Jesus did it for us
Not long afterwards Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptised by John in the Jordan. As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.’ (verses 9-11)
Read Mark 1:4-11
Of all the people who have ever lived there has been only one that the Father in heaven could look at and say, ‘You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.’ All others were born with a flawed nature and were in need of cleansing before they could be judged by God as pleasing to him. That’s why John the Baptist was sent by God to be a preacher of repentance and why he baptised those who repented.
But the mystery is, if Jesus was without sin, why did John baptise him? The answer is that Jesus was baptised for us. He became our brother and representative and took upon his shoulders our sins and iniquities. What Jesus did, he did for us. He laid down his life as a ransom for us. He died for our sins and was raised for our justification.
When Christians are baptised, they become the recipients of everything that Jesus has done for them. Their sins are washed away and they are clothed in Christ’s perfect righteousness. God the Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, no longer looks on them as lost and condemned sinners but as his dearly loved sons and daughters.
Therefore cherish your baptism, and hear God say to you, ‘You are my own dear son; you are my own dear daughter. I am pleased with you.’
Thank you, dear God, for my baptism and for all the blessings it has brought me. Help me to live each day in thankfulness to you and to be ready to please you and serve you. Amen.
by Kevin Schmidt, in ‘God’s Peace for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2005)
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