Sermon “Jesus Fulfills All Righteousness” - Matthew 3 audio link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23575548/120108Matthew3.mp3
Our Lord, open our eyes in this season of Epiphany to see the gift you have poured out on us through the waters of baptism, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Our sermon text for today comes from the third chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Since we have entered upon our reading challenge and in the past week some of us have read Matthew chapters 1-25, I thought it best to have a sermon from material we have read recently. Today is the feast of the baptism of Jesus, the first of the miraculous occasions we celebrate during the season of Epiphany, that time of year for realization of Jesus' person and presence.
I'll read from Matthew 3, that evangelist's account of the baptism of Jesus which we read about previously in Mark's Gospel. Hear the word of God with me.
(Matthew 3, NIV 1984)
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Thanks be to God.
Jesus fulfills all righteousness. This is one of the focuses I expect you've seen as you've been reading through Matthew this week. Jesus does something and the evangelist says that he does it to fulfill a prophecy. Jesus is presented in the Scripture, and especially in Matthew's Gospel, as the fulfiller of all God's promises. He is the one who has come to keep our part of the covenants of God, as well as keeping God's part. Thus he is the one who can place his righteousness, his obedience, his mercy and his grace upon us. And here Jesus has John baptize him to fulfill all righteousness.
What could he mean by this? There are a few directions we need to look at Jesus' statement in order to unpack it adequately. First, we want to see how Jesus understands baptism. Second, we want to know who needs baptism, and finally we can see what Jesus was accomplishing in his own baptism.
First, how does Jesus understand baptism? Jesus in fact talks about baptism rather little. He gives baptism but he doesn't teach about it very much. It seems to be more something that Jesus does, or that his followers do, than something that Jesus teaches. Yet John talks about Jesus' baptism being a baptism of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul talks about baptism as a sign of death, even a very real passing through death. In fact, the apostles consistently talk about baptism as a washing of sin, that which regenerates people, that which gives them a clean conscience. In Matthew 28, which shows up in our next reading challenge day, we will see that Jesus commands his apostles to “disciple all nations by baptizing them...and teaching them...” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The Bible teaches that in baptism we are washed from sin. We are cleansed. How can water do this? Our catechism points out that water cannot do this but when joined with the promises of the Word of God it can accomplish God's will. This is why I always try to baptize after the sermon and the confession of the creed in a church service. The Word of God accomplishes everything. I don't accomplish it. All I do in baptism is read the Scripture, pray, and get someone wet. Actually, it's usually two or three people who get wet. But the Holy Spirit washes you from sin in baptism. That's why a baptismal date is something of importance to many people. That's why we give you a baptismal certificate. When I baptize someone I give the person a candle signifying Jesus, the light of the world. I also give a cross, if possible one that is good enough quality that it can be worn throughout life. If I have sealed you with Christ's death and resurrection in the waters of baptism I have placed Christ on you. You can bear the cross then, remembering that Jesus has imposed his forgiveness upon you.
Baptism is a bath of forgiveness. Who needs this forgiveness? We, along with the vast majority of Christianity throughout the ages, baptize people of any age. We confess that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, not one. We all need forgiveness. So we all need baptism. If that baptism is a gift of God, a washing from sin which comes from him, it is not our own work. My confirmands are working with Ephesians 3:8-9 this week, one of those verses I can't quite quote in any one translation because I've worked with it in so many different ones. But here we go – see if I'm on the right track. It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, that not of yourselves, this thing is a gift of God. It is not of our own works, so nobody can boast. I think I captured it. This baptism which saves us is given to us. It is not our work of confession. It is God's work of redemption. It's the work we all need, young people, old people, every kind of person needs the salvation of God, given to us, not earned by us. I haven't gone around checking our records that carefully yet. But if there is anyone here, adult or child, who has not been baptized, Jesus' grace and forgiveness is there in the water for you also. Let's get it done.
Baptism is a bath of forgiveness. All people need that forgiveness of Christ. But why is Jesus baptized? He doesn't need his forgiveness. He has no sin to wash away. He is not only a partaker of God's covenant promises, he is the one who established God's covenant promises. So why is Jesus baptized? How does it fulfill all righteousness?
Some people, including some of the early Church fathers whose work I value a great deal, have suggested that in the waters of baptism Jesus, who could have no sin washed away from him, received the corruption of sin himself, taking all our sins upon himself, purifying the waters of baptism. It makes a really good sermon, one which could probably turn into quite a series of tent-meetings. Do people do that around here? They do where I came from. But I'm a little dubious about the idea. If we say that Jesus took on our sins in his baptism that would suggest he is not the sinless lamb of God when he is living and dying on our behalf. That would be a big problem, because we need a sinless savior. So I think we want to put that idea aside. But it is out there.
Here's what seems more likely. Jesus in his baptism fulfilled all righteousness by walking down the very path that his followers will walk down. He is baptized into death and is raised from the watery grave. The Holy Spirit descends upon him. He then walks through life as we walk once we are people who have been cleansed from sin, except that he doesn't enter into sin. He fulfills all righteousness as he walks through our life toward our death. He is the one who has been through the water ahead of us. He is the one who has dealt with all the challenges of this life before we had the chance to do so. He is the one who feels our weakness and who walks with us, promising that in his resurrection he will never leave us or forsake us. And as I remind people on their deathbeds, they are not going anywhere without Jesus. He has been there as well, and has overcome the grave, just as each of us who dies in Christ will do. Jesus, in his baptism and in his baptismal life, death, and resurrection, fulfills all righteousness for us, going ahead of us, being our forerunner.
Do you wonder if Jesus has loved you enough to forgive you? He baptized you into his death and raised you into his life. Do you wonder if Jesus will be with you as you endure trials this week? He baptized you and placed his perfect life upon you. Do you wonder if you will survive the struggles of your job situation, your family, even your own sin which has torn your family apart? Jesus baptized you into his death, but he is no longer dead. You also can be dead to sin and alive to Christ, walking in the newness of life which he has granted. Let us pray.
Our Lord, may this day, the day we celebrate your baptism, be the day we see ourselves walking in the light of your resurrection. As you have died for us, may we also die to sin. As you live for us, may we live to you. Raise us to newness of eternal life, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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