Jesus Did It All!
John was sent on a mission. At his birth, his father had already indicated what John would grow up to be—the forerunner of the Messiah. John had begun this ministry. He called the people to be prepared for the coming Messiah. The initial step was to realize that they had fallen short. They had sinned and deserved God’s punishment. He called them to repent. John also was given a ceremony to show that God had heard their confession. He baptized the repentant in the Jordan River. Yes, God had washed away their sin.
Then the day came when Jesus was in the crowd and asked to be baptized. John knew that the baptism was a washing of water to take away the sin. He also knew that Jesus didn’t have any sins to confess and didn’t need to be baptized.
Jesus disagreed. Yes, you could say Jesus didn’t need baptism for him to be righteous. But Jesus was there so that we could be righteous. Jesus’ baptism declared him to be the Messiah that the prophets and God the Father had promised. He is the Lord’s Anointed Servant. Here Jesus is standing in the place of sinful mankind. He was declaring his willingness to serve.
His public ministry would proclaim that the kingdom of God was here. About three years later Jesus would fulfill all righteousness by giving himself on the cross. The payment would be made. All God’s righteous requirements were fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus did it all!
Lord Jesus, once again was stand in awe of your love for us. You willingly came to do your Father’s will. Help us show our thanks in living to you. Amen.