Could you imagine Lance Armstrong asking me for some tips on cycling? Even the thought of it is laughable. No more so, however, than Jesus coming to John the Baptist and asking to be baptized. John recognized how ridiculous it was right away. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” he said. John recognized what was clearly declared a few minutes later when Jesus was baptized. The voice of God spoke from heaven saying: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Of course, it’s impossible to please a holy God if you are a sinner yourself. Jesus was not. Then why did Jesus want John to baptize him? Jesus knew that when he was baptized, His anointing with the Holy Spirit would mark the beginning of his public ministry as the chosen Messiah.
There was another significant reason for Jesus’ baptism, however. When John objected, Jesus said,“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” How would Jesus’ baptism fulfill all righteousness, when he was perfectly sinless already? Isn’t baptism all about the forgiveness of sins? It certainly is, nevertheless, Jesus needed to undergo baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness. Although he was sinless himself, He had to identify himself with sinful human beings, so that He could take our place and be our Savior. In baptism our sins are washed away. But by His baptism, Jesus took our place and took our sins upon Himself. When He went to the cross, He took the punishment that we deserve, in our place. He suffered and died for our sins, so that we can be forgiven. Thus, the great exchange that was completed on the cross began here, at Jesus’ baptism.
I would love to trade places with one rider in the Tour de France for just one day (preferably on a flat stage!). It would be incredible to ride in the peloton. I would feel sorry for that rider, however, because if he wasn’t completely eliminated based on my time, he would at the very least lose a large number of positions in the overall standings. With his baptism, Jesus began the switch with us that cost Him a whole lot more than a place in the standings of a bike race. His baptism in our place ultimately cost Him His life.
When you take your shower tomorrow morning and the water runs over you, say a prayer of thanks that Jesus’ was baptized for you and that you were baptized into Him so that you can have the free gift of eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment