Epiphany 1 – The Baptism of Our Lord January 8, 2017
Matthew 3:13-17
v.15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Dear friends in Christ, it has now been two weeks since we celebrated the festival of Christmas—the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ freely given to all people. Perhaps in the weeks leading up to Christmas some of you had gift exchanges with other people: coworkers, family members, friends, etc. Have you ever had a gift exchange where you got the raw deal? Where you had gotten a really nice gift to give and then received something lame in return like a toothpick holder? Not cool. Not nice.
Now, why all this talk of Christmas during epiphany? I know that we are now in the season of Epiphany in which we rejoice in the Light of Jesus who has been given not only to the Jews, but also to Gentiles like you and me. As such, we have as our text for this morning a beautiful scene in which our Lord comes to the Jordan river to be baptized by His cousin, John.
At first, this may seem rather strange to us. After all, John was baptizing people for the forgiveness of sins—Jesus, who is true God in the flesh—was without sin and so had no need of repentance or forgiveness. Indeed, Matthew tells us that “John would have prevented Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” John is trying to forestall Jesus because he knows that Jesus has no sin that needs to be forgiven. Jesus is perfect. Jesus is life and light. Why in the world is He coming to John to be baptized by him?
Well, Jesus gives us a clue when He answers John, saying, “Let it be so now/allow/permit this to happen, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill/make come true/bring about/make complete/finish all that God requires—righteousness—justice.” It was important for Jesus to be baptized so that He could fulfill all that God requires—all that God demands—so that in Jesus we may be made righteous in God’s sight.
I like to think of it this way...the people of the surrounding area had been coming to see the prophet John the Baptizer at the Jordan river. They came to hear him preach and teach about repentance and the forgiveness of sin. They came to have their sins washed away by God’s Word with the water of the Jordan. They went into the Jordan covered in the grime and filth of their sin and guilt—they emerged from their Baptism clean and pure—innocent and forgiven—by trusting in the promise of the Messiah who was coming to take away their sin.
By contrast, now, Jesus the Messiah comes to the Jordan river. He is already pure and innocent—free from all guilt and sin because He is the Word made flesh who has come to dwell among us. He is true God as well as true man and so is devoid of any taint of sin and death. As the apostle John writes in his first letter, “This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that god is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
Jesus came to John at the Jordan—He came sinless and free—He came for you and me—to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus came to fulfill what God demands in order for us to be made righteous. Jesus entered into the Jordan river and, in a sense, took into Himself all the sin of the people. Of course, He took not only the sin of those who had been baptized by John, but the sin of all people—for all time—including you and me! Jesus entered the Jordan pure and clean, but He emerged from His baptism full of the guilt and sin of the whole world for all time. Here at His Baptism Jesus is officially being laden with the mantle of our sin. From this point forth, throughout the three year period of His public ministry, He is carrying the weight of the sin of all people upon His shoulders. And He will carry it to the cross where He will suffer and die under the just condemnation of the Father’s wrath against sin.
As the apostle Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians (5:21), “For our sake He [God] made Him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ, at His Baptism, exchanged gifts with you and me. Jesus exchanged His righteousness—His holiness—His blessedness—His forgiveness and peace—and took our sin—our wretchedness—our cursedness before God—our defilement—our death—our hell. Who got the raw deal in this incredible gift exchange?
Indeed, Dr. Luther often referred to this act of salvation of Christ as the “great or happy exchange.” For in this act of God’s grace and mercy on our behalf, we are given everything that we do not deserve. We are blessed with everything of Jesus that does not rightly belong to us. In the greatest act of love and compassion, Jesus gives us His own birthright as the beloved Son with whom the Father is well pleased.
Now, by virtue of our faith, we too are rightly called children of God—with whom He is well pleased. Not by anything that we have done, but purely by what the Lord Jesus has done for us. He not only took our guilt and sin away, but exchanged it with love and forgiveness. He took our death—undoing it by His own death on the cross—so that by believing in Him we might have life eternal.
And all of this is given to you in your Baptism. When you were washed clean by water and the Word in the name of the triune God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all the work of Christ—His perfect and sinless life—His substitutionary death and resurrection—ALL of it was imparted to you. Your Baptism is the greatest gift you have ever received—for in Baptism you are given Jesus for the forgiveness of all your sins.
The blood that Jesus shed on the cross has been poured out for you in water and the Word. Furthermore, as the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus at His baptism, so the Holy Spirit has also been given to you in your Baptism. The Spirit of power and wisdom and might—who always points you to the saving work of Jesus Christ for you.
