Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Mt 3:13-17). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Jesus is taken down into the filth and mire of the Jordan River. Even Namman did not want to bath in the Jordan River when he was told to go and wash by Elisha. John even tries to stop him with the understanding that John the Baptizer needed to switch roles with Jesus. But John already had the Holy Spirit, because how else can one identify the Savior of the Nations come. But Jesus desires to place himself in the filth of other sinners.
Jesus is only starting his ministry. He does not come to be better than the people. He comes to be one of the people. God did not come to dwell on a Mountain or far in the distance to be honored. Christ came to serve. If you are going to serve you have to get down in the filth of the people. In order to fulfill all righteousness, he must do what God asks humans to do.
Therefore, Jesus reminds us he does not just meet us in the nice and beautiful parts of our life. he comes to reach down into the filth and the mire of our life. He comes to be with you in the good and the bad. He is with you in times of great joy and great sadness or despair. This is God's beloved Son come to dwell with his people where they are. He has come to save you from your sins. He has come to show you that even in the filth and the mire and despair of life, you are made righteous.
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