The Righteousness of Baptism (Baptism of Our Lord)

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For the last several weeks, we’ve celebrated Jesus’ birth.  We’ve remembered the arrival of the Magi, and the presentation of gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  And in all these stories, Jesus was a baby, or a young child.  He had no speaking lines at all.

In fact, in Matthew’s Gospel, it takes until the 3^rd Chapter before Jesus speaks a single word. And he does that in today’s Gospel reading as he presents himself to John the Baptist, so that John can baptize him.  In Matthew’s telling of the story, John thinks this is backwards and that Jesus should baptize him instead.

And Jesus responds with the very first words Matthew records him saying.  He tells John, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

And with these words, we’re introduced to two themes which will continue to echo throughout the rest of Matthew’s Gospel. 

The first theme is that Jesus says stuff, and people don’t know what this really means!  What does it mean that “it is proper in this way to fulfill all righteousness”?  Biblical scholars for two millenia have debated the meaning of these words.  And even John the Baptist doesn’t seem to know!  He doesn’t say, “Oh, of course!  Now I get it!”  Instead, he just kind of says, “OK, I’ll take your word for it” and baptizes Jesus.

But the other really important theme is “righteousness.”  While it’s a standard religious term in the Bible, in different places it means slightly different things.  But the theme of “righteousness” comes up over and over again in Matthew’s Gospel, often in opposition to human “self-righteousness.”

So what does Matthew understand Jesus to mean by “righteousness”?  And how is that righteousness connected to Jesus’ baptism?

Well, as we read the rest of Matthew, we at least get a clearer understanding of what “righteousness” means in the rest of the Gospel.  And then this “righteousness” of Jesus’ baptism makes a little more sense.  And that’s because as we continue reading Matthew, it becomes clear that righteousness in Matthew’s Gospel is about:

• Understanding your relationship with God to be about God’s claim on you, not your claim on God.  And we see this in Jesus’ baptism – the voice from heaven says, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  But at this point, Jesus hasn’t done anything yet!  He hasn’t resisted the temptations of the devil (which comes next); he hasn’t preached good news; he hasn’t healed the sick, raised the dead, or performed any other miracle.  If the voice from God happened after any one of those things, we might think that God’s love and acceptance of Jesus was based on what Jesus did or how effectively Jesus followed God’s will.  But God’s acceptance of Jesus came before all that; and Jesus’ righteous living was first and foremost about living in that right understanding of his relationship with God…

• Not showing off – one of the things about Jesus’ baptism in Matthew’s Gospel is that it seems nobody notices!  John the Baptist apparently knows who Jesus is, but he doesn’t announce him to the crowds; it’s possible – indeed likely – that nobody but Jesus hears the voice or sees the Spirit of God descending upon him; and that’s because, unlike in some other accounts, nobody follows Jesus after this event.  He walks alone into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And while he’s there, he again demonstrates that righteousness is not found in showing off…

• Being in community and solidarity with others – John the Baptist resists baptizing Jesus, because he essentially thinks, “Dude, you’ve tested out of this class!  Why are you taking it?!”  But Jesus doesn’t take short cuts.  He doesn’t “test out” of the experiences of the people he’s come to save.  He doesn’t test out of baptism, but he also doesn’t test out of all the rest of human stress and anxiety, including even death.  And in so doing, Jesus shows that righteousness is not found in being aloof from others, but in standing with them and enduring what they endure…

And so it strikes me that, at least in part, the reason Jesus’ baptism by John is necessary to fulfill righteousness is that it’s one way Jesus demonstrates the kind of righteousness he calls us to in our baptisms.

And that’s because for us, too, the righteousness of baptism is about:

• Understanding our relationship with God to be based on God’s claim on us, and not the other way around.  We get to be called children of God because God made a decision for us.  And that love and acceptance of God is apart from anything we do or don’t do.  We can live securely in that love and acceptance.  And indeed, it’s the security of that love and acceptance that God hopes will inspire us to love and accept others; to resist the temptations of evil in our lives; and to invite others into God’s love and acceptance.  That’s what living in a right relationship with God is supposed to be about. It’s the way Jesus lived, and it’s the way Jesus calls us to live as well…

• Not showing off – later on, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will go on to say things like, when you give, “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”; and to pray “secretly.”  The idea is not to be ashamed of your relationship with God, but rather to be about doing what God is calling you to do instead of looking for praise and acclamation.  So often, “self-righteousness” is about trying to look good, or at least receive praise and appreciation from others.  Jesus shows that real righteousness is about doing good, and not caring whether anybody notices.  That’s the kind of righteousness Jesus calls us to in baptism as well…

• Being in community and solidarity with others – in Jesus’ baptism, Jesus refused to stand apart (or even to be differentiated from) people who weren’t as good as him (which was everybody!)  And throughout his ministry, Jesus called his disciples to live in the same way.  For many Christians, “righteousness” is about condescendingly being willing to “fellowship with sinners” because maybe some of your goodness and holiness will rub off on them!  But that’s self-righteousness, and it’s really just about feeling good about yourself.  In Jesus’ baptism, he stood with others because they needed him, even when it made him look bad and even when it caused him personal pain.  And that’s the kind of baptismal righteousness Jesus call us to live as well…

Today’s Gospel reading is the one and only story about Jesus’ baptism. But it’s just the beginning of hearing about “righteousness.”  And as we continue to read Matthew’s Gospel this year, whenever you hear that word, remember that it’s never about being self-righteous or aloof.

Instead, the kind of righteousness to which Jesus calls us is always about living each day in a right relationship with God – a relationship based on God’s love and call, not our own merit.  The kind of righteousness to which Jesus calls us is always about faithfully doing what God calls us to in our daily lives, not about showing others how good or holy we are.  And the righteousness to which Jesus calls us is always based on standing with others who need us, so that God can work in and through us to make a difference in the life of the world around us.

Amen.