The Baptism of Our Lord

1 Corinthians 1:26–31
St. Matthew 3:13–17

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I assume many of us have asked a question similar to John the Baptist: Why does Jesus need to be baptized? If He doesn’t have any sins, why is Jesus getting baptized with a bunch of sinners? And then I assume many ask a similar question for ourselves: So, I need baptism because I’m sinner, but once I’m baptized, why do I need to think about it anymore? In other words, what does baptism have to do with the rest of my life? These questions about Jesus’ baptism and our own go together, so we will answer them both.

First, why does Jesus get baptized? He tells us, to fulfill all righteousness. Everything He does, He does for us men and for our salvation. He does it to accomplish, to do every righteous thing in our place. He doesn’t get baptized because He needs it. He gets baptized because we need it. He gets baptized as our representative so that we can get baptized like Him.

So, He was baptized as a man. As the new man, the new Adam, standing in for all mankind, Jesus gets baptized. This makes it possible for all men to step into His place and get that baptism for themselves. The Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of the Father, already possessed the Holy Spirit. He was in perfect communion with the Father and the Spirit from before the beginning of time. But Jesus receives the Holy Spirit as a man in His baptism, so that He can give the Holy Spirit to us. Jesus didn’t need what He got in baptism. As true God, He didn’t need the forgiveness of sins, or the gift of the Holy Spirit, or the declaration of His Father’s voice. But Jesus got all of that as a man, so that we can get it too. He didn’t need to be purified or cleansed, but He hallowed the water. He is holier than the font, purer than the water—He is their source. He does not dirty the water with sins, but instead He cleanses the water, He makes it holy, so that when it is poured out on us, it makes us holy.

Everything Jesus does, He does for us. Everything Jesus is, He is for us. This is what St. Paul was saying when he wrote: you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Jesus became your wisdom—there’s no knowledge you can gain that will help you more than the knowledge of your Savior. Jesus became your righteousness—your sins are canceled out and His rightness, His good deeds, count for you. Jesus became your sanctification—His holiness makes you holy, filled with the presence of the holy God but not destroyed—a holy temple for Him to dwell in. Jesus became your redemption—He is your rescuer, He is your everything. 

There’s nothing, no gift from God that you can get, that hasn’t been given to you in your baptism, because you are in Christ Jesus. He is redemption—you are baptized into Jesus, so you are redeemed. He is sanctification—you are baptized into Jesus, so you are holy. He is justification—you are baptized into Jesus, so you are righteous. He is wisdom—you are baptized into Jesus, so you are wise.

I don’t know how many more ways I can say how great a treasure and gift baptism is. And yet, we hear all that and ask, once I’m baptized, why do I need to think about it anymore? What does baptism have to do with the rest of my life? If I get all of that great stuff in baptism, then why do I need anything else, like the Bible, or the church, or the Lord’s Supper?

But think about it: if Baptism really is everything we’ve said it is—if Baptism is Jesus being and doing everything for you—if that’s what Baptism is, then how can you ever get done with that? How can that ever become old news? How can Baptism ever become an excuse to stay away from God and away from all the gifts He keeps on giving? If Jesus is your everything, for you are in Jesus, then Baptism is your everything. Baptism is not just the few moments it took to pour the water and say the words. Baptism is the whole of your life. It’s not just one thing you’ve got to do (as if getting the baby baptized is just this one little thing we’ve got to do but has nothing to do with living a Christian life connected to the church). Baptism is not just one bit, a part segmented from the rest of you. From your Baptism on, everything you get and everything you do you get and do as the baptized.

So, when you sin, you sin against your baptism. You sin against the Holy Name of God that’s been put on you. And when you repent, you are brought back to the effect of your baptism: you die to sin, you drown yourself, so that you only live for Christ, because your only life is in Christ. When you hear the absolution, you are renewed in the righteousness and holiness of Jesus, which you first got at baptism. And when you hear God’s Word you listen as a baptized child of your heavenly Father. You love to hear it—not only do you need to hear God’s Word and preaching, but you enjoy it. How could a baptized person do anything else? And when you receive the Lord’s Supper, you come as a baptized one. You’re someone belonging to Jesus, someone in Jesus. And then in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus comes into you, so that you are completely, fully covered and filled with Jesus. He is your wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption—your everything. Baptism puts you into Him, and the Lord’s Supper puts Him into you. It’s all one.

