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Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

Here is an interesting question: If Jesus never sinned, why did he need to be baptized? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus endured temptations but never succumbed to them. He never sinned—not once. Not a stray thought, not a rash word, not a single misdeed. So, why did he need to be baptized?

Jesus needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” Not his righteousness—ours. Every one of us needs to be baptized into Jesus, and his baptism connects us to him. We are washed just as he was. But the water that washes us is not just water, it is water connected with Jesus’ very words—”the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Martin Luther explained: “It is certainly not the water that does such great things, but God’s Word which is in and with the water and faith which trusts this Word used with the water. For without God’s Word, the water is just plain water, and not baptism. But with this Word it is baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit.”

The little words at the end of today’s Bible passage should tell us something about our life of faith: “Then John consented.” We do nothing to initiate our contact with God, but he invites us to receive faith as a gift. Our humble “consent” is not something we do actively, but something God gives us to do in response to his grace.

What a great God we have! He has connected himself to us by becoming human like us. And he has connected us to him through this simple faith-creating act of baptism.

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of baptism that connects me to you, my perfect Savior, and makes me a member of God’s family. Guard and protect me, body and soul, that I may experience your love and goodness always. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.