Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!

Matthew 3:13-17

The Baptism of Jesus

 

We have been waiting to meet Jesus.  The music has been building for 3 chapters.  We have learned about Jesus, but now we want to see Jesus.  We have spent this week in repentance in order to see Jesus.  In the last measure, before Jesus appears, John the Baptizer gets us all riled up…

 

Matthew 3:11-12  "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.  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."

 

Wow, that sounds impressive; Holy Spirit and forks and fire.  After reading the first two chapters of Matthew, we are expecting King David coming with an army.  We are expecting the new Moses coming with plagues.  We are expecting the new Solomon coming in golden chariots.  We are expecting Joshua; splitting the Jordan River in two.  We are expecting someone whose sandals John the baptizer can’t even pick up.  We are ready to slap-fight a tree.  We are ready to meet Jesus for the first time? 

 

Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then John consented.  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.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

 

What?  We were expecting King David’s army and we get a baptism?  We are expecting Moses’ plagues and we get “it is proper?  We were expecting Joshua to divide the Jordan, not Jesus getting dunked in it.  We were expecting the Spirit coming with forks and fires.  Instead, we get a dove.  We were expecting Immanuel, “God with us” and we get a voice from heaven saying, “At-a-boy”. 

 

The music, which has been building for three chapters, suddenly music turns into something we were not expecting.  We are expecting the theme from Star Wars… instead we get…  Somewhere over the rainbow. 

 

Instead of seeing a mighty God in the flesh, we see Jesus asking to be baptized by John.  Our first impression of Jesus is submissiveness.  John is as surprised as we are.  “What?  No, no, you have it backwards.  You are the Messiah.  You are the One who comes with the Holy Spirit.  I need to be baptized by you.”

 

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This morning we are going to explore the baptism of Jesus.  We are going to ask, “Why was Jesus baptized, anyway?”  It was confusing to John.  It was confusing to the early church.  If we are honest, it is a little confusing to us.  Let me give you a clue, in exploring why Jesus was immersed, we catch a glimpse into what Jesus came to do.

 

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The first thing that jumps off the page when we see Jesus being baptized is…  Jesus does what Jesus does, not what others expect him to do!  Jesus comes to fulfill God’s plans.  Jesus is not going to play the music we expect.  We need to learn to listen carefully to His music.  We must learn to follow his lead.  It is…  “Your kingdom come” by “Your will being done”. 

 

That is why we needed to repent last week.  We need to be in a humble mindset of repentance to get who Jesus is, at all.  I hope you spent some time in repentance this week.  I hope you came to see the real Jesus.  I hope you did not come to see a Jesus made to your liking.  The first thing Jesus does, will be just like the last thing Jesus does; the unexpected!

 

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Let’s begin looking carefully...  Why, is Jesus baptized?

 

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Matthew 3:13-14  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

 

John recognized Jesus.  Matthew doesn’t give us any of the details of their relationship.  We learn, in Luke, they were cousins.  Their mother’s had a relationship before their births.  But, in Matthew, the adult Jesus steps into John’s ministry and John knows who he is!  “You are the greater.  I am the less.  You need to baptize me.” 

 

John is baptizing in the Jordan for repentance.  John knows that the purpose of his baptism is to turn people from their sins.  John knows we must repent to prepare the straight highway to the kingdom.  He told the Pharisees and Sadducees last week, "You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”  John preached a baptism of repentance from sin.  Baptism is connected with repentance and sins.

 

Later in the first Gospel sermon Peter will continue this connection.

 

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

As we explore the baptism of Jesus, note that baptism is connected to repentance and forgiveness of sins.  But that just makes why Jesus was baptized even more difficult.  Jesus was sinless.  Jesus had nothing to repent.  John knew it.  John objected, “I need to be baptized by you.  You are sinless.”

 

 Let’s listen to Jesus’ answer.

 

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Matthew 3:15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then John consented.

 

Jesus said, “It is the right thing to do.”  Why? 

 

One of the things we are going to learn, as we continue to follow Jesus throughout Matthew’s Gospel, is his connection to sinners.  One of the frequent complaints about Jesus is, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  Jesus answers, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

 

We are going to see a Jesus who came to the sick.  A doctor has to connect to the sick, if the doctor is going to doctor.  One of the reasons Jesus submits to baptism, even though he has nothing to repent, is his identification with us.  Wow.

 

The very first thing we see Jesus do, is demonstrate, I am with you; Immanuel - God with us - Jesus joins us in baptism.  Physically, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist.  He did it. He joined us.  Spiritually, when we are baptized he joins us in our death to raise us to a new life.  Jesus’ water baptism anticipates his cross baptism.  It was the right thing for Jesus to do.  It is the right thing for us to do!  Jesus did it to join us, there!

 

But I think there is more to why Jesus did it.

 

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Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened…

 

Jesus went down into the water and came up out of the water and at that moment heaven opened up!  Baptism opens up heaven.  The way of the kingdom of heaven is submission.  The power of the kingdom is humility.  The entrance into the kingdom is baptism.

 

The Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting a new Moses who would lead them out of Egypt to form an independent nation, like the first Moses, with plagues and power.  The old Moses divided the Red Sea.  The new Moses went down into the sea and came up out of the water.  The power of heaven opening up is not in might, but in humility.

