John the Baptizer arrived in the wilderness preaching a message of repentance. He called on those who came to him to turn away from their sin and pursue righteousness. When he is asked what to do, he tells them: Share your excess with those without. To the tax collectors, he said to only take what is owed. To the soldiers, he says to be content with their wages and not extort anyone. And as his title suggests, he baptized many who came to him. All the while, he is pointing to someone greater. To the One whose sandal he is not worthy to untie. Of whom he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
John’s baptism is one of repentance. It is for sinners. So when Jesus comes to him to be baptized, it isn’t such a surprise the John balks. Jesus has no sin to repent of. He has nothing that needs to be cleansed. And it isn’t a surprise to me that John wants to be baptized by Jesus. It is, after all, Jesus who John says will baptize with both the water and the Spirit. Even still, Jesus answers John’s resistance: “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
And with this, John relented and baptized Jesus. And when Jesus is baptized and comes out of the water, something no one expects happened: The heavens were opened. The Spirit descended like a dove and came to rest on Jesus. And a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
That day at the Jordan River, the entirety of the Trinity was revealed. Jesus, the very and only-begotten Son of God stands with the Spirit and the voice of the Father.
With the baptism of Jesus, the waters of baptism are sanctified. He, the pure and perfect Son of God, stepped into the muck and mire. And in his baptism, all of that filth is applied to him. And now, that dirty water is pure and clean. Those who enter it dirty leave clean.
Think of it like sheep at a pool. They are dirty from the terrain and get into the water, leaving the dirt and clouding the water. But then, a sparkling white sheep approaches the pool. This sheep is pristine. You don’t want the bright white wool to enter the water. But it does. And when he does, all of the muck immediately rushes and sticks to that sheep. It takes on all of the filth and leaves the pool. And even after he leaves, each subsequent sheep that wades into the pool loses its dirt, but the water stays clean. All the dirt is applied to the one pristine sheep.
In fulfilling all righteousness, Jesus has made baptismal waters like that pool. In them, all of your sin and unrighteousness falls off you and sticks to Jesus. He bears it all. I remember when I was baptized what I visualized. It was like slips of paper came off of me with all my sins and transgressions written on them. And if you think of what you have done, you know what those slips would say if they were yours. As they went into the water, they dissolved, never to be seen again.
In Christ, this is what happens for you as well. As he takes all your guilt upon himself, he carries it to the cross. He is nailed to it bearing your sin and my sin. This perfect and pristine lamb is made dirty to pay for your sin. He wins righteousness for you. He wins forgiveness, life, and salvation for you. And with the promises of baptism attached to the water in the font, it is applied to you. With certainty, you are made clean in Christ. Baptized with water and Spirit. You are forgiven of your sin. You are cleansed and given the purity of your Lord Jesus Christ. He takes all your iniquity and unrighteousness and gives you his own purity and righteousness for His Own Name’s sake.
And so may we rejoice in the gift we have in our baptism. Let us rejoice that we, too, have been made a beloved son of God, in whom he is pleased.
Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD
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