Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”But Jesus said,” It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. Matthew 3:13-15
These verses speak for themselves. They are powerful and need no interpretation. John is genuinely confused as to why Jesus wants to be baptized, and by him. After all, John feels unworthy and should be baptized by Jesus. This seemed backwards to John. Baptism is repentance for sin. Jesus was without sin. Why then did Jesus feel the need to be baptized by a sinner? The answer is simple, because God required it. This made perfect sense to John, so he baptized Jesus. When God asks me to do something and I don’t understand the why of it all, I will remember these verses and how Jesus, who was without sin, was baptized. Not because he needed to repent for his sins, but simply because we must do all that God requires.
Dear Heavenly Father, there are times when we don’t understand all that You ask of us. Help us to remember that we must do all that You require even when we don’t understand. Thank You for loving us and never leaving us. We ask that You give us courage to follow Your will every day. In Christ Name, Amen