You Are coming to Me?
Then Jesus came from Galilee at the Jordan to John, in order to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me?" And Jesus, answering, said to him, "Permit it now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. (Mathew 3:13-15)
What? Why is it not the other way around? Why does not John come to Jesus? Once before, Jesus had come to John and John had rejoiced, leaping for joy in the womb of his mother. Now, he stands face to face with the Messiah. He resolutely tries to keep Jesus back. He almost wrestles with Him as Jacob did with the Holy One. Baptism itself is the cause of his astonishment, this moment when I realize that Jesus has come to me and is asking me to baptize Him. The Holy One asks the sinner. It is this that frightens him who is the greatest among those who were born of women; how much more frightened is the one who is the smallest among those who were born of women! "I need to be baptized by You; I need to be washed." But Jesus answers, "Allow it now. You don`t understand now what I`m doing." Understanding does not necessarily precede obedience. There are so many things we do not understand. "Allow it -- now." It is not comprehension that is important in this very moment, but obedience.
Jesus speaks to John in the plural. "It is fitting for us." He gives up His first person singular. He does not say, "Look John, I want to fulfill the truth all by Myself." In saying "us", Jesus makes us all part of His obedience. He lets us enter His perfect and unconditional truth. He makes us part of His service. He does not want to act without us. And John breaks and submits himself to Jesus. Not through his understanding, but through his love. He breaks under the holy and heavy weight of being received into Jesus' friendship.
[FV, HFTR, (c)2003]
What? Why is it not the other way around? Why does not John come to Jesus? Once before, Jesus had come to John and John had rejoiced, leaping for joy in the womb of his mother. Now, he stands face to face with the Messiah. He resolutely tries to keep Jesus back. He almost wrestles with Him as Jacob did with the Holy One. Baptism itself is the cause of his astonishment, this moment when I realize that Jesus has come to me and is asking me to baptize Him. The Holy One asks the sinner. It is this that frightens him who is the greatest among those who were born of women; how much more frightened is the one who is the smallest among those who were born of women! "I need to be baptized by You; I need to be washed." But Jesus answers, "Allow it now. You don`t understand now what I`m doing." Understanding does not necessarily precede obedience. There are so many things we do not understand. "Allow it -- now." It is not comprehension that is important in this very moment, but obedience.
Jesus speaks to John in the plural. "It is fitting for us." He gives up His first person singular. He does not say, "Look John, I want to fulfill the truth all by Myself." In saying "us", Jesus makes us all part of His obedience. He lets us enter His perfect and unconditional truth. He makes us part of His service. He does not want to act without us. And John breaks and submits himself to Jesus. Not through his understanding, but through his love. He breaks under the holy and heavy weight of being received into Jesus' friendship.
[FV, HFTR, (c)2003]
posted by CS at 5:31 PM
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