Matthew 3:13-15 (ESV)
[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be
baptized by him. [14] John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be
baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [15] But Jesus answered him, “Let it
be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he consented.
Why did Jesus need to be baptized? John was preaching a baptism of
repentance. Jesus certainly had no need to repent, yet he asked John to baptize
him, “to fulfill all righteousness.” If you remember, in Daniel 9 Daniel confessed
the sin of his people, “we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and
rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules” (Dan 9:5). Daniel was
not guilty of the sin he confessed, but he is identifying with his people. Similarly,
Jesus is identifying with all sinners as he is baptized. He is identified not
only with the Jews, but with all people. In doing so, Jesus demonstrated true
humility. How might it change our attitudes, actions, and evangelism attempts
if we demonstrated some of Jesus’s humility? How might it change our marriages
and families if we attempted to identify with each other? How might it change
our approach to disagreement and conflict if we demonstrated the same humility
and identification as Jesus? What if we stopped asking what is best for me and
started asking what is best for you? How might this change pastoral ministry if
we expressed more humility and less pride? What if we first asked why the other
person is disagreeing with us, and how we might serve them? What if . . .? Isn’t
that what we’re supposed to do?
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