Matthew 3:13-15
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him.
Message: Obedience in Baptism
Time: Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, is credited with this book, despite the fact that he did not sign it. Dating it's writing is difficult, but most agree it to be AD 60-65 since it does not mention the destruction of the temple in AD 70. A Jew, he includes 50 direct citations and many other indirect citations from the Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
In this study of Christ Alone, Christ alone saves, we have studied that Jesus is the God incarnate creator, has a human nature, is the last Adam, is the True Israel, Messiah or God's anointed, rescuing or delivering us from the discord between God and Man, and always obeyed His Father and never failed, discharging our debt before God and paying the penalty for our sins.
Man is saved by being made clean. Cleanliness before God has always been an expectation, from Old Testament days to now. The Law included many specific instructions for someone that was unclean. Not being clean separated one from the community. A leper, for example, had to get special permission from the priest to re-enter the City, once clean (Mark 1:40-45).
Priests had to be ritually clean to serve at the tabernacle. Exodus 30 speaks of a laver that priests had to wash their hands and feet prior to making an offering. Leviticus 15 talks about discharges a man or woman may make and the need to be completely clean, bathing one's entire body. And then when the temple was built, a mikveh (ritual bath) was used for everyone to get ritually clean prior to entering. So immersions at the time of Jesus were common.
Jeremiah 17:13 says, "O Lord, the hope (mikveh) of Israel, all who forsake Thee will be put to shame, those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord." Mikveh in the Strong's Concordance is a pond, a gathering together. Thus, the text is saying those who turn away from the mikveh or gathering together of Israel will be put to shame. And says the Lord is the fountain of living water.
When asked about baptism or immersion, Jesus responded that it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Active obedience refers to Jesus keeping the law of God, perfectly, on our behalf - obeying every statute the Lord gave to humanity. In other words, Jesus was saying here that in addition, to keeping the Law of God, John had prescribed that baptism was needed for each new believer. Though Jesus did not need to be baptized, the baptism is a command and His doing it continues to complete the process of fulfilling all righteousness. In addition, Jesus was aligning Himself with those He came to save, by doing the same that was asked. Thus, at baptism, Jesus began His journey as our substitute.
Promise: We are called to obey every command God has given us, but only the obedience of Christ can secure our salvation. Our obedience is an expression of gratitude for what Christ has done for us.
Prayer: O God, thank you for taking me to this understanding of the baptism and the washing and cleaning that was needed for the Jew as well. Thank you Jesus for doing the same that you ask of me and practicing what you have asked me to practice in being baptized.
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of May is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.
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