So beloved, this Epiphany season, let us not forget about the gift of Holy Baptism that God has freely given to you. No matter what you face. No matter what trials and temptations—whatever evil afflicts you and chases after you—yet in Christ Jesus—in your Baptism into His name—you are clean and pure and holy. You are protected from the evil one Satan—you are free. You are forgiven. By His blood you are made righteous. By His death you have life. All because of the happy exchange with Jesus. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 3:13-17
v.15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Dear friends in Christ, it has now been two weeks since we celebrated the festival of Christmas—the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ freely given to all people. Perhaps in the weeks leading up to Christmas some of you had gift exchanges with other people: coworkers, family members, friends, etc. Have you ever had a gift exchange where you got the raw deal? Where you had gotten a really nice gift to give and then received something lame in return like a toothpick holder? Not cool. Not nice.
Now, why all this talk of Christmas during epiphany? I know that we are now in the season of Epiphany in which we rejoice in the Light of Jesus who has been given not only to the Jews, but also to Gentiles like you and me. As such, we have as our text for this morning a beautiful scene in which our Lord comes to the Jordan river to be baptized by His cousin, John.
At first, this may seem rather strange to us. After all, John was baptizing people for the forgiveness of sins—Jesus, who is true God in the flesh—was without sin and so had no need of repentance or forgiveness. Indeed, Matthew tells us that “John would have prevented Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” John is trying to forestall Jesus because he knows that Jesus has no sin that needs to be forgiven. Jesus is perfect. Jesus is life and light. Why in the world is He coming to John to be baptized by him?
Well, Jesus gives us a clue when He answers John, saying, “Let it be so now/allow/permit this to happen, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill/make come true/bring about/make complete/finish all that God requires—righteousness—justice.” It was important for Jesus to be baptized so that He could fulfill all that God requires—all that God demands—so that in Jesus we may be made righteous in God’s sight.
I like to think of it this way...the people of the surrounding area had been coming to see the prophet John the Baptizer at the Jordan river. They came to hear him preach and teach about repentance and the forgiveness of sin. They came to have their sins washed away by God’s Word with the water of the Jordan. They went into the Jordan covered in the grime and filth of their sin and guilt—they emerged from their Baptism clean and pure—innocent and forgiven—by trusting in the promise of the Messiah who was coming to take away their sin.
By contrast, now, Jesus the Messiah comes to the Jordan river. He is already pure and innocent—free from all guilt and sin because He is the Word made flesh who has come to dwell among us. He is true God as well as true man and so is devoid of any taint of sin and death. As the apostle John writes in his first letter, “This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that god is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
Jesus came to John at the Jordan—He came sinless and free—He came for you and me—to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus came to fulfill what God demands in order for us to be made righteous. Jesus entered into the Jordan river and, in a sense, took into Himself all the sin of the people. Of course, He took not only the sin of those who had been baptized by John, but the sin of all people—for all time—including you and me! Jesus entered the Jordan pure and clean, but He emerged from His baptism full of the guilt and sin of the whole world for all time. Here at His Baptism Jesus is officially being laden with the mantle of our sin. From this point forth, throughout the three year period of His public ministry, He is carrying the weight of the sin of all people upon His shoulders. And He will carry it to the cross where He will suffer and die under the just condemnation of the Father’s wrath against sin.
As the apostle Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians (5:21), “For our sake He [God] made Him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ, at His Baptism, exchanged gifts with you and me. Jesus exchanged His righteousness—His holiness—His blessedness—His forgiveness and peace—and took our sin—our wretchedness—our cursedness before God—our defilement—our death—our hell. Who got the raw deal in this incredible gift exchange?
Indeed, Dr. Luther often referred to this act of salvation of Christ as the “great or happy exchange.” For in this act of God’s grace and mercy on our behalf, we are given everything that we do not deserve. We are blessed with everything of Jesus that does not rightly belong to us. In the greatest act of love and compassion, Jesus gives us His own birthright as the beloved Son with whom the Father is well pleased.
Now, by virtue of our faith, we too are rightly called children of God—with whom He is well pleased. Not by anything that we have done, but purely by what the Lord Jesus has done for us. He not only took our guilt and sin away, but exchanged it with love and forgiveness. He took our death—undoing it by His own death on the cross—so that by believing in Him we might have life eternal.
And all of this is given to you in your Baptism. When you were washed clean by water and the Word in the name of the triune God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all the work of Christ—His perfect and sinless life—His substitutionary death and resurrection—ALL of it was imparted to you. Your Baptism is the greatest gift you have ever received—for in Baptism you are given Jesus for the forgiveness of all your sins.
The blood that Jesus shed on the cross has been poured out for you in water and the Word. Furthermore, as the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus at His baptism, so the Holy Spirit has also been given to you in your Baptism. The Spirit of power and wisdom and might—who always points you to the saving work of Jesus Christ for you.
So beloved, this Epiphany season, let us not forget about the gift of Holy Baptism that God has freely given to you. No matter what you face. No matter what trials and temptations—whatever evil afflicts you and chases after you—yet in Christ Jesus—in your Baptism into His name—you are clean and pure and holy. You are protected from the evil one Satan—you are free. You are forgiven. By His blood you are made righteous. By His death you have life. All because of the happy exchange with Jesus. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
