Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ 15 But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
Shoveling snow is hard when you don’t have a snow blower. My son was born during a snow/ice storm and trying to shovel a foot of ice encrusted snow is challenging at best. I was only able to shovel a tiny fraction before quitting in frustration. I returned the next day with some help to shovel, only to find that my driveway had been completely cleared. My neighbor had seen me struggling and sent over her husband with a snow blower to clear it for us, knowing that we were in the hospital. Someone else did the work for us.
Perhaps, this explains why Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, under John the Baptist for the forgiveness of sins. Not having any sins of his own, why is he submitting to a confession of sin? Not being sinful but in perfect communion with his Father through the Holy Spirit, why is he repenting or turning back to God? Not being guilty of crossing any laws, or missing any marks, or falling short of any expectations, why is he asking for forgiveness? John even asks, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? Quite simply, Jesus is doing the work for us. He doesn’t need to confess, but we do, and we won’t do so. He doesn’t need to repent, but we do, and we won’t do so. He doesn’t need to ask for forgiveness, but we do, and we won’t do so. Jesus is baptized for the forgiveness of sins, confessing and begging for forgiveness for us, because we wouldn’t nor couldn’t do so for ourselves. He did the work for us.
Perhaps then this explains why Jesus answered John as he did, let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness. The word for fulfill in a quite literal sense means to fill up. This creates a provocative image of Jesus filling our confessions with his own, knowing how empty they could be, if we offer them at all; Jesus filling our repentance with his own knowing how meager our repentance could be, if we repent at all; Jesus filling our requests for forgiveness with his own, knowing how shallow and imperfect ours could be, if we ask at all. Jesus fills what is lacking in us, a human returning to God and seeking reconciliation. Jesus does the work for us, because our work of atonement never could be full, even if we ever wanted to try. Jesus does the work for us.
But the good news is not just what Jesus does for us, but also what is given to Jesus to give to us. It is after Jesus’ baptism that the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. Jesus doesn’t just do the work on our behalf, but also does the work of God on God’s behalf. The Spirit comes upon him so that He might give the Spirit to us. He gave our sins to God; He now gives God’s Spirit to us. The very Spirit which creates, forgives and gives life to Jesus, which we seen witnessed in Scripture, is given to Jesus to give to us, who need re-created, re-forgiven and re-surrected. Jesus is filled with the Spirit to fulfill righteousness, by filling us with Holy Spirit. Jesus does the human work for us, but also does God’s work to us.
But perhaps the most needed and most powerful aspect of Jesus’ work Jesus for us and to us is found in the words spoken to Jesus from heaven, this is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. Does Jesus not know who He is and how much He is loved and how much He pleases His Father? But what if we need to hear this? Jesus does the work of repentance for us, Jesus does the work of God to us, but this results with us becoming what we need so desperately need, we are well-pleasing children of God. Jesus works for us, Jesus works for God, that we might be part of the Divine Family; that we might be covenant people; that we might become children of God. Jesus works to reconcile us and all things to God; to reconcile the Creator with the Creation.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we enter the season of our life together between the seasons of Christmas and Easter, we are reminded of all that Jesus came to do. Work for us to God. Work to us from God. But, if we live under this work and in the power of the Holy Spirit, then as children of God, we have work to do for others and for God. As the Body of Christ, our sacred calling is the witnessing to what Jesus has done for us and to us. By being the family of God together, together we can be agents of reconciliation to a weary world. Jesus works for us; we can work for Jesus. Jesus works for God, we can work for God. As agents of reconciliation, we can be a collective witness for God. Because of Jesus, yes, we can shovel snow without a snow blower. Let us be reconciled to God and to each other. Amen.
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