As my parents enjoy reminding me, I was a peculiar child. Like most children, I arrived at a certain age when I loved to ask questions. “Why?” was one of my favorites, apparently, quickly followed by “why not?” As much as I loved asking questions, I didn’t have nearly as much patience as my parents when it came to answering questions.
My parents pride themselves on being honest with my sister and me. There was relatively little “dumbing down” in my childhood. My parents probably answered a hundred 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? On account of because.
We hear a form of “on account of because” in today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel. This story is of 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 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 him, 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 he consented.
Remember, now, that John the Baptist was baptizing anyone who came to him in search of repentance. John wasn’t just waiting at the side of the river Jordan for Jesus. John did know, however, that someone like Jesus was to come. John the Baptist had received revelation from God and had received the words of the Hebrew prophets that the Messiah was coming.
It seems that John understood that his ministry of baptism was part of the preparation for people to experience the salvation the Messiah promised. John’s ministry of purification opened the way for Christ’s life, 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 promised by the Messiah.
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 will complete. John knows that he is not himself the Messiah but that he will come to meet the Messiah soon.
Because John is faithful to the message he is meant to proclaim, he recognizes Jesus immediately. John says to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you.” John sees that the man who has come before him for baptism does not need repentance. Instead, John sees that he, himself, is the one who needs to be baptized.
“Do you come to me?” Who am I, John seems to say, that Jesus would come to me for baptism? Interestingly, Jesus does not correct John. Jesus does not assure John that he is without sin. 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, he says “on account of because.”
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, at some level, 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, “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 Jesus. 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 begins.
I guess John could have continued 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,” that is enough for John do to what he is meant to do: baptize people.
I wonder how many of us find ourselves in the shoes of John the Baptist – or, should I say, his 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 those of 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 have 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, though, we just might ask “Why?” And just as it happened 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 he will say to answer our questions. Instead, we are meant to simply provide our consent.
But consenting when Jesus says “on account of because” is not the end of the story. John the Baptist consented and believed Jesus when he said “on account of because.” John the Baptist consented and Jesus was baptized. John the Baptist consented and life on earth was changed forever when Christ’s earthly ministry began.
Imagine what could happen if we finally stopped asking Jesus “why” 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 fully into the life God has placed before us. Amen.
Source: Sermons