Daily Devotional

John the Baptist was understandably confused. Here was the Lamb of God, the One whose sandals John was not worthy to untie, asking to be baptized. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But Jesus had no sins to confess, no guilt to wash away, no need to repent. “I need to be baptized by you,” John protested, “and do you come to me?”

Jesus’ response reveals the heart of His mission: “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” The word “fitting” in Greek carries the idea of divine necessity. Jesus was saying, “This is right. This is appropriate. This is part of God’s plan.”

To fulfill all righteousness means to complete everything required for obedience to God’s redemptive plan. When Jesus stepped into that water, He was taking the first step toward the cross. He was identifying with sinners so completely that He could eventually bear their sins on a cross. His baptism was a preview of His death: going down into the water pictured death; coming up pictured resurrection.

Just as in His baptism, on the cross Jesus would bear what He did not deserve for people who did not deserve grace. He would take upon Himself the sin of the world so that sinners could receive His righteousness. This exchange, this glorious substitution, began at the Jordan River.