Why Baptism?

"Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3, ESV

This Sunday across the Presbyterian denomination we celebrated Baptism Sunday where we are reminded to not only remember our baptism, but to stand and reaffirm it.  It was beautiful to me.  I've been one of those preachers kids who has struggled all my life.  I've been baptized more times than any good church goer you've known just trying to get it right.  Lord have mercy, it ain't sticking Jesus!  I've come to recently believe I have lived a lot of my Christian life backwards; if you met me it would make sense, I am sort of a backwards person.  

As I sat in church this morning listening to the sermon from Matthew 3, questions began filling my mind.  I had never really questioned baptism before, it is just something you do...almost expected to do in the church. On a blank piece of paper from my bulletin I wrote down my questions, "Why baptism?  Was there baptism in the Old Testament I don't remember reading about?  Or maybe it's a type, or foreshadowing to baptism?  What is the idea of baptism?  A cleansing?"  

What gave John the Baptist the idea to start holding people under water? There is so much to learn in scripture, of God and of following Christ, things that seem old and engrained become new.  Don't worry, I'm not getting dunked again now that I have enlightenment.

When I got home I pulled out my big study books.  (I prefer books to internet searching when it comes to doctrine and theology)  First consulting my study Bible to the Greek term and study notes, then to Vines Dictionary and scripture references and ended with my Christian Doctrine Book...which more or less argued views and opinions and terms given for what things mean when done a certain way, or believed a certain way.  Real page turner!  

To sum up this chapter, we look at the words Jesus said to John, [You must baptize me John in order to] "fulfill all righteousness." [my paraphrase]  Throughout Matthew's Gospel he tells us again and again the things Jesus fulfilled.  The fulfillment of things that point back to what the prophets wrote, namely Isaiah, Ezekial, and Jeremiah.  Before we unpack all of that, we will start with basics then go deeper, think of it like wading into water...

We meet John in the river baptizing people from all around.  I'm not sure how people knew he was there, passer-byes reaching town and telling everyone there's a guy wearing camel clothes holding people under water when they say all the bad stuff they have done!  All jokes aside, we knew John the Baptist is a holy set apart man, his soul purpose of life was the make way for Jesus and point people to Him!  John was filled with the Holy Spirit even before He was born.  (Luke 1)  The region knew John and probably heard his preaching on a regular basis.  His message at the Jordan River was confess your sin, confess your realization that you are unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven.  Confess your sin of stealing, sexual immorality, pride and arrogance, liar, manipulator, complainer.  Come be washed in the waters, be buried in death to these sins and rise out to new life.  

Jesus doesn't seem to fit into this.  The sinless Son of God.  There is a lot his Baptism symbolizes, but the most beautiful I believe is a picture of Jesus walking into the water where sinners had buried their sin, and as He went under he took on the "unfitness" for the Kingdom, and clothed himself in it.  As if he hadn't already taken enough human form in the skin, Jesus!  He had nothing to confess than that he was fulfilling righteousness; a behavior that conforms to what God requires.  In this same image Paul says in his letter to the church at Galatia, "we are clothed in Christ in baptism, the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased."  Martin Luther charged his congregation that baptism is "as the daily garment which he is to wear all the time."

Is the water magical?

No.

It's not so much the water as it is what God is doing through the water.  It's always about what God is doing.

We will wade in deeper later...