And then, when you go about your daily life, you go about it baptized.
      So use your baptism well! You are made new—
      In Christ a new creation!
      As faithful Christians, live and do
      Within your own vocation (LSB 596:6).
You’re a father teaching his children and bringing them to church, or a mother making sure the kids have clothes and food and a nice home to grow up in. That’s your baptism at work. When you do your schoolwork, whether you excel or struggle, you do your schoolwork baptized, which means doing your schoolwork becomes a holy work. And if you’re sitting at home by yourself, wondering what’s the point for you, then know that you sit there baptized. You’re not alone, and God’s point for you is that you’re His child and He loves you. When you’re supervising your workers or listening to your boss, when you’re shoveling someone’s sidewalk, when you’re cooking dinner, you’re baptized. And that means all of your work is baptized.

Every moment of every day, you are a beloved child of the Father. You are an immortal, walking in this dark and dying world like a burning torch. Just by being someone baptized, you shine the Light of Christ. You are a free lord over this world—nothing can destroy you or tear you away from your Lord Jesus. And you are a free servant, putting yourself under all others, willing to give yourself away for them as your free Servant Jesus did for you. All of that and more is Baptism. Do you think you could ever get done or get tired of that?

Jesus fulfills all righteousness, He is all holiness, and He gives it all to you. He gets baptized for you and you get all of Him in baptism. There’s no way for any of us to use it up or get through it all in this life. There’s never any “that’s enough,” never any “being finished” with the Lord and His gifts. Being finished with Baptism, not needing the Supper, going without the Word, that is just unbelief. 

But instead, whenever the Lord gives us a gift, He presses our hands open more to receive yet another one. There’s always another gift from the Lord, And each gift leads on into the next. Baptism flows into hearing and learning the Word. Hearing and learning the Word stirs up the hunger and thirst for the Lord’s body and blood. The Lord’s body and blood satisfies that hunger and fills you with life: holy life here and now, holy life forever.

In the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.


Preached at Trinity, Clinton, IA & Immanuel, Charlotte, IA

The Baptism of Our Lord

1 Corinthians 1:26–31

St. Matthew 3:13–17

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Baptism of Jesus belongs in the Epiphany season because it’s one of the clearest epiphanies or manifestations of the Son of God. In fact, it is the clearest vision of the Holy Trinity: one God in three Persons. The Father’s voice speaks from heaven: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Son, the Man, Jesus, stands in the water of the Jordan River. And the Spirit descends like a dove and comes to rest on Him.

This revelation of the Holy Trinity at Jesus’ Baptism should also tell you something about your own Baptism. This is why you are baptized in the Name of the Holy Trinity—in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descends and comes to rest on you. With the water and the Word, Christ the Son takes away your sin and covers you with His own righteousness. And the Father declares, “You are My beloved child. With you I am well pleased.”

Sounds good! Better than good! What can possibly be better than being baptized by the Holy Trinity? Do we have any idea of the infinite worth and dignity poured upon us when the one living God of the universe comes to us and serves us in this way? Do I need earth’s treasures many? No, I have one treasure worth more than any—my Baptism—That brought me salvation free Lasting to eternity! (LSB 594:1).

Sounds really good. But what about when things are not so good? What does a Christian do when it seems that all of earth’s treasures many have been stolen away? How does a Christian rejoice and go on with life when it feels like we’ve lost our way, or that we’ve hit bottom, or that even the bottom has dropped out and there’s nothing holding us up? The glory and honor of Baptism sounds good but then sickness comes when we were least expecting it. Tragedy strikes, and it seems like it usually strikes the people that least deserve it. Death still waits for each of us, or comes rushing at us, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. What are we supposed to do then? How are we supposed to keep positive when all we want to do is cry until there are no more tears left? How are we supposed to keep praying when we’ve got no words for our fear or grief? How are we supposed to keep faith when it seems like even God has abandoned us?

