Standing With Us
Jan 11: Baptism of Jesus: Even though Jesus had no need to repent and be baptized, Jesus stood with those of us who are imperfect humans and identified with us so that we could know God up close and personal.
This week’s scripture passages include: Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:1-17
When we study the Baptism of Jesus we often wonder why he had to be baptized at all. John was not worthy to untie the thong of Jesus’ sandal. Jesus was without sin. Jesus was the Son of God. As we often say when we come to a sticky question like this in Bible Study, “A lot of ink has been spilt on this question:” Why did Jesus need to be baptized at all? Wasn’t he worried about being mistaken for a sinner? Wasn’t he worried about being found guilty by association? Wasn’t he worried about being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Apparently not. And as we learn about his ministry during the 3 years that he preached and taught and healed, we know he really wasn’t ever worried about any of those things. He didn’t worry about when people got it wrong about him. So, in standing in a line with sinners to be baptized, we shouldn’t wonder that it didn’t bother him. In fact, it was deliberate. God did not come in the flesh, to dwell among us, only to separate himself from us in the first public thing he was to do. Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus just got in line. Identified with sinners. Stood next to you and next to me. And it wasn’t just so that we would have company. When God chose to become human, to become one of us, to come down and dwell among us, God’s Word Incarnate, God knew what that meant. More than we did. And Luke knew it too.
Listen to this week’s sermon starting at 44:31
Sermon Details