Water, Water, Everywhere: Matthew 3:13-17 - Baptism of Our Lord

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (NRSV)

Splash by Lassi Välimaa on flickr. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Martin Luther had a saying: “when you wash your face, remember your baptism.”

I have not followed his advice.

For starters, I was six weeks old when I was baptized—so I naturally have no memory of the event.

Whenever I wash my face, I’m getting ready for the day ahead of me—and my thoughts are focused on tasks, not church-y stuff that happened a long time ago.

But there’s a method to this supposed madness.

One thing to remember about Luther is that he was absolutely terrified of God, particularly in his younger years. He would pray, fast, read scriptures, and even beat himself, because he knew he was a sinner deserving of God’s wrath. He even became a monk, and the torment got worse. His torment was so severe that we moderns may wonder if he was suffering a mental illness—and he would not have had the option of medication or psychotherapy.

But in time, when Luther was tempted and terrified, he would shout out, “I am baptized.”

So many times, when I’ve been scared, heartbroken, or confused, people would tell me (or I’d tell myself), “have faith.” “Trust in God.” “Ask God for forgiveness.” Whenever I’ve failed in trials and temptations, my mind immediately turns to shame and anxieties about God’s punishment.

But Luther says, “I am baptized.” How is that different—and better?

For that, we turn to the third installment in my “who are you and what are you doing here?” series… Jesus has journeyed a considerably long distance from Galilee to meet John the Baptist in the Judean wilderness. Jesus knows that he is the one whom John has been proclaiming. Once Jesus shows up and proves that he’s the Messiah, it stands for reason Jesus would take over the John’s movement. Every one of John’s followers wanted and expected this from Jesus. He could have gotten his ministry off to a fantastic start, doing miracles and healing sick people. People would’ve come to Jesus for baptism in droves.

You can’t blame John for not wanting to baptize Jesus. He knows, as we do, that Jesus certainly does not need a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

So why does Jesus insist on being baptized? Why won’t he give the people what they want?

His answer is a bit puzzling: “to fulfill all righteousness…” What does that mean?

One thing to remember about Jesus is that he didn’t come to earth to be exalted over people. He didn’t come seeking power and glory. please people. Jesus is a king—but he was not interested in living as a king. He’s a servant first and a king second.

Jesus’ baptism is the first time people see God’s righteousness in action. Jesus seeks baptism to make himself as one of the people. He is identifying himself with sinners who need repentance. He is Emmanuel—God with us. Jesus comes to befriend sinners, to gather in the outcasts, to himself become as one of lowly position. Ultimately, Christ will fulfill his baptism by his death on the cross. That is what God’s righteousness is: Christ emptying himself out to save unworthy sinners.

For Christ, baptism is not ritual. It is relationship.

This is why Luther would say, “you are baptized,” before he would say, “have faith;” “trust God;” or “ask God’s forgiveness. Baptism is what God does for you—and not the other way around. You aren’t just baptized; you are baptized into Christ. Christ dies with you a sinner’s death—but you also rise with him; forgiven, cleansed, renewed, reclaimed. God has done this for you, in a love and mercy that’s reflected not in your own righteousness but God’s. And God is every bit as pleased to claim you as God’s own—again, not because of your righteousness, but God’s.

The beauty of baptism is that the Jesus, the giver of life, embodies himself in you through that which gives and sustains life: water! Water is the source of all life. Seven-tenths of you is water. The water God daily provides for your drinking, eating, and bathing works in tandem with the waters of your baptism, to cleanse you of sin, refresh you into life renewed, and bind you together with Christ, the community of the baptized, and all of God’s creation. Think of what that means: Your baptism is always happening and always working! Jesus himself is in the water you drink, the food you eat, and the cleansing of your body and clothing.

Your baptism is more than event. It’s an identity and a promise Christ fulfills daily in you.

So whenever someone says to you, or you say to yourself, “have faith.” “Trust in God.” “Ask God for forgiveness,” first say: “I am baptized.” God’s saving love is already working in you and through you.

But when you use or consume water, can you remember your baptism? When you wash you face, take a drink, or do your laundry? Water is the source of all life—and Christ is the giver of life. You need to remember that you are bound to Christ and he is bound to you. You need to remember that you are God’s own, in every moment. Even when you fail, God delights to call you Beloved.