As I introduced in the sermon yesterday, our new campaign is called Pray Like Jesus. Throughout this campaign we will be exploring the prayer life of Jesus and like the disciples, inquiring of our Lord, "Teach us to pray." (Lk. 11:1) We will do this by not only examining his teachings on prayer but seeking to model our prayer life after his.
The first moment of Jesus' prayer life recorded in the gospels is not Jesus speaking to the Father, but the Father speaking to Jesus. Remember, prayer in its most basic element is simply communication with God. What the Father says here is incredibly important for our prayer life.
Matthew 3:13–17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 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 alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
The plan for this week is to first explore this text and see what is happening here from a biblical theological perspective. Then, later in the week, we will look at how this applies to the prayer life of Jesus and what it means for us.
John is a relative of Jesus, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth (remember the birth account of Jesus in Luke 1). John likely has some knowledge of who Jesus is and the miraculous events surrounding both of their births. He is aware of the nature of his ministry—that being to prepare the way for the Messiah (Matt. 3:11-12).
John's baptism is different than the church's practice today, albeit with some similarities. His baptism was one of repentance—a recognition of their failure to live according to the Law of Moses and a commitment to follow the Law. The act of baptism is a symbol of cleansing and purity.
In light of this, Jesus' request to be baptized by John is understandably met with resistance on John's part. Jesus is sinless so he doesn't need to repent. John suspects Jesus is the Messiah—the one for whom he is to prepare the way. Yet Jesus asks to be baptized by John. Jesus' answer in verse 15 is perplexing. What does he mean by "fulfill all righteousness"? The most likely meaning of this, especially in light of what follows, is that this act will lead to the fulfillment of biblical patterns and predictions about the Messiah. The events that ensue at his baptism will further certify that he is indeed the Messiah, the chosen one of God. These we will unpack tomorrow and Wednesday.
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Reflection
Put yourself in the place of John here. He has a very high calling—to prepare the way for the Lord. He was a prophet who led many in Israel to repentance and a commitment to faithful observance of the Law. He had a large following, yet he knew his role was not to be the Messiah. It seems as if he graciously gave way for Jesus to come onto the scene. In John 3:30 he even says, "He must become greater; I must become less.” Reflect just for a moment on your commitment to fulfill the role God has called you to, nothing more and nothing less. Do you know what God is calling you to? Are you content with what he calls you to? Is your ministry ultimately pointing people to Jesus?