Matthew 3: 13-17

Imagine if you will, being in one the crowds or other gatherings when Jesus described Himself as “the living water”, or you are “that” woman who came to the well in the heat of the day, a Samaritan, and as you are anticipating going about your task unnoticed by the gossipers of the village, you meet a man who asks you for a drink of water. As you talk with Him, He reveals that He IS the promised Messiah and that if she were to drink “of my living water you will thirst no more”.

Further imagine that over the course of months that Jesus began His ministry, indeed, you’ve heard this phrase used by Him often and you recall that season He began teaching a “new message”. You were there. Standing on the banks of the river where John the Baptist is preaching and baptizing people, you are drawn to the mysteriousness and the miraculous of the day. Out of the crowd steps a bearded man. He’s about 30 years old and blends in with the other people gazing at the day’s events. He steps into the Jordan River and asks John to baptize him. John puts up a resistance. After all, Jesus is the Messiah! Baptism is for those who need repentance from sin and He is no sinner; He’s the Son of God. A first teachable moment is also in the making as the water laps around their feet and legs. “John, I need to do this in order to fulfill all righteousness….” Ah, John needed an explanation and immediately consented.

The remainder of this experience in the Jordan has the miraculous opening of the heavens, a dove descending and landing on Jesus’ head with the very voice of God speaking “this is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.”

Baptism takes on various traditions in the Christian church. Some do so as infants, others will baptize young children and/or adults depending on the particular tradition and doctrine of the church. I was baptized as an infant and later in my 30s, I made the decision to be rebaptized in order to publicly declare my faith in Christ. My second baptism was done in a lake with our church family in attendance and was a very meaningful day for me.

I love how Jesus modeled behavior and characteristics He desires in those who follow Him. As a perfect God, He did not need to submit to baptism but He did. What a beautiful example of “The Living Water” stepping into ordinary water and turning it into a majestic moment for John, the people watching and participating, and now for you and me as an example of humility and pursuing righteousness living.