by Fr. Tommy Lane
For more than two weeks we have celebrated Jesus as an infant. Now once again we
begin celebrating Jesus as an adult. Therefore appropriately we begin with
Jesus' first public appearance as an adult, his baptism by John the Baptist in
the river Jordan.
Perhaps we wonder why Jesus requested John to baptize him. Jesus did not have
any sins to repent of and the baptism offered by John the Baptist was for
repentance of sins (Luke 3:3). When sinners went to John at the river Jordan
they did so because they acknowledged their sinfulness and their baptism
symbolized turning over a new leaf in their lives and leaving sin behind.
Jesus, although like us in every way, was without sin, as the Letter to the
Hebrews assures us (Heb 4:15). That explains why John the Baptist objected to
Jesus' request for baptism in the Gospel of Matthew, "I need to be baptized by
you, and yet you are coming to me?" (Matt 3:14). The answer Jesus gave John
helps us to understand why Jesus wanted to be baptized, "Allow it now, for thus
it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." (Matt 3:15)
"To fulfill all righteousness" is why Jesus wanted to be baptized. We might say
it is difficult to understand this answer because Jesus was not lacking in
righteousness and was already righteous. So how could his baptism fulfill all
righteousness? (I will draw on Pope Benedict's book Jesus of Nazareth pp 17-23
to help us to answer this question.)
Sinless Jesus did not have any sins of his own to take down into the river
Jordan, therefore it could only have been our sins that he took down into the
river Jordan. Naturally no one would understand this at that time but they would
realize this later when they understood that Jesus died on the cross for our
sins. So Jesus' baptism in the Jordan and his dying on the cross go together; he
did both for our sins. He took our sins on his shoulders as he went down into
the Jordan and as he died on the cross.
I think we can see this close connection between Jesus' baptism and his cross in
the Scriptures.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied that a servant would suffer because of our sins
(Isa 52:13-53:12). You are familiar with this prophecy of Isaiah from hearing it
every year on Good Friday. This servant would be righteous and by his suffering
would make sinners righteous. We obviously see this prophecy predicting Jesus'
Passion.
Jesus, when speaking in prophecy about his Passion, described it as a baptism.
"There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish
until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50) When James and John wanted to sit in
glory beside Jesus he spoke about his Passion to them but we can be sure that
they understand only later. Jesus said, "You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I
am baptized?" (Mark 10:38)
The Gospel of John tells us that when John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching him
in the river Jordan he proclaimed, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the world." (John 1:29) It is interesting that as Jesus appears at the
river Jordan John the Baptist mentions that Jesus takes away the sin of the
world. It is also interesting that John the Baptist describes Jesus as the Lamb
of God. In the Gospel of John Jesus dies on the cross as the Passover lambs are
being slaughtered in the temple. The Passover lambs were slaughtered in
remembrance of the first Passover lambs whose blood was smeared on the doorposts
the last night the Hebrews spent in Egypt to protect them from death. Jesus is
the new Passover Lamb of the New Covenant who shed his blood for us to save us
from our sins and already at his baptism he is proclaimed by John to be the Lamb
of God who takes away the sins of the world.
On the cross Jesus took our sins on himself and made us righteous. When Jesus
was baptized he was looking forward to taking our sins on himself on the cross.
So when Jesus was baptized he was already taking our guilt down into the river
Jordan. In this way we can see that when Jesus was baptized all righteousness
was fulfilled. When Jonah was thrown overboard the ship the life of everyone
else on the ship was spared (Jon 1:12-15) and when Jesus took our sins and
unrighteousness on his shoulders we were saved and this begins with his baptism
in the Jordan. So when Jesus is baptized he is already accepting his Passion and
death.
Just as there is a close link between Jesus' baptism and his cross there is a
close link between our baptism and Jesus' cross. Paul in his letter to the
Romans tells us, Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:3-4)
Paul is saying that when we were baptized we spiritually entered the tomb with
Jesus to leave a life of sin behind. When we were baptized we buried sin by
spiritually entering the tomb with Jesus and we rose again with the new life of
Jesus just as Jesus rose to new life out of the tomb. Our baptism, just like the
other six sacraments, receives its power from Jesus' death and resurrection. Our
baptism is a sharing in the effects and salvation of Jesus' death and
resurrection, a sharing in the new life of Jesus we receive from his death and
resurrection.
Jesus' baptism in the Jordan expressed the intention of his whole life right up
to dying on the cross for us, taking our sins on himself to save us. Our baptism
also expresses the intention of our whole life up to our death, leaving our sin
behind and living with the life of Jesus. Every day is to be a living out of our
baptism with that new life of Jesus. Every day is another opportunity to turn
from sin and continue following Jesus which we began with our baptism.
When we were baptized we entered the tomb with Jesus to leave a life of sin
behind. Our baptism receives its power from Jesus' death and resurrection. Our
baptism is a sharing in the effects and salvation of Jesus' death and
resurrection, a sharing in the new life of Jesus we receive from his death and
resurrection. Jesus was baptized so that all righteousness might be fulfilled
and this happens when we live our baptism by turning from sin to live the life
of Jesus and all righteousness is fulfilled.
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 2001-2019
See Also:
Sermons, Bible Commentaries and Bible Analyses for Denaha (the Baptism of Jesus Christ)
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