When nothing else revives your soul, Your Baptism stands and makes you whole. Let me say that again: When nothing else revives your soul, Your Baptism stands and makes you whole (LSB 596:5). Your Baptism is good and true whether you feel it or not, whether you even think about it or not. Your Baptism is the eternal guarantee from the one true God that He is your God and you belong to Him. He never breaks a promise.

So, what do we do when all is lost? Remember your Baptism.

            O Christian, firmly hold this gift

            And give God thanks forever!

            It gives the power to uplift 

            In all that you endeavor.

            When nothing else revives your soul,

            Your Baptism stands and makes you whole

            And then in death completes you (LSB 596:5).

Although, maybe that seems like a strange way to end that hymn stanza: And then in death completes you (LSB 596:5). But you see, what got started at your Baptism, continues every day of your life: God is drowning you, the old sinner, and raising you, the new man. There’s no other way to deal with sin than by killing the sinner. God puts you to death with Jesus so that He can raise you up again with Jesus. That got started with that little bit of water and the Word. And it will finally be complete when you are dead for good. Because then all that remains is for you to be raised for good.

Now all that drowning and dying seems negative and backwards to the world. But that’s the kind of God we have. He doesn’t do things the world’s way. Remember what the Apostle taught us in the Epistle reading: Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

God works and saves in weak and lowly ways, because He doesn’t want anyone getting the idea that they saved themselves by their own efforts, pulled themselves up into heaven by their own bootstraps. So, God upsets the world and does things His own way. He calls weak and lowly people to be His people—foolish, no-good sinners like Moses and David, Peter and Paul, you and me. And God uses weak and lowly, even despised things, when He is doing His will. He uses things like persecution and cancer and death. He does this for our good, to bring us to nothing, so that we may know that we are nothing without Him, so that we have no reason to boast in ourselves. Even the most kind, humble, and gentle person we know has an arrogant old sinner inside them, and that has to be killed.

But most important of all, God did His saving work in the most weak, foolish, lowly, despised way possible: He gave His Son over to suffering and death. The Son of God was forsaken and damned. But by doing this backwards thing, He satisfied God’s Law, He destroyed the power of death, He crushed the devil, and He opened the gates of heaven for all who believe. Christ Jesus, the God who died and rose again, He became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” God saves you in His weak and lowly way. He saves you by His Son dying and rising, and by baptizing you into that dying and rising, joining you to Christ in His holy death and in His victorious resurrection.

Baptism itself is quite a weak and lowly looking thing. Just some water and some words. But Baptism is something to boast about. We don’t arrogantly boast about ourselves, but we, His baptized ones, we boast in the Lord. We, baptized children of God, can’t help but sing and shout and boast in what He has made us: God’s own child, I gladly say it: I am baptized into Christ! There is dignity and worth beyond anything in this life. There is a foundation that cannot be taken away, a promise that cannot be broken.

Sin, disturb my soul no longer: I am baptized into Christ! Although we often remember our sins and they still cause us sorrow, they cannot hurt us. They are covered by the perfection of our Savior. Satan, hear this proclamation: I am baptized into Christ! The devil will try to dissuade us, tempt us, bring us to despair, but if we’re with Jesus in our Baptism, then the devil is just a liar, and our God will put an end to him and to all his noise. Death, you cannot end my gladness: I am baptized into Christ! Those who are baptized and believe are immortal. They will live forever with Christ. Not even death can deny this promise we have from God. Baptism really is something to boast about—even when things seem to be at their worst—here’s something to boast in the Lord about.

There is nothing worth comparing 

To this life-long comfort sure!

Open-eyed my grave is staring:

Even there I’ll sleep secure.

Though my flesh awaits its raising,

Still my soul continues praising:

I am baptized into Christ;

I’m a child of paradise! (LSB 594)

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.