Wednesday 7th January
Read Matthew 3:13-17
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’
15 Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” (NIVUK)
Righteousness is a major theme in Matthew’s gospel and we have here the second time it is introduced. Jesus will spend much time explaining what righteousness is when He gives His mountain sermon (Matthew 5-7). What does it mean though for Jesus, the greater One, to be baptised by John, the lesser, along with everyone else? Why would it be ‘right’ for Jesus to join with ‘the great unwashed’?
Many conceive of righteousness as doing the right thing, obeying fully, and ‘righting’ the wrongs we have done. In other words, righteousness is mostly about being just and being seen to be just. There is a higher standard to attain than we have been able to reach for most of our lives. Righteousness in that sense is aspirational.
Which makes it startling that Jesus conceives of ‘filling full’ righteousness by decisively lowering that standard. This temporary (‘Let it be so now…’ (v15)) situation is necessary because righteousness is more than the rigid application of justness and obedience. The bigger picture, the ‘fuller’ view, includes humility. Those who are humble know nothing of self-righteousness. Joseph’s example though provides just this ‘fuller’ view – he wrestled hard with righteousness and sought the most merciful solution. He was willing to humble himself for Mary.
Can your understanding of righteousness stretch that far?
