Jesus identifies Himself with us

JESUS IDENTIFIES HIMSELF WITH US

Mt. 3:13-17

The Baptism of Jesus marked the beginning of His Public Ministry. For thirty years He had lived and worked in a carpenter's shop at Nazareth.  But now His life took on a new turn.  He came to John, that rugged outdoor preacher, and presented Himself for baptism. John at first refused, but Jesus insisted, and so John baptised Him in the River Jordan.  It was a strange scene, the Son of God submitting to a baptism that symbolised repentance.  It not only troubled John, it has puzzled Christians ever since.  John felt that it was he who needed to be baptised instead of Jesus, and we agree with John.  But we bow to the superior wisdom of Jesus and try to understand what His baptism means to us.

For one thing it reminds us that Jesus towers above us.  This is what John was feeling when he said, "I am not worthy to loosen His sandal strap."  Those words were not an expression of false humility.  John was so conscious of the gap between himself and Jesus that in His presence he felt totally unworthy.

It doesn't take much thought for us to realise how unworthy we are in the presence of Jesus.  Look at the quality of His character, the depth of His intelligence, the greatness of His spirit.  See how he responded to rejection and hostility.  This was one of the things about Him that impressed Peter the most.  Years later he wrote, "When He was insulted, He returned no insult."

How different that is from us.  Locked into our small world of retaliation, we exchange insult upon insult, blow for blow.  Simon Peter just couldn't understand this capacity of Jesus to endure suffering without resentment, and neither can we.  It goes far beyond our own experience so that all we can do is to say with John, "I am not worthy to loosen His sandal strap."  When we compare ourselves to Jesus, He towers above us as the most challenging personality we will ever face.

Jesus accepted John's baptism to tell us that He walks among us, that He identifies Himself with us.

Let me tell you a lovely story.  There was once a man on Christmas Eve who told his wife he no longer believed in this incarnation stuff of God becoming man and he was not going to Midnight Mass.  He would stay at home while the rest of the family went.  This saddened his wife and children, but they said nothing.

Shortly after they drove away in the car, there was a heavy fall of snow.  Minutes later the man was startled by a thud on the window, then another and another.  At first he thought someone was throwing snowballs at his house.  When he went to the front door to investigate, to his surprise he found a flock of birds huddled in the snow.  They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had flown towards the light of his large windows.  He felt for these birds and couldn't leave these poor creatures to lie there and freeze.

He thought of the barn where his children stabled their pony.  That would provide a shelter, that is, if he could direct the birds to it.  Quickly he put on his coat and wellingtons, and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn.  Opening the doors wide he turned on the light, but the birds would not go in.  Thinking food would entice them in, he hurried into the kitchen, fetched a hunk of bread and sprinkled the bread crumbs on the snow, making a trail from where they lay to the door of the barn.  To his dismay, the birds ignored the food.  He tried catching them.  He tried walking round them, waving his arms.  That didn't work, it only frightened them and scattered them in every direction.  He then realised they were afraid of him.  They did not understand that he was trying to help them.  He reasoned, "To them I am a strange and terrifying creature.  If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me and that I am not their enemy but their friend.  But how?  If only I could be a bird, speak their language and tell them not to be afraid.  I could make them see, hear and understand and show them the way to the safe warm barn."

At that precise moment the church bells began to ring.  The sound reached his ear above the sound of the wind.  He stood there listening to the bells and the people singing, "Come to the manger."  In that instant the truth of Christ becoming man to save us hit him and tears came to his eyes.  He now realised that Jesus became a man so that he could identify Himself with us and help us, but he could not become a bird to help those frightened birds.  He rushed inside his home to change and join his family in Church.

The baptism of Jesus tells us one more thing, that Jesus had the approval of His Father.  When He was baptised, a voice from heaven said, "You are my beloved Son.  On you my favour rests." What greater achievement in life is there than to have the approval of God?  Deep down inside us that is what we all desire. Yet it seems so elusive.  We never lead our lives as we should.  Self keeps getting in the way and we keep stumbling and falling.

Lord Jesus, help us to seek the approval of Your Father in all that we do.  You showed us what a person ought to be.  You became one of us and lived life at its very best.  Now if we identify with You through faith, we will share with You the approval and the acceptance of Your Father.

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