Matthew 3:13-15

Matthew 3:13-15

Then Jesus came from Galilee upon the Jordan to John in order to be baptized by him.  And John was hindering Him while saying, “I have a need to be baptized by you!  And do you come to me?”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Let it be for now.  For in this way it is fitting for all of us to fulfill every righteousness.”  Then he let it be.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John knows truth.  He knows that he needs the baptism of Jesus more than Jesus needs the baptism of John.  John could have been flattered.  John could have allowed his ego to puff.  But instead John submits, humbling himself to an even lower position.  John submits so that the righteousness of God can be demonstrated to the world.

Do you see this as a story of submission?  Do you think you would have been able to submit and avoid the boost to your ego had Jesus come up and asked to be baptized by you?

Second Thought:

I love Jesus’ words here.  “Let it be.”  In other words, “You are right, John.  But this also needs to happen for my sake.”  Sometimes we are right but don’t get the whole picture.  Sometimes in order to get what we need we have to capitulate to God and allow something else to happen first.  What is important is not that we get our way but that what God needs to happen is done.

How would you do if Jesus looked at you and said, “Let it be?”  Do you accept with grace those moments where you need to let things be?

Third Thought:

In the end, John submits.  John sees the truth in Jesus’ words.  This is what I love about this interaction.  It really does show us that God is okay with us taking time to sort things out.  He’s even okay with us questioning what is going on so long as we do it in a way that demonstrates that we intend on submitting in the end.  Jesus doesn’t get mad at John here.  He allows John to find truth and then submit.  We need to understand that God is alright with this.  We also need to understand that we should take the same posture when we are talking to others about the faith.

How do you react when people challenge you or hinder you?  How can you tell the difference between someone who is hindering you intentionally versus someone who is simply hindering you because they want to find out more information?  Do you ever go before God like John does here?  How can you do this yet still show God you are willing to submit in the end?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 3:16-17