NRS Matthew 3
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, may the blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon you always; for the sake of Jesus the Messiah. Amen.

In this month's newsletter I quote extensively from my friend and West Texas philosopher Steve Byrne, who in a recent column shared what he calls the "Laws of Life." Among his basic principles of the universe, Steve listed the "Law of Close Encounters." To wit,
The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
How true!

Occasionally, we do find ourselves in the company of a person or persons we'd rather not be seen with, and wouldn't you know, there's the neighborhood gossip or the office tell-all, or worse. When I was 13 years old, I had a major crush on a girl named Karen Zimmerle. I was so smitten that I was terrified to speak to her, and the one day when she actually stepped up to talk to me, I was standing in Godchaux's Department Store trying on a pair of pants, with my mother there checking to see how they fit in the crotch. It was very embarrassing.

Most of us are raised with our parents and elders reminding us to be careful about the company we keep. How many of you are familiar with the saying, "If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas"? The assumption is that if you associate with people of low moral character, you will begin to adopt their bad habits and follow their bad example. As parents, we want to know not just where our kids are going or when they'll be back, but even more importantly, who they're going with. We all know how peer pressure can sometimes push a young person to do stupid or dangerous things, but we're also concerned for how our kids' peers will affect their reputation, and rightly so. Nobody wants their child or grandchild identified with a "bad crowd," nor do we want that for ourselves. In our personal lives and in our business dealings, we try to be scrupulous about the people with whom we trade or invite into our homes. Fairly or unfairly, we know that we are judged by the company we keep, and when we see a friend or a family member getting involved with a person of suspect character, we want, of course, to intervene and warn them to keep their distance.

I think that's what's going on in today's gospel when John at first hesitates to baptize Jesus in the River Jordan. As you know, John administered what he called a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Consequently, the people who flocked to John in the wilderness were not exactly the crème de la crème of Judean society. These were people who were on the wrong side of either the moral or ritual law of Judaism. Either they would not or could not get right with God through the ministrations of priest and Temple. As a result, they poured out of Jerusalem to find in John's baptism a new beginning to their sullied lives. Like their ancient Israelite forebears, they would pass through the waters of the Jordan to re-enter the Promised Land with clean slates and clear consciences.

So when Jesus presents himself for baptism, I think that John is not only surprised, but also maybe a little appalled. Seeing Jesus in that crowd, surely John had to wonder, "What are you doing among these people?" Likewise, as Jesus comes to be baptized, John also had to ask himself, "Why is he coming to me for a baptism that he doesn't need?" John, you know, had prophesied of one still to come who, in John's words, "is more powerful than I am." Of this greater, more powerful one, John said, "I am not worthy to carry his sandals," an understanding Paul shared when he described Jesus as "one who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21). So what was the sinless Jesus doing in a mob of sinners applying for a baptism of forgiveness for sins he had not committed?

Jesus explained to John that he had to be baptized "to fulfill all righteousness." Does that mean that Jesus had some sort of check list of things he had to do in order to be God's Messiah? No. But as God's sinless Son, precisely because he is God's Messiah, Jesus takes on the condition of our sinfulness. Instead of standing on the other side of the velvet rope, Jesus steps across the line to throw his lot in with ours. The "more powerful one" submits to the weaker; the one who is wholly holy assumes our brokenness.

This makes the Baptism of Our Lord not just one of many events in the life of Jesus, but rather, a primary symbol of our salvation, or what Martin Luther called "the great exchange." In his baptism, we see Jesus lying with dogs, yes, to take on our fleas, the violence we inflict on God, self, and others, and in exchange for that sin, Jesus confers on us his righteousness, his worthiness, his obedience. Whatever damage we've done to ourselves, Jesus takes that to himself to give us in return his wholeness. However we've sinned against God and man, Jesus opens the door to peace that extends from our homes and families to the very gates of heaven.

Of course, Jesus makes this great exchange not just so that we may continue to live as dogs picking up and shedding fleas wherever we go. Rather, in Paul's words, "For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). God's Son became like us so that we might become what God originally created us to be: whole and well, at peace with God and all humanity, with hearts brimming and hands willing to comfort the afflicted, lift up the poor, and forgive the sinner.

Some years ago my friend Stewart Haley told me about a little conference he had with his then-teenage daughter Kara. In that meeting Stewart expressed his concern that Kara seemed to be running with a pretty fast group of friends, and he was, well, concerned for her reputation. Kara answered that Jesus ate with prostitutes and tax collectors, and as a Christian, how could she show the love of Jesus to people with whom she had no relationship?

That Kara was always a smart one, you know?

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.