FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

January 8, 2023

Christ Church, Woodbury, N. J.

 

Matthew 3:13-17

 

But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." 

 

For the earliest Christians, the baptism of Jesus by John in the River Jordan was a potential source of embarrassment, for two reasons. 

 

First, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But the apostolic Church discerned from the beginning that Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, was without sin. So, an obvious question was why Jesus, the sinless one, would need to submit to such a ritual of cleansing and purification.

 

Second, the common assumption was that the person administering such a rite was superior—morally and spiritually, if not socially—to the one receiving it. The baptism’s unmistakable implication would thus have seemed to be that John was the leader and Jesus his follower: John the master and Jesus his disciple.

 

For these reasons, even the most skeptical New Testament scholars admit that the Gospel accounts of Christ’s Baptism must be historically accurate. The early Church would never have made this up. It’s to the credit of the early Christians—and testimony to their basic honesty—that they didn’t attempt to cover up this episode, but rather let it stand as written in the Gospel tradition.

 

The little dialogue in today’s Gospel, found only in Matthew, acknowledges the problem. When Jesus comes for baptism, John tries to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But our Lord’s somewhat enigmatic response persuades John to go ahead: “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

 

One interpretation is that while Jesus is acknowledging that he has no personal need to repent and be cleansed from sin, he nonetheless submits to John’s baptism as a sign of his commitment to fulfilling the life of righteousness to which John’s baptism points. That explanation seems plausible as far as it goes, but I think much more can be said about what Jesus means by fulfilling all righteousness.

 

The early Church Fathers soon got over any embarrassment Christ’s Baptism might have caused them, and came to glory in its paradoxes. In the third century, Saint Hippolytus of Rome wrote: “Could anything be more wonderful? The source without limits that engenders life for all mankind is covered by the poor waters of this world.” Similarly, in the fifth century, St. Proclus of Constantinople wrote: “Come then and see the new and overwhelming miracles: the sun of righteousness bathing in Jordan, the fire immersed in water, and God being sanctified by human ministry.”

 

The Fathers discerned in these paradoxes the mystery of the divine self-emptying and self-abasement. Jesus fulfills all righteousness by not standing on his divine prerogatives and insisting that he baptize John, as would clearly be his right. He thus reveals the true way of righteousness to be the way of humility, of taking the lowest part, of serving rather than of being served.

 

But the symbolism goes even deeper. In accepting a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, Our Lord identifies himself with the fallen human race he’s come to save. In this sense, Christ’s Baptism anticipates his Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Church rounds off the Christmas season with this feast anticipating Holy Week and Easter. Even though he’s personally without sin, Christ takes the place of sinners at the River Jordan, just as he will one day take the place of sinners on the hill of Calvary.

 

In the biblical worldview, moreover, the Jordan’s muddy waters evoke the primordial waters of chaos and death. His descent into the waters foreshadows his descent into hell. And his re-emergence from the waters similarly foreshadows his Resurrection from the dead. 

 

The Holy Spirit’s descent in the form of a dove, accompanied by the voice from heaven, verify that Jesus is God’s beloved Son. Here we encounter a revelation or epiphany of the Holy Trinity: the Son is baptized, the Father speaks from heaven, and the Spirit descends to empower the Son for his earthly ministry.

 

At his Baptism, Jesus shows that he fulfills all righteousness precisely by the way of love: specifically, a self-giving and self-sacrificing love that comes to the aid of the beloved no matter what the risk, no matter what the cost. He manifests this love for us, and so fulfills all righteousness, by being baptized for us just as he will die on the cross and rise again for us.

 

Moreover, his baptism sets the precedent and example for our baptism. The fourth century Church Father Hilary of Poitiers writes that instead of being cleansed by the waters at his baptism, Jesus himself cleanses and sanctifies them, infusing them with his life-giving grace and power. John’s baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is thus transformed into the Church’s baptism of new birth and eternal life.

 

When we were baptized, our sponsors committed us to a life of fulfilling all righteousness. Then, when we were confirmed, we took that commitment upon ourselves of our own free will. But what does it mean for us to fulfill all righteousness in our own day? The answer to that question is to be found in our baptismal covenant.

 

In the ancient world, a covenant was an agreement in which two parties made reciprocal promises. For example, in a covenant between a lord and vassal, the vassal would promise loyalty, obedience, and tribute, and the lord would promise protection against enemies and the fair and equitable administration of justice.

 

The baptismal covenant similarly comprises two sides: God’s promises to us and our promises to God. In Holy Baptism, God forgives us our sins, makes us members of Christ’s Body, the Church, gives us the gift of his Holy Spirit, and adopts us as his sons and daughters making us inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. That’s God’s part. In return, we promise to repent of our sins, to follow and obey Christ as Lord, and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the God’s kingdom on earth. That’s our part.

 

Periodically, at various times in the year, the Church invites us to recommit ourselves to our baptismal promises. Today, the First Sunday after the Epiphany, is one such occasion. And then, fortuitously, we have the opportunity in our Annual Meeting to examine more closely how we’re called in practice to live out our baptismal promises in our life together as a parish. So, renewal of our baptismal covenant and participation in the Annual Parish Meeting area really two sides of the same spiritual coin.

 

Today, then, as we commemorate Christ’s baptism, we acknowledge our calling to walk in the way of love that Christ sets before us. We thus invite him to fulfill all righteousness in us, as the members of his Body in the world today.