Reflecting on necessity
There are some things I wonder about every year. For example, in a few months, I’ll be wondering how I got this old. But this is Words From the Middle, not miscellaneous wonderings so . . .
Every year we have The Baptism of the Lord Sunday and every year I find myself thinking about the necessity of Jesus being baptized. There are a lot of baptismal traditions out there—infant, child, believer’s, etc.—and Jesus’ baptism doesn’t fit any of them. He obviously didn’t need a replacement for the covenantal sign of circumcision. He certainly didn’t need baptism for the remission of sin. So why?
Was Jesus’ baptism actually necessary? I think it was and there are two sermons below for you to listen to, to see if I proved my contention. As always, feel free to let me know what you think about how I did.
“Was that necessary?” – Knox Presbyterian (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: with the omicron variant of COVID-19 ramping up in Saskatchewan we are returning to online-only services as of next Sunday. I appreciate the frustration this may cause both congregations but I remain concerned about the long-term well-being of all of us.
Blessings,
Thank you Barry! Whenever I read that passage I wondered why Jesus would want to be baptized because he was sinless. I don’t think I ever asked anyone about it or heard anyone explain what they thought it meant, so thank you for your message today.