Jesus’ Baptism
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. Matthew 3:13-15
If Jesus had approached you or me to be baptized, we too may well have objected! Baptism is, after all, a means of grace through which we receive forgiveness. We are all sinful and need God’s forgiveness, but Jesus? Jesus is perfect. He is “separate from sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26) No one has ever successfully accused Him of sin (cf. John 18:23). Why would Jesus, therefore, need to be baptized?
Jesus provides the answer in His response to John: “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus came into this world to fulfill God’s plan for our salvation. We are all unrighteous because of our sin. We all need a perfect righteousness to stand before our holy God. It is impossible for any of us on our own to achieve that perfect righteousness. Only the righteousness of Jesus can save our souls. Jesus’ baptism was part of God’s salvation plan, and so Jesus came to John to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness!”
John may not have fully understood the reason for Jesus’ baptism, but he was willing to play his role in God’s plan as called upon by his Savior. He, therefore, submitted himself to the will and purpose of God. He baptized Jesus . . . for himself and for us. By allowing Himself to be baptized by John, Jesus was preparing for us the perfect righteousness which enables us to stand before God without fear and with absolute confidence!
Dear heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for sending Jesus and having Him be baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness for us. May we, like John, fulfill our roles within Your kingdom, submitting our wills to Yours, so that Your grace and mercy might be shared with everyone. Amen.