. Here you find yourself tempted and tried at every turn. Fending off fiery darts and attacks on all sides; both from without and within. But fear not. Jesus the Christ is with you. Pharaoh’s chariots lay rusting at the bottom of the baptismal font. Though you are weak and lowly and despised in the world, you shame the wise and the strong, not by your own valor or might, but in His strength made perfect in weakness.
Though you are buffeted as a bruised reed, He will not snap you off. Though you flicker as a faintly burning wick, He will not snuff you out. He faithfully brings you forth in righteousness, as the psalm sings, He who daily leads you beside the still waters of your baptism, restores your soul. He guides you in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life (Ps 23).
For you are given to share in His righteousness. Not only passively before the Father, but also actively before the world. As you walk in the valley of the shadow of death, as you wander the wilderness of this tempting world, the baptismal declaration of your Father in heaven rings in your ears: “This is My beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.” His Word which created the heavens and stretched them out,bespeaks you righteous, going from your ear to your heart, from your heart in faith to your lips, from your lips in confession to your lives in love and good works.
Consider your calling, brethren: you who were ignoble and weak, walking in foolishness, have been begotten from above, reborn through water and the Word unto a living hope, given a noble birth and made wise unto salvation. As the Father declared of His Son, so are you in this world: He has given you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. That is, within your calling, your vocation, you proclaim the excellencies of He who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. You are given to share in His righteousness, passively before the Father, and actively before the world in love and good works, which He prepared in advance for you to do, walking around in them as children dressed up in the righteousness of your Brother, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Having received the Holy Spirit, resting upon Him in His baptism, Jesus stepped from the Jordan to wilderness, the wilderness to His ministry, and His ministry to His Cross. There, His head which was anointed with water and the Spirit was laid down upon the Cross, handing over His Spirit to the Father and opening His side to fill the font with water for your baptism. Behold, Christ, dear Christians, is your promised land. As the heavens are opened for you, the temple curtain torn in two, so too is His body riven for you that in faith you may climb in and be rescued and sundered within the Ark of His holy Body. As St Paul writes, Because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
And behold, His blood, which poured forth from His side, which fills the Cup for you. Here is your redemption and righteousness and sanctification. This is food for your journey in the wilderness of this life: His Body and His Blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for growing in fervent love toward your neighbor.
As our Lord’s baptism was complete in His death, so too shall yours be. Until then, you return to your baptism daily where you die and rise with Christ; drowning the old Adam and arise to live before God in Christ Jesus in righteousness and purity both now and forever. He is your boast, in this life and the next.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Baptism is not just plain water. But it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. Baptism works the forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe as the words and promises of God declare.
So why is Jesus receiving baptism from the hand of St John? St Mark tells us, John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins (Mk 1:4-5).
Jesus has no sins to confess. Yet He comes. He has no need to repentance under the Law, for He is perfectly obedient to the Law, both passively and actively. Yet He comes. He comes across the wilderness, from Galilee, to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. Behold the Lord, the Ruler has come, as the Introit sings. He comes as the new and greater Joshua, Ye-shua, the salvation of YHWH enfleshed. He comes from outside the promised land, from Galilee of the Gentiles, the place of no people, to the Jordan, to the place of God’s people.
For this is the same Jordan River which was miraculously parted by the Lord, when He commanded His servant Joshua to have the priests of Israel bring the Ark of the Lord to the brink of the waters. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and all the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap. And the people passed over opposite Jericho (Josh 3:13, 16).
This is the same Jordan River where the Lord, through Elijah and Elisha, miraculously divided its waters (2 Ki 2:8, 13-14). The same Jordan River where Naaman the leper was miraculously cleansed of his leprosy (2 Ki 5:14).
To this Jordan River came the Christ our Lord to be baptized by John. John would have prevented Him saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Like all Ministers of the Gospel, St John was a sinful man. A man burdened with his own weaknesses and failings. He was not worthy to untie the sandal strap of the Messiah, let alone administer holy baptism to Him. But Jesus answered him, “Let is be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Dear Christians who have been baptized, Jesus the Christ, the Anointed, the Messiah of God, does nothing for Himself. He is not conceived and born for Himself. He does not reveal His divinity to magi for His own purposes. He does not heal the sick, raise the dead, preach good news to the poor for Himself. He certainly does not offer Himself freely upon the Cross for His own benefit. Nor is He baptized for Himself, for the forgiveness of His sins or to secure eternal salvation for Himself. He does it for you. All that Jesus does, He does for you.
Thus does He give St John, the unworthy servant, a share in His righteousness. Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. To be sure it is Jesus, the Christ, who fulfills the righteous requirements of the Law. Jesus, the Christ, who submits Himself to the Word and will of His Father. But He does so for you. For your benefit.
It is as if He said to St John, “You must baptize Me, dear cousin. For I have come for the sake of sinners. I have come to become a Sinner and must fulfill that which God the Father imposes upon sinners in order that they might become and receive righteousness through Me. I give you share in this righteousness, even as they shall share in My righteousness.”
