4-11-2016

       Good Morning All!!

          Matthew 3:13; “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.”

        One of the questions that the sharper confirmation kids will ask is, “Why did Jesus get baptized?”  They ask a logical question.  Since Jesus is without sin, why would he get baptized?  He had no sin to remove; there was no need for the “washing of sins”; “there was no need for the “cleansing of the soul.”  So why baptize?

    The common answer is that Jesus does this to show us it is the right and proper thing to do.  That is a good answer but it falls a little short.  We often speak of Jesus “sanctifying” events by participating in the human events.  You maybe have heard the phrase “sanctified the grave” at a funeral.  We say that Jesus sanctifies baptism by being baptized but what does that mean?

    If we look at this in terms of how Paul writes Romans chapter 6, it might be a little easier.  In Romans 6 Paul tells us that we are “baptized into Christ Jesus, baptized into his death” (v.2) and thus we are “united in a resurrection like his.” (v.5). so we are connected to Jesus through baptism; we are joined to Jesus through the waters of Baptism.  In Baptism, we take on Jesus’ righteousness.  In Baptism, we take on Jesus’ perfect holiness.  So if we look at Baptism as “taking on” or “assuming” the character of Jesus; perhaps we should see the Baptism of Jesus as this is when Jesus “took on” or “assumed” the character of us.  In Baptism, we take on Jesus’ holiness.  In his Baptism, Jesus took on our humanity; Jesus took on our full sinful nature.

   In his Baptism, Jesus took on all of our sinful nature and walked the walk of temptation that we walk each day.  Through his baptism, Jesus walked a life that was as filled with the same temptations that we walk in in our life.  He was tempted to the same anger, the same jealousy, the same lusts, and the same desire to elevate our wishes over God’s.  Jesus was tempted but he overcame them and defeated them.  So in Baptism, we experience this great trade or great exchange.  Jesus takes on our sins and we take on his righteousness and we do this in Baptism.  Jesus immerses himself in our sins and we immerse ourselves into his righteousness.  In his Baptism, Jesus shows he is what the writer of Hebrews “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (4:15)

   In all respects, God the Son became man so that, in all that he did and experienced, he would live our life.  He knew pain and sorrow; he knew the disappointment of broken relationships, of death, of the struggle of living a human life in a broken creation.  Jesus knew, and knows, your life and in this knowledge he calls to you to come to him for comfort and peace.  Jesus comes to you in Baptism to give you his righteousness that we would know and cling to the salvation that his righteousness gives to us.

Father of all grace, in the waters of Baptism you give us the righteousness of Christ as you gave Jesus our sins.  Keep us in your loving arms and protect us from all harm.  Bring the lost to your saving hope.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret