Water, Spirit and tradition

"And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is  cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you wih the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and you are coming to me?"   But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.
Matthew 3: 10-15 NKJV

Though not the first indicaion of the coming of the Lord Jesus, His approach to John the baptist to be baptized was certainly one of the first appearances of Jesus in his ministry here on earth.  For his part, John does a good job of preparing us for Jesus' arrival.  He clearly bestows on Jesus the honor He deserves, while humbling himself before him.  But why is it that Jesus came to the river Jordan to speak with John?  Well, we get the answer to this in Matthew 13:3 of this interaction.  For Jesus comes to John at he river Jordan "To be baptized by him."  This Jesus, this man who was God in the flesh, came to be baptized by man.  When I first read this passage some time ago I somehow equated this baptism of Christ as part of His deity, part of His being the very image of God among us.  Of course, this isn't true, for Jesus already was all of that and more before He arrived.  For Jesus came as a perfect, sinless man.  And so, if John indeed "Baptizes you with water unto repentenance," what need would a sinless Jesus have to be baptized by this man John?  We get a glimpse unto this answer in Jesus' reply to John.  As Jesus tells him, "For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Apparently Jesus was considering here not the traditions of Judaism, but the righteousness of all men.  In Jesus' permitting John to baptize Him with water, He was fulfilling not His own righteousness, but our own.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemeus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mothers womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again.  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hhear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the spirit."
John 3: 1-8 NKJV

Poor Nicodemus, here was a ruler of the Jewish people coming to Jesus in the dead of night seeking a meeting with Jesus.  Instead, Nicodemus got more than he bargained for.  Instead of Jesus explaining to this Pharisee how it was that He did what He did, he presents Nicodemus with a truth he cannot understand.  It's not too surprising, for Nicodemus was entrenched in the laws and traditions of the Jewish people.  Jesus had come to put away the law and it's requirements upon men {Colossions 2:14}.  However, is not one of these requirements the symbolism of baptism itself?  For are we not baptized in part as a public representation of our new life in Christ?  We want all to know that we are a part of the Jesus crowd now!  Many pulpit pounders make the claim that baptism is needed for one to follow Jesus or  be a member of a certain congregation.  I guess I can expect a little pushback when I say that I don't adhere to this belief.  For like tithing, mandatory church attendance and confession of sins, I believe that baptism may yet be one more man made tradition which we have carried over from the past.  And yet, Jesus permitted Himself to be baptized by John.  Indeed, Jesus had no need to confess any sin at all.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.  And he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, trimumphing over them in it.  So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance of Christ.
Colossions 2: 13-17 NKJV

Indeed, it is not the ceremony of our baptism which secures our future with Christ Jesus, but our confession and belief that Jesus is who He is and that He dwells within us.  There is no man made ceremony which secures our lives in Christ.

~Scott~