In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Why did Jesus come into the flesh? Why did Jesus come to the Jordan? Why did Jesus come to John to be baptized? He had no sin of His own. He is the perfect, holy, spotless, innocent Son of God. So why did he need the ritual confession of sins and washing of forgiveness?
Why did Jesus do anything that He did? He did all that was necessary to fulfill all righteousness, as Matthew records. Jesus came to earth and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and was made man in the Virgin's womb to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was circumcised, named, and presented in the temple according to the precepts of the Law, to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was brought to the temple for His first Passover, and there questioned the teachers of the Law, to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus came to the Jordan and was baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus went to Calvary, was crucified, died, and was buried to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus rose triumphant from the grave, ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father to fulfill all righteousness.
He did all this for us. He fulfilled all that is necessary for our salvation. He performed all the acts the Law requires. He remained sinless and blameless in the face of the worst persecution and temptation possible. He endured the scorn of the crowds, the flogging, the torture and the crucifixion. He endured the separation and abandonment of His Father because of the sins cast upon Him.
All this our Lord Christ suffered for us. He accomplished our salvation and offers it to us. But how do we receive this wondrous gift? In order to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus must impart His righteousness to us unrighteous sinners. And so the perfect sinless man entered the waters of the Jordan River. He submitted to baptism by John the Baptist. He was lowered into the water and arose out of them, as in like manner you and I. But when our Lord entered the waters, rather than being washed of sin, He sanctified them for our washing of new birth. As He entered the water, He imparted to it the blessings of holiness and purity, and He made it, and all waters, a life-giving and sin-forgiving flood.
So now when you enter the water joined to the Word of our Lord and attached to His name and promise, you receive all the blessings Jesus has to give. His righteousness is accounted to you. His death becomes your death. His resurrection becomes your resurrection. His very life becomes your life. Indeed, His Father becomes your Father. Even the Name of Jesus becomes your name, as it is put upon you as you come up out of that heavenly bath. Just as Jesus heard the Father say when He came up out of the water, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased”, so also do you hear the Father pronounce the same upon us as you come up out of the water. You become a son of God, forgiven of all your sins, cleansed of all unrighteousness, sundered from the number of the unbelieving, and joined to the holy Body of Christ as a member of His precious Bride, the Church. This is His gift, given for you, given to you.
But then what? Once the child comes up out of the water, she still cries. The toddler still colors on the fridge. The teenager still crashes the car. The world does not appear much different. People still die every day. Cancer still strikes loved ones. There are still wars and rumors of wars. There is still debt and unemployment. There are still bloody noses and skinned knees and out-of-whack backs. There is still heartache and resentment and conflict. There is still sin. So, the world asks, what did that little dribble over your head do? Things are still the same miserable mess as before. What good does Baptism do for you?
What good does Baptism do you now? To paraphrase Luther, Baptism gives you the right to tell the devil just where to put his accusations against you. When the accuser comes against you, showing you your sins and faults and misdeeds, you can say, Yes, I did all those things. Yes, I failed to help those in need when I could have. Yes, I hurt those who mean the most to me. But I am forgiven. Begone from me, Satan! I am not afraid of your accusations and lies, because all the guilt and shame of my sins is gone forever. I am baptized into Christ, and His righteousness covers all my sins!
You are not people who were baptized; you are people who ARE baptized. To be baptized is an ongoing state of being. It means that your sins are forgiven each and every day. It means that the charges against you are dropped each and every day. It means that you are no longer enslaved to sin, but a son of God. So when those doubts creep up in your mind, when you wonder in your heart whether you are good enough or holy enough or loved or valuable – make the sign of the Holy Cross over yourself, remember into whom you are baptized, and then, to follow Luther's advice, fart the devil away.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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