Your baptism works the forgiveness of sins. Your baptism rescues from the death and the devil. Your baptism gives eternal salvation. But not so for our Lord Jesus Christ. His baptism works the opposite precisely so that yours may give His righteousness under the Law.
His baptism drenches Him in the sin of the whole world. His baptism anoints Him for death. From the waters of His baptism He does not enter into the Promised Land, but is thrown by the Holy Spirit out into the wilderness in order to be tempted by the devil. Where Israel failed Jesus shall succeed. Where you have failed and faltered and been lured into temptation, despair, great shame and vice, the Christ our Lord has conquered. “Mark how the Lamb of God’s self-offering our human sinfulness takes on in the birth-waters of the Jordan as Jesus is baptized by John” (LSB 600:1).
And as He did for St John, so does He do for you. He gives you to share in His righteousness. Jesus enters into baptism in order to be anointed with your sin and death, so that, when you enter into Holy Baptism, you are clothed with His righteousness and life. As it is written, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27). He is Himself your baptismal robe and garment. Your glorious dress and righteousness. You have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. You are forgiven all your sins. You have been rescued and snatched from the jaws of the dragon.
How can water do such great things? Certainly not just water. But the Word-made-flesh has stepped into those waters and sanctified them, setting them apart to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin. Without God’s Word Incarnate, that is, apart from Jesus Christ who has been baptized for you, the water is plain water and no baptism. But with and in God’s living Word made flesh who comes to the Jordan to be baptized by John, it is a baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St Paul says in Titus chapter three.
There is an artists’ rendering of the Baptism at our Lord in the library at Concordia Theological Seminary. Some of the students have seen it. It’s part of a triptych. The center panel is our Lord Christ as the Sower who went out to sew; seeds falling on good soil, the path, rocky ground, and thorns. The thorns spiral into the right panel, forming the crown of thorns which encircled our Lord’s brow. The scene is the institution of the Lord’s Supper with the heaven’s opened above revealing the throne of the Lamb surrounded by the saints in adoration. Our Lord’s earthly ministry, His Holy Communion, last will and testament.
The left panel depicts the baptism of our Lord. He stands in the water, the heaven’s opened, the Spirit is descending in the form of a dove, and if you look closely, you can see, submerged in the water in which our Lord is baptized, chariots, wheels covered in mud. It is a brilliant theological depiction!
Beloved, you walk through the birth waters of your baptism, following after your Head and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, not into the promised land, not yet; rather into the wilderness. Here you find yourself tempted and tried at every turn. Fending off fiery darts and attacks on all sides; both from without and within. But fear not. Jesus the Christ is with you. Pharaoh’s chariots lay rusting at the bottom of the baptismal font. Though you are weak and lowly and despised in the world, you shame the wise and the strong, not by your own valor or might, but in His strength made perfect in weakness.
Though you are buffeted as a bruised reed, He will not snap you off. Though you flicker as a faintly burning wick, He will not snuff you out. He faithfully brings you forth in righteousness, as the psalm sings, He who daily leads you beside the still waters of your baptism, restores your soul. He guides you in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life (Ps 23).
For you are given to share in His righteousness. Not only passively before the Father, but also actively before the world. As you walk in the valley of the shadow of death, as you wander the wilderness of this tempting world, the baptismal declaration of your Father in heaven rings in your ears: “This is My beloved child, with whom I am well pleased.” His Word which created the heavens and stretched them out,bespeaks you righteous, going from your ear to your heart, from your heart in faith to your lips, from your lips in confession to your lives in love and good works.
Consider your calling, brethren: you who were ignoble and weak, walking in foolishness, have been begotten from above, reborn through water and the Word unto a living hope, given a noble birth and made wise unto salvation. As the Father declared of His Son, so are you in this world: He has given you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. That is, within your calling, your vocation, you proclaim the excellencies of He who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. You are given to share in His righteousness, passively before the Father, and actively before the world in love and good works, which He prepared in advance for you to do, walking around in them as children dressed up in the righteousness of your Brother, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Having received the Holy Spirit, resting upon Him in His baptism, Jesus stepped from the Jordan to wilderness, the wilderness to His ministry, and His ministry to His Cross. There, His head which was anointed with water and the Spirit was laid down upon the Cross, handing over His Spirit to the Father and opening His side to fill the font with water for your baptism. Behold, Christ, dear Christians, is your promised land. As the heavens are opened for you, the temple curtain torn in two, so too is His body riven for you that in faith you may climb in and be rescued and sundered within the Ark of His holy Body. As St Paul writes, Because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
And behold, His blood, which poured forth from His side, which fills the Cup for you. Here is your redemption and righteousness and sanctification. This is food for your journey in the wilderness of this life: His Body and His Blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for growing in fervent love toward your neighbor.
As our Lord’s baptism was complete in His death, so too shall yours be. Until then, you return to your baptism daily where you die and rise with Christ; drowning the old Adam and arise to live before God in Christ Jesus in righteousness and purity both now and forever. He is your boast, in this life and the next.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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