What is the Power of Water?

Matthew 3:13-17

At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River so that John would baptize him.  John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?”

 Jesus answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”

So John agreed to baptize Jesus.  When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.”

I mentioned in a previous reflection that baptism was not part of a normal Jewish upbringing in Jesus’s day.  In first century Judaism, baptism was mostly a conversion ritual.  It signified that someone’s status before God had changed.  They were now a part of the children of Israel, the chosen people of God.  For people that were already Jews, it was sometimes used as a way of showing repentance.  This was the baptism that John was practicing at the Jordan river.  This is why John objects to Jesus being baptized by him.  John knows Jesus does not need to repent.  His standing before God is perfect.  So why does Jesus insist?

“Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) is Jesus’s answer.

But what does that mean?  I want to confess that scholars and theologians have proposed dozens of answers to this question.  I don’t pretend to know definitively which of those answers are right, but I share what seems most compelling to me.  My answer stems from Eugene Peterson’s translation of Jesus’s answer. Here it is:

“God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.” (Matthew 3:15, The Message)

Righteousness is right relationship – a right (meaning as God intended) relationship with God and each other.  Jesus seems to be saying that his baptism is a way of doing that, not so much for himself, but for all of humanity.  In Matthew’s Gospel, this event marks the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry.  So, part of what’s going on here is that Jesus, who needs no baptism, receives baptism.  Jesus is making it clear that in this moment, God is doing something different with baptism.  This marks the moment when Jesus’s true identity is revealed and God’s response to Jesus’s baptism confirms this.  The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus and God declares Jesus His son in whom he is well pleased.  All who witness this (including us in our reading of this passage) see that Jesus is the beloved son of God and Messiah for us all.  On this occasion, John, Jesus, and God the Father, and God the Spirit (dove descending) all confirm this.  The Messiah John has been calling people to prepare for is now before you.              

For me, this event bridges what baptism was for the Jews and what baptism has become for us.  The waters of baptism, whether sprinkled on an infant or surrounding the full-grown adult who is immersed, signifies that we, like Jesus, have received the blessing of God’s Spirit being poured upon us. Furthermore, because of Jesus, we too are sons and daughters of God with whom God is well pleased. Every time we encounter or even think about water, we can be reminded of God’s grace poured out upon us and God’s delight in us.  This is the core meaning of a sacrament.  It is a means (or vehicle) of God’s grace.

Water is the perfect vehicle for this gracious sign for it is everywhere.  It is the shower or bath we take and it’s in the air we breathe.  Water is well more than half of what makes up our bodies and our food.  It cleans us, sustains us, boils our meals, and covers most of the earth’s surface.  You can no more get away from water than you can get away from God’s grace.  Just as your body would dry up without water, so your spirit would dry up without grace. 

So today, I invite you to notice the role of water all around you.  And each time you notice it, remind yourself of two things:

1. God’s Spirit and grace is part of you, all around you, and being poured out upon you.
2. When God looks upon you, his stance towards you is delight

This becomes more and more powerful as this practice becomes a habitual part of our lives.  Jesus knew this and so, of course, he was baptized.  Jesus wants you to know how powerful this is as well. 

Question:  When was the last time you thought about God’s grace at work in you, around you, and through you?

Prayer:  God, thank you for locating your ever-abundant grace everywhere we have been, are, or will ever be.  May we never go through our lives unaware of our need for it.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray someone you know who really needs to experience the power of God’s grace right now.

Song:  Come to the Waters – Matthew Zigenis