Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

 

The Baptism of Christ (Theophany), 15th century, Kythera.  Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece (photo by the author)

 

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.

 

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

- Matthew 3:13–17 

 

Yesterday we read that when John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

  Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  My study Bible notes here for us that Jesus does not need purification.  By making the purification of humanity His own, Jesus would wash away humanity's sin, grant regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  So, in this light, Christ's baptism was necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.   It quotes from St. Gregory of Nyssa, "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  My study Bible reminds us that the Spirit of God hovered over the water at the first creation (Genesis 1:2).  Now, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove  to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  Jesus does not become the Son of God on this day; He is revealed to all as the Son of God on this day.  The Holy Spirit has always rested on Him.  In the Orthodox Churches, the feast day of Epiphany (meaning manifestation or revelation in Greek) or Theophany (a manifestation or "showing" of God), is celebrated on January 6th.  It commemorates this day, and points to the age to come.  In the earliest days of Christianity, the Church celebrated both Nativity (Christmas) and Christ's Baptism together on this day; in the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church, that tradition continues today.

 

  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7, "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."  My study Bible asks us to note how the Baptism of Jesus reveals the great mystery of the Trinity -- the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, the Incarnate Son is baptized.  

In the Baptism of Jesus, as my study Bible indicates, we can see that Christ takes on all the life of humanity, and, as Son, reveals that He is here to heal the world with holiness and grace.  The quotation from St. Gregory of Nyssa teaches us to understand how to see the Baptism of Jesus.  Although He does not need this baptism, for He has no sin, He is here in the world in order to restore humanity to God, and takes on everything that we are -- even all the creation in this natural body of water, the river Jordan -- and undergoes the transformation He will ask all of us to undergo.  To be "buried" in the water is symbolic of death, and we know that He is destined for death and Resurrection also, so that we may follow.  As He is covered in this water, He sanctifies and makes holy the waters of the world for Holy Baptism for all the rest of us.  So Jesus' public ministry, His first public act, begins here, with this revelation of the Trinity and His identity as Son, His participation in all the things that He will ask of us, so that we can follow Him.  Even as the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, revealing His identity as Son, so we also may become "sons of God" through adoption by baptism and chrismation, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.  All of this is made possible through Christ's ministry, and especially His voluntary death and Resurrection, the final and ultimate forever sacrifice offered to all of us in the Eucharist, so that we may participate in His life and righteousness, and be with Him.  Let us note how righteousness has figured already in these beginning readings of Matthew's Gospel (see the commentary from Monday and Tuesday).  Christ's righteousness is voluntary obedience -- faithfulness -- to God in all things.  In that faithfulness is love and loyalty.  He gives us the light of His life, so that we may follow in that light (John 8:12).  Let us note in the icon above, all the life of the world, in the life in the water, the disciples who observe and will distribute the New Covenant, John the Baptist the final and greatest prophet of the Old Covenant, even the "old man" under the water (Colossians 3:8-11), locks and keys that keep us in bondage, even the ax laid to the trees in judgment.  For Christ came for the life of not only humanity but all of creation (John 6:51).  In His righteousness of faithfulness, He fulfills His mission, so that we may follow and do the same, playing our own role in the redemption and renewal of the world through faithfulness.