The Baptism of Our Lord 2025

Matthew 3:13-17

January 12, 2025

Approaching the waters, the Lord Jesus requests baptism. John knows better. “You are the sinless One,” he replies. “My baptism is for sinners.”

“Baptize Me,” Jesus insists.

“Never, Lord! While yet in the waters of my mother’s womb, I leaped for joy when I heard Your mother’s voice. In You, Jesus, righteousness has entered the world.”

Still Jesus insists. “Baptize Me with the baptism of sinners.” John replies, “Is this some kind of trick? I need to be baptized by You.”

But Jesus prevails. Descending into the waters, the sinless One becomes sinner. For that was the content of the water. All the transgressions of all those coming to John, they were all in the water. And in that water, too, were the drowned bodies of Pharaoh’s army. And the sad horror of the infants Pharaoh cast there. The stench of corruption from Noah’s flood. The blood of the Nile. The blood of Abel. The rotting core of the fruit Eve tasted. It’s all there, in water unfit for bathing.

This is the water Jesus chooses. For this reason He was born. Descending into the waters, the sinless One becomes sinner.

In that water, Life is drenched in death. In that water, the logic of the Logos, the orderliness of the Word descends into disorder, chaos.

Into Himself Jesus absorbs all that is broken. He drinks in your pain. He soaks in your sorrow.

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In that water is every tear that ever stained a grieving cheek.

In that water is every drop of blood spilled through injustice and disregard.

In that water is every plague and contagion.

In that water is all humanity’s rage and spite.

In that water is all of our pus and excrement.

Everything that soils and infests flows with raging torrent into that river.

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Jesus accepts it all. He embraces it, bathes in it, allows it to soak into Him. The Pure One becomes putrid. The Sinless One is stained.

The Baptism of Jesus is, if you will, the first nail of the cross. It’s all part of a package – Jesus becoming sinner for you. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for you.

That makes the Father happy. The world’s sin is, in Jesus, being absorbed and ready to be poured out in death. So comes forth the greatest sermon:“This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” The sermon is for you. And when you are baptized, the Father says the same about you.

Dr. Luther put it this way: “You should enter into Christ’s baptism with your own baptism, so that Christ’s baptism is your baptism and your baptism is Christ’s baptism and thus there is one baptism” (Luther Brevier, p23).

In baptism, you participate in Jesus’ Baptism, and His cross, and His resurrection. St. Paul says that in Romans 6. And that’s why St. Peter says in his first Epistle, “Baptism now saves you.” And the Lord Jesus says in Mark 16, “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.”

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Around you, the storms of life still rage. The tears and blood, the dread and melancholy, the real sins and real hurts continue. We were told this would happen. But we didn’t believe it. We expected rewards – blessings without crosses. Then we were surprised when the words proved true again, that only through many hardships do we enter the kingdom of God. The paradoxical sign of His love is discipline. All this continues, indeed increases until the world reaches its inevitable end.

But through it all, the voice of the Father at the Baptism of Jesus rings out as His Word for your baptism: “You are My beloved child. In you I am well pleased.”

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Diagnose yourself aright, and you will see nothing but sin and death, a barren wasteland where nothing good grows. Gaze into that mirror and say, “It is true. I am the sinner. I deserve nothing but judgment.”

Then hasten on to the Jesus who joins you in the wasteland. Hasten to the Jesus who joins you in the foul and murky waters and says, “I am with you.” Stand with Him there in the waters; say back to Him, “I am with You!” And hear the voice of the Father speak to you both, together as one: “You are My beloved Son. In You I am well pleased.”

You are the Father’s delight. He loves you. After this comes temptation, fasting, affliction, sorrow, whipping, thorns, cross, burial. But through it all, you remain the Father’s delight. He loves you still. Resurrection is coming, when dead things live. Resurrection is coming, when barren places bloom. +INJ+