Monday, January 8, 2007
Matthew 3:13-15 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
AN OPENING CEREMONY
Although John didn't preach from a pulpit or dress like the preachers of today, John's message was the same Gospel that all faithful churches teach today: turn away from your sins and trust in Jesus for forgiveness.
John's baptism was from God, but it was different than what Jesus later commanded His followers to do. John's baptism was what the Bible calls, "a baptism of repentance" (see Acts 18:25, 19:4). For sinners who came to John's baptism, baptism was an outward expression of their repentance and trust in God for forgiveness.
But when Jesus came to John, His baptism was something altogether different. For the sinless Son of God, no repentance was necessary. Jesus was the One whom John was directing sinners to trust in!
John himself was confused when Jesus approached for baptism. Recognizing Jesus' higher authority, John thought that he should be the one getting the baptism that day, not Jesus.
God had somehow revealed to Jesus that this baptism was part of His mission. This was a necessary part of Jesus' work to save sinners. Jesus truly suffered and died on the cross for us, but here we see here that Jesus' work in our place included many other things.
Jesus was baptized by John as part of His work to save us from our sins.
For sinners, John's baptism was an expression of their repentance and submission to God. For the sinless Jesus, His baptism was the opening ceremony of His ministry.
This past Sunday marks the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means "manifestation" or "revealing". Jesus' baptism marks the beginning of the time when He really began to show the world that He was God the Son, the Savior of all sinners.
