Thought of the Day !!

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.
Matthew 3:13-15

I used to wonder why in the world would Jesus be baptized. I mean wasn't he the only sinless person to live. And wasn't John's baptism a "baptism of repentance"?

Matthew is the only gospel who gives us an answer to this question, and it comes from Jesus' own mouth. He tells us that "it is proper...to do this to fulfill all righteousness". In other words, this is something that both of them must do to perform the revealed will of God. And so this is a self-sacrificial point in the life of Jesus where he does God's will. He doesn't just recommend that we do it. He doesn't say, "Do as I say", but instead he tells us to "Do as I say and as I do".

Jesus' most important consideration in life was doing the will of God. We can see this throughout his ministry. This is the reason that God shares God's appreciation with His Son as He proclaims "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

May we be reminded that just as Jesus strived for righteousness, or being in a right relationship with the Father and doing His will, we should as well. Jesus may be the only person who ever perfectly succeeded in this. But God is not expecting us to live up to what His Son did. He does expect us to try though. And don't worry. When we fail. We can start right back over again because of God's forgiveness.

In the love of Christ,
greg