As my parents enjoy reminding me, I was an inquisitive child. Like many children, I arrived at a certain age when I loved to ask questions. “Why?” was one of my favorites, quickly followed by “why not?” But, as much as I loved asking questions, I didn’t have nearly enough patience when it came to answering questions.
My parents prided themselves on being honest with my sister and me. There was relatively little “dumbing down” in my childhood. My parents patiently answered hundreds of questions from me every day. When they would ask me questions, however, I quickly ran out of patience. Eventually, when I was tired of answering my parents’ questions, I would simply answer, “on account of because.”
Once I uttered “on account of because,” that signaled the end of the conversation. No more answers were coming from my end. Why? On account of because. Imagine this conversation: Kristen, why did you spill your milk? I wasn’t being careful. Don’t you like milk? No. Why don’t you like milk? On account of because. End of conversation
We hear a form of “on account of because” in today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel. This story tells about the baptism of Jesus by John at the river Jordan. The baptism of Jesus is certainly one of the more famous stories from the start of Christ’s earthly ministry. It contains the likely familiar image of a dove descending and “alighting on” Jesus as a voice comes from heaven, saying “this is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
In preparing for this morning’s message, it was not the image of the descending dove or the speaking heavens that caught my attention. Instead, I noticed the conversation between John the Baptist and Jesus. Listen again to what the Gospel of Matthew records:
“John would have prevented (Jesus), saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then (John the Baptist) consented.”
Remember that John the Baptist is baptizing anyone who comes to him in search of repentance. John isn’t just waiting, alone and still, at the side of the river Jordan for the Messiah, for Jesus. John does know, however, that someone like Jesus is coming. John the Baptist receives revelation from God and receives the words of the Hebrew prophets that the Messiah is coming.
John understands that his ministry of baptism is part of the preparation for people to experience the salvation the Messiah’s promised salvation. John’s ministry opens the way for Christ’s ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. In the verses right before this morning’s story, John reminds his followers that the baptism he offers pales in comparison with the one the Messiah promises.
John says, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” John knows his place in the salvation of the world. He prepares the way – the way that Jesus completes. John knows that he is not the Messiah but that he will come to meet the Messiah soon.
Because John is faithful to the message he receives and proclaims, he recognizes Jesus immediately. John says to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you.” John recognizes that the man who comes before him for baptism does not need a baptism of repentance. Instead, John recognizes that he, himself, he is the one who needs a baptism of repentance.
“Do you come to me?” Who am I, John seems to say, that Jesus would come to me for baptism? Jesus does not correct John. Instead, the response Jesus gives is somewhat cryptic: “Let it be so now; for it is proper in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Without reducing the words of Jesus too much, Jesus says “on account of because.” End of conversation.
Even though John knows that the Savior of the world stands before him, even though John knows that the person standing before him does not need the baptism of repentance, John is convinced anyway. Matthew simply records, “Then he consented.”
No more protests from the mouth of John. Perhaps John understands at some level that he must baptize Jesus in order for something amazing to happen. We don’t know why exactly, but when Jesus says, “let it be so now, on account of because,” John relents and consents.
We know the rest of the story: John accepts Jesus’ reason – on account of because – and baptizes the Messiah. The heavens open. A dove descends. God speaks and claims Jesus as the Beloved. Because John consents and accepts Jesus’ response – on account of because – the earthly ministry of Jesus can begin.
I guess John could continue to protest and try to assure Jesus that Jesus does not need to be baptized. I guess the argument could have kept right on going between John and Jesus – but it doesn’t. Somehow – for some reason – when Jesus announces “on account of because,” it is enough for John do to what he is meant to do: baptize people so that Jesus’ ministry can flourish.
I wonder how many of us find ourselves in the shoes of John the Baptist – or, should I say, John the Baptist’s sandals? Maybe we don’t hang out in the desert. Maybe we don’t eat locusts and wild honey. Maybe we don’t have a habit of calling people to the riverside for baptism.
Even if the details of our lives are different than John the Baptist, each of us does, in fact, have something to do in order for Jesus’ ministry to flourish. I’m willing to bet that, at some point, we looked at the task God has given us and started asking questions. What is it that I’m supposed to do? When will it happen? How will I know? God might have answers for all of those questions.
At some point, we just might ask “Why God?” And just as it happens in the interaction between John the Baptist and Jesus, we are meant to consent. “On account of because,” Jesus might answer. There is nothing more to say to answer our questions. Instead, we are meant to simply provide our consent and do what God calls us to do.
But consenting when Jesus says “on account of because” is not the end of the story. John the Baptist consents and believes Jesus when Jesus says “on account of because.” John the Baptist consents and Jesus is baptized. John the Baptist consents and life on earth changes forever when Christ’s earthly ministry begins.
Imagine what could happen if we finally stopped asking “Why God” when being called and accepted Jesus’ “on account of because.” Imagine what new life could begin if we finally stopped asking Jesus “why” when being called and accepted his “on account of because.” Let us accept Christ’s “on account of because” and move more fully into the call God places before us. Amen.