The Baptism of Our Lord

January 9 & 13, 2008

Text: Matthew 3: 13-17

A Matter of Death and Life

Today we are going to talk about baptism, Jesus’ and ours. Some people equate Baptism with a moment, in which they accept the love and forgiveness of God. And at that moment the person considers himself or herself “saved.” I have been asked, and you may have, too, “when were you saved?” What the person asking the question usually means is: “when did you decide to be a believer and be baptized?” Such an approach to Baptism, in my opinion, leaves God out of the equation and leaves everything up to the person, and then nothing will ever be as significant as the time they “were saved.” Someone else once told me, “Pastor, I would like to be baptized and join the church, but I have to wait until I get my life in order.” Of course, if that is what we are waiting for, none of us is ever ready, or ready enough. Baptism is not something we do, or earn, or we decide we are ready to do. It is so much more, in fact, it is

A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE.

I love reading Matthew’s Gospel, he gets right to the point. We don’t hear anything about Jesus’ life between the time of His birth until this time when He is baptized in the Jordan. And there is a reason for this. The Scriptures were written to make us wise unto salvation, and therefore, it is necessary only to hear about those things in the life of our Lord that reveal to us His Person and Work as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. So Matthew goes right from the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, which fortold of His birth in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, straight to His ministry in receiving the baptism of John.

John the Baptist had been preaching in the wilderness, baptizing the people who came to him and confessed their sins. Those who came to be baptized acknowledged they were sinners, they feared God and His judgment and the coming wrath John preached about. They wanted to be washed of their sins in the waters of the Jordan. They wanted to be blessed by God and reconciled through His promises. They came to John in faith and hope of being forgiven. So, then, what was Jesus doing in line to go into the river and be baptized like all the other sinners in need of forgiveness?

To be sure, john thought the same thing. He tells Jesus is should be the other way around—Jesus ought to baptize John. After all, Jesus was the greater one who had come after him. John was not even worthy to stop down and untie Jesus sandal straps. Jesus is the sinless one, John the sinner. Jesus need no preparation for the judgment…He was the Judge!

Jesus does, however, come to be baptized. Jesus tells John, and us, that this was to fulfill all righteousness. Not a righteous act so that Jesus could please His Father, but a fulfilling of righteousness, a joining with all the other sinners who came to confess their sins. He who knew no sin became sin for all the world. He went into the waters and took upon Himself what John had washed from those who came in repentance. He became the sin-bearer at that moment, the sin-bearer headed for the cross.

Jesus lays aside His glory, again, just like He did when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and as He would again and again as He lives, suffers and then dies. Christ, in an unbelievable show of love and mercy, humbles Himself as He is baptized in the Jordan River. The plan of salvation, which has already begun to shine forth beginning at Bethlehem’s manger, is continuing down the path which will eventually lead to the cross where the Christ be crucified and die for the sins of the world. This is what Jesus Christ had come to do…leave heaven and become flesh in order to save mankind.

And here is the meaning in all this for you…when Jesus was baptized among sinners, Jesus became a sinner on your behalf. That is, He allowed Himself to die your sinner’s death on the cross on Calvary. He took upon Himself all that sins that were washed away in your baptism and bore them Himself, taking them to the cross and enduring the punishment due. Jesus switches places with you when He stood there in the river Jordan. And as He rightly told the Baptist, it was to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness when He partook of a baptism of sinners, so that He might be your substitute and bear the judgment you deserved. He lived the perfect life that you could not, while you receive the forgiveness of all your sins and everlasting life that you do not deserve.

In the Epistle for this day, Paul further explains what this means. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6: 3-4) Yes, Christ was baptized for us. Yes, we were baptized into Christ…and thus into His death and resurrection.

Hence, we have died, with Christ, to sin…and we have been raised to a new life. Your life in Christ is a matter of death and life.

You are dead to sin. In other words, with Christ, in Christ, by faith, you are already victorious over sin (and death and the devil). With Christ, in Christ, sin has no power over you. You are a new man, or woman, or child…in Christ by virtue of your baptism. Death usually means there has been an end, and your old life is over. A new life has begun. Born again by water and the Spirit, you have new life in Christ. Washed clean, sins removed, you are now clothed in the robes of Christ’s righteousness, and are therefore holy in God’s sight. For Christ’s sake, we will share in the eternal glories, one day, forever.

And while your life in Christ will by no means—yet—be free of sin and its consequences, you can take great comfort in your baptism. We may feebly struggle on this side of eternity, but we do so as the children of God. We live in His promises and with hope. We live with purpose as His forgiven saints. As Luther said, you not only were, you are baptized. Throughout your Christian life, no matter how many times you may stumble (and you will stumble), be comforted in the knowledge that God made you His own in baptism. You are God’s child. He has washed you clean in the waters of Holy Baptism. He has taken away your sin. And you have His promise that He who has begun this good work in you will sustain until the day Christ returns, He will bring this good work to completion. You have life, a new life in Christ. You are the heavenly Father’s beloved child, in whom He is well pleased.

Amen