The Baptism of our Lord
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him". (St. Matthew 3:14-16)
Please read the full Gospel lesson: St. Matthew 3:13-17
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him". (St. Matthew 3:14-16)
Please read the full Gospel lesson: St. Matthew 3:13-17
In the name of Jesus. Amen. Whose team are you on? Are you on the Lord’s side or are you on the side of sinful man? Where do you look for the answer to this question?
If we look at ourselves, we won’t like the answer to that question. We were born sinners, separated from God, enemies and haters of God and His Word. Ours sins show that we do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Some of us love stuff more, the TV more, or even people more. If that weren’t bad enough, we don’t love our neighbor as ourselves, do we? We love ourselves more, we love only "lovable" people, and we want to do harm to those who live as we want them to live. We are on the side of sinners and on our own we are lost.
But the Gospel of the Baptism of our Lord teaches us that we cannot be lost because the Lord Jesus is on our side, on our team. He who has no sin, numbers Himself as one who has sins! He who knew no sin, becomes our sin.
Jesus is baptized by John with a baptism for sinners. In His baptism, Jesus announces to all creation, "Those sinners, I’m with them! I’m for them." He is baptized to fulfill all righteousness, in our place, for us.
John baptized a baptism for the repentance of sins. People came from all over Judea to have their sins washed away by John. Jesus comes without sin to be baptized in our place, to fulfill the Law for us. While sinners would leave their sins in the waters of the Jordan, Jesus takes all of our sins out of the water to the cross to die for the sin of the world.
Your sins were all put upon Him and, by His suffering and death, you have eternal life. He delivered His forgiveness to you in the waters of your baptism, where all your sins were washed away. There, the Father gave you a new Name, marked you as His own, and proclaimed to you that no matter what happens to you, you are His child. God will never leave you and He will never forsake you.
The question that matters is not whose team you are on, but whose team is Jesus on? Jesus is on your side. He is on the side of sinners, in solidarity with us. How do you know? He was baptized in the Jordan River by John to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus is on your side. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Other readings this week
Psalm 45:27
Isaiah 42:1(2-4)5-7
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 3:13-17 or Mark 1:9-11
Higher Things Reflections are written by Rev. George F. Borghardt III, Assistant Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX.