THE KING’S BUSINESS
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There was an aspect, however, even view ing Christ as an andividual, that must not be dost sight of. Jesus was a child of Abraham, a true Jew. He recognized in the mission of John a ministry commanded of God, and therefore a ministry of right eousness. To submit to the baptism of John was something that God expected every true Jew to do. It was the fulfill ment of righteousness. John knew but one word—“repentance” ; he must learn another word—“righteousness.” He must change the need, of Christ’s baptism from repent ance to righteousness. John’s command to baptize was of God, and therefore was a righteous requirement. Jesus Christ was an obedient son of Abraham, and it became Him, and John too, to fulfill the righeous requirements of God. It was not a ques tion as to whether John understood the baptism or not ; the fact that God had com manded it was sufficient. In particular then we may note that 1. The baptism of Jesus Christ was His consecration to the office and work of Messiah and Redeemer. Jesus’ submis sion to baptism indicated His willingness to assume the burden of the race, to become its representative, to bear and carry away its sin. Here is Christ in His humiliation —willing to be “numbered with the trans gressors.” He has no personal guilt, but is willing to assume the shame of the race. Herein is divine compassion. He is the “Lamb of God,” which means very much more than being merely the Messiah of the Jews. He is the Saviour of the race. He is not the Jew’s Lamb, but God’s Lamb. It is worthy of note that our Lord speaks of His passion as a baptism (Luke xii. SO). We have a right, then, to look upon the baptism of Jesus as the public exhibition of His willingness to assume thé burden of the race’s sin. 2. The baptism of Christ was His inaug uration to the office of priest. Luke tells us that Jesus was thirty years old when He entered upon His public ministry. This was the age when priests were inaugurated into, office. The fact of His age may also have had something to do with His recogni-
and his declaration that he was the fore runner of the Messiah, together with the results attending his mission, must have reached Christ in Nazareth. It was not only the Jewish expectation that such a person as John should come and, by a sys tem of purifitation, prepare the people for the coming of the King and the kingdom of heaven, but also the teaching of the Scrip tures that immediately preceding the advent of the Messiah, a forerunner, with such a ministry as that of John, would appear. The mission of John was associated with three things: the coming of Jehovah, the advent of the kingdom of God, and a call to the nation to prepare for the coming Messiah. I f circumstances had anything at all to do with the guidance of Christ, then surely these three things had something to do with the coming of Christ to the bap tism. II. The Significance of Christ’s Baptism. The baptism of John did not have the same significance to all subjects of it. To the Pharisee it meant nothing. To the repent ant Jews and the faithful remnant it was a preparation for entrance into the king dom. To Christ, of course, it could mean neither of these things. What the bap tism of John meant to the people, then, is clear; what it really meant to Christ is not so apparent. Even John himself was embarrassed when Christ presented Him- helf for baptism; even the forerunner did not understand the reason why. That the baptism actually meant some thing to Jesus, that it was not a mere form, we must, of course, at once admit. Christ hated hypocritical formalism. There must, therefore, have been some meaning in the act of baptism to the Christ. Just what was this meaning? John’s refusal to baptize Jesus was a mistake in so far as John looked upon Christ as an individual merely. As an individual, Christ, of course, from the standpoint of repentance, had no need of baptism. He had no sins to confess. He remained not, as the others, in Jordan’s water, after their baptism, confessing His
sins.
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