The time had finally come. The children of Israel had left their bondage in Egypt forty years ago. But because of their rebellion against God they could not go straight to the promised land. Instead, they had to wander in a harsh desert wilderness. God provided for them, caring for them with amazing miracles, preserving their clothing and shoes so that they did not wear out, feeding them with manna from heaven and water from rocks. But forty years is a long time to wander without a home. The promised land was right there, so close, yet so far away, until now. Now it was time. The old generation had died. These were the Israelites who had been raised in the wilderness. They were led by Joshua, a mighty warrior, chosen by God. That good land, flowing with milk and honey, lay before them.
All they had to do was cross the Jordan River.
The Jordan River is not all that huge of a river. It’s much smaller, for example, than the Mississippi. Today it’s generally between 50 and 100 feet wide, and 3 to 10 feet deep. At this time of year the river was at its annual flood stage and higher than usual. But God was directing his people, and he had in mind a plan for them. They spent three days camped beside the river and then Joshua went out and told them, “Consecrate yourselves, because tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
The next day the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant led the people to the Jordan, and as soon as their feet touched the water of the river a great miracle happened. The water upstream came to a complete standstill, piling up into a heap. The water downstream flowed until all the water was gone, and all of Israel could walk across on dry ground. The priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed with the Ark until all of Israel had crossed. The people set up a memorial pillar of twelve large stones. Then, finally, the priests came out carrying the Ark. Joshua 4:18 says, When the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD came up from the middle of the Jordan, as soon as the soles of their feet reached dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and it overflowed all its banks as before.
“Teach your children about this,” Joshua told the people. “Teach them what the Lord your God has done. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth would know that the hand of the LORD is strong, so that you would fear the LORD your God always.”
Today, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Ark of the Lord has gone before us. He stood in the waters of the Jordan to hold back the flood of God’s Judgment. His good news is for us and for our children and for every generation. The road into the Promised Land is clear. By baptism the way is open.
The account of Jesus’ baptism is a short one. We find it in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It’s mentioned in a number of other places in Scripture as well. But if you just take one of the accounts, such as the one we have before us today from Matthew, well, you might be left with more questions than answers.
That shouldn’t really bother you though. We find this kind of thing at other places in the life of Jesus as well. Jesus rose from the dead, yes, but what does that mean? Jesus himself pointed his disciples to the prophets. God teaches us through his Word, proclaimed by prophets and apostles and pastors and teachers, so that we can learn and appreciate what these things mean for us.
Jesus was about 30 years old. John the Baptist was about six months older than Jesus, and possibly had been baptizing for about that same amount of time. There were all kinds of ceremonial washings and baptisms in Israel, some from God’s Old Testament Law, some from tradition, but this baptism of John was a new thing. John came as a prophet, with a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And God stirred up the people’s hearts, so that many were coming to him in repentance, desiring forgiveness, desiring baptism, and seeking to amend their lives in service to God.
But then one day Jesus showed up to be baptized, and it’s just all wrong. Jesus, this is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. You’re the perfect, holy Son of God. You don’t have any sins to forgive. We have sins, oh, so many sins, more than we could possibly count. But not you. You don’t even have the tiniest little speck of a sin, while we are stained with sins from head to toe. Why then would you need baptism?
This was John’s very question. He tried to stop Jesus, saying “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, because it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
What does that mean? It might seem like a puzzling statement from Jesus, but it’s really not so vague in the light of Scripture. “It is proper,” he said. This is God’s will. Thy will be done. God desired and ordained this, and of course we see God’s approval in the miraculous even that follows. What about fulfilling all righteousness? What is that? Jesus is talking about his purpose. He had come to fulfill the Scriptures. He had come to fulfill the righteous plan of God to bring us salvation. This, then, was not about his own need, but because of our need.
It’s true that Jesus had no sin. It’s true that he didn’t need baptism. It’s also true that he didn’t need to leave his throne in heaven. He didn’t need to subject himself to the Law. He didn’t need to suffer. He didn’t need to die. Why did he do these things? To fulfill all righteousness for us. He wasn’t baptized for his own sins. He was baptized for ours. Jesus was not just our righteous substitute on the cross. He was our righteous substitute throughout his earthly life. Everything he did, he did for us.
Our baptism connects us to this, to Jesus’ baptism, and to Jesus fulfilling righteousness on our behalf. We are united to him in baptism. He went before us, like the priests carrying the ark into the river, and opened the way to the promised land, to heaven. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 6
“Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.”
Our baptism connects us to Christ so that through baptism we receive his promise, and in baptism our faith clings to him and to his righteousness.
This is so important for us, because in this life we will face temptations from the Devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. We will feel the burden of our sin and guilt. And Satan will mock us, saying, “You think that you could go to heaven, that you could enter that promised land? Do you think that God could love you, with all of your impurity and unrighteousness? The barrier between you and heaven is a lot bigger than the Jordan River in its highest flood stage. It’s an impassible barrier of your own making, by your thoughts and words and deeds. You cannot cross. You will have to drown under God’s judgment.”
And to that you can say, “Yes, let my sins be drowned, in my baptism, for I am baptized into Christ.”
When you were baptized your old sinful nature was drowned, condemned, nailed to the cross with Jesus. But Jesus didn’t only die for you. He also rose for you. And so in your baptism you also receive a resurrection, a new life. Jesus described baptism as a new birth, born from above by water and the Spirit.
That was the Son of God standing there in that water, being baptized by John. He should be so far away from us, so far above us. And yet there he was, being baptized with sinners. He joined himself to us taking on our human flesh, becoming our true brother. And he did that so that in our baptism we might be declared true children of God.
When Jesus came up from the water there was a miraculous sight. Heaven was opened. The Holy Spirit came down on him as a dove. A voice spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with him.” These things happened to indicate who Jesus is. Of all the people John baptized, this was the only time he saw something like this. Jesus truly is the Son of God. And he truly is the Anointed One, the Christ or Messiah. As he began his public ministry, he did so with this great heavenly sign and decree.
But this miraculous sign was also for us. Here is revealed the God into whose name we are baptized, one God who is Triune, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father’s voice was heard, declaring Jesus his beloved and righteous Son. And of course he is. But in Jesus and in your baptism, this decree is also placed on you. Your sins are great, so great you can’t bear them. But Jesus has taken them away. He paid the price. They’re removed from you as far as the east is from the west. Your baptism might have looked like a simple little splashing of plain old water, but when you were baptized God the Father declared, “You are my son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you!”
The Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, and the Holy Spirit is sent on you as well. Peter preached at Pentecost that all who are baptized receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit himself is your gift, he gives you the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation, and he works in you so that by his grace you produce his gifts of faith and hope and love.
And heaven was opened, just as it is for you. When you were baptized there was probably no beam of light focused down on you from the heavens above, but better than that is the promise of God which no one can take away. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” our Lord Jesus says. Can the accusations of the Devil, the ridicule of the world, or the doubts of your own sinful flesh change the promise of Jesus? No, for you he died and rose. For you he was baptized, so that, baptized into his name, the way is open and the promised land is yours.
Know that the hand of the Lord is strong. Fear the Lord your God always. Amen.