By Harry Ironside “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him” (v. 13). The day arrived at last for the manifestation of the King. Jesus appeared in the throng and stepped forward to undergo the rite to which so many confessed sinners had submitted. He who was to take the sinner’s place came to be baptized of John, that He might thereby be identified with sinners for whom He was to lay down His life. “But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” (v. 14). To the Baptist it seemed out of keeping that the sinless One should submit to a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. He felt his own need rather to be baptized of Jesus. “And Jesus answering said unto him. Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him” (v. 15). It is as though Jesus said, “I wish to submit to this as a pledge that I have come to fulfill every righteous demand of the throne of God on behalf of sinful men.” It was our Lord’s public dedication to the work of the cross for which He had come into the world. It is a very shallow interpretation indeed that makes the act of baptism the fulfilling of righteousness. In other words, it was not in order that He might set us a good example that Jesus was baptized, but rather that He might identify Himself with sinners as the One who was to make Himself responsible to satisfy every righteous claim for those who owned that they were justly under the curse of the violated law, and so with no righteousness of their own. They were like debtors giving their notes to God. Jesus endorsed those notes, guaranteeing full payment-that settlement was made on the cross. #Matthew3 #ServingJesusChrist #FulfilAllRighteousness #Righteousness https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzc5MHClPnk/?igshid=qgxwph135yx