 

What better metaphor of submission and humility than baptism.  It is passive.  It is getting all wet.  It is death.  Baptism has the power to open heaven, because the power of the new kingdom is submission.

 

Jesus submitted to baptism to show the nature of the power of the kingdom of heaven!  As we work our way through Matthew we are going to hear, “Love your enemies”, The meek shall inherit the earth”, Peacemakers are sons of God…  Jesus, the first time we meet him, demonstrates the way of the kingdom.

 

It keeps getting better…

 

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Matthew 3:16   At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

 

Matthew is echoing the creation.

 

Genesis 1:1-2   In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 

The heavens are opened and the Spirit of God like a dove is hovering over the newly created earth.  That is what happens in baptism.  Baptism is a new beginning.  It is the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.  It marks the beginning of our ministry.  It is the beginning of our new life.  It is the beginning of the kingdom!

 

That new life begins with the Spirit.  That is what Peter also said.

 

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Repent that John’s message.  Baptism that’s what Jesus did.  Then God gives the Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives and move us to ministry. 

 

How cool is this?  The Spirit of God moving in the creation of our lives.  It begins in baptism!  Jesus did it to show us the power of a new life lived by the moving of the Spirit! 

 

As we look even closer, it gets’ even more amazing.

 

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Matthew 3:17  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

 

 Matthew brings out the treasure of Isaiah 42.

 

Isaiah 42:1-7  "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.  He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.  In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope."  This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:  "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

 

In submission Jesus was baptized.  In his baptism Jesus was announced from heaven as the servant in whom I delight.  The Divine Seal of Approval is stamped upon Jesus.  God announces that his Son is the Messiah. 

 

But it is more than Jesus as Messiah.  The approval is also about the way of the kingdom.  It is the way of submission.  The kingdom way is not to break the bruised reed.  The way of the Kingdom is not to quench the smoldering wick.  Wow, what unexpected metaphors?  This reed is bent over but is not snapped off.  The wick, that has just a touch of flame, is not put out.  This submission will bring justice to the whole earth.  This reed is going to bring righteousness to the earth.  This wick is going to open the eyes of the blind, free the captives and release those in the dungeon!  Matthew brings out this old treasure of Isaiah 42 and reshapes it into the new treasure of the kingdom! 

 

And the cool part is, in our baptism we submit to the way of the kingdom and.. and we are approved by God!  We step on the highway in repentance and we begin to move down the highway in baptism; in the kingdom way of submission! 

 

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Why was Jesus baptized?  I think we have discovered seven reasons.

-Jesus connects to us in baptism.

-Jesus demonstrates the way of the kingdom in submission.

-Baptism marks new beginnings.

-Baptism connects to the Spirit.

-Baptism opens heaven’s way.

-Baptism receives God’s approval.

-Jesus set the example for us in baptism.

 

When we submit to baptism we become children who please the father.  Baptism is: sin-forgiving, new-life creating, Spirit-filling, ministry-beginning, heaven-opening, father-pleasing, kingdom-moving…

 

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We began with what we expected from the coming King and were surprised.  Jesus did what Jesus did.  Baptism was the perfect way to introduce us to Jesus. 

 

I want to end with a different perspective…

 

Baptizing Jesus

H. I. HESTER

 

I think Mary noticed a strange light in the eye of her First-born. There was a far-away air about Him, as if He felt in His soul the call to a new career.  He was more than usually reticent.  He spent more time out in the hills alone.  Each morning He took with Him to the little shop a "roll of the Book.”  From it He would read a bit, then lay it upon a shelf while He worked and thought; then read again, and turn almost absentmindedly to work again.  All this Mary's keen, discerning eye saw.  There was nothing for her to say.  Then there came an evening when she noted that He carefully put away His tools, swept the shop out all clean and shut the door with a care that spelled finality.  He came into the house and laid up His scroll and went out into the solitude of the night.

 

Mary could not think of sleep.  She got together a change of raiment" and prepared a simple lunch, all of which she made into a neat packet.  Then she got ready a simple breakfast.  In the morning twilight she saw Him coming in from his night with that Father about whose affairs it is needful for him to be. Mary met Him, very quietly, and led Him to the waiting breakfast. As they sat and He ate she watched Him furtively, lovingly, longingly.  They did not talk much. Rather they felt each other and mingled their souls in spiritual converse and questioning.  As He finished, Mary went and brought out the packet and handed it to Him.  She helped Him adjust it, thus to touch Him with her hands in gentle caress.  A moment they gazed into the depths of each other's eyes. Very gently He placed His arm about her, drew her to Him as they stood together there in the doorway, and planted a kiss on her upturned face.  No word was spoken.  He turned about, walked past the little shop, followed the path as it wound eastward and south and then, more than a quarter of a mile below, passed around the point out of sight into the highway leading down to Judea and the Jordan.  Mary turned into her house with a great surge of mingled feeling and fell on her face on His bed.  She knew that her wonderful Son had gone out into the world to do His work, to attend to the affairs of His Father.

 

Tim Stidham

Los Alamos Church of Christ

January 29, 2012