The Baptism of our Lord – January 11, 2026

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Even though Jesus is the sinless Son of God, he must submit to a baptism for sinners.

He must fulfill all righteousness by being baptized.

Well, where should this baptism take place? Could he be baptized in the Jabbok River?

No. The Kushan River or the rivers of Damascus? No.

Jesus must be baptized in the Jordan River. Why the Jordan River?

We will learn that the Jordan River is a pivotal place in Old Testament history.

But greater yet, when Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, He fulfills the old and he brings in the new.

Jesus' baptism points to him as the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of all

the Messianic prophecies.

So there are three events that happen in the Jordan River. First,

the Jordan River is where Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land.

It happened this way. As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant

touched the waters of the Jordan,

the waters parted, and then the priests carrying the Ark went into the middle

of the Jordan River, and they stood on dry ground.

Then the Israelites crossed over from the wilderness through the Jordan into the promised land.

They crossed over on dry ground, and when everyone crossed over,

then the priests carrying the ark also finished and crossing over,

and then the waters came back.

So when Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, he is like Joshua, but greater.

Joshua saved Israel from the wilderness, but Jesus saved us from our sins.

Joshua led Israel through the Jordan and into the promised land and earthly inheritance,

but Jesus delivered us from our wilderness of sin and death and brings us into

heaven above and eternal inheritance.

The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan River untouched by water,

but Jesus is the high priest who stands in the water, stands in the Jordan covered with water.

The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes God's presence, But Jesus is the fulfillment of the ark.

He is God in human flesh.

He is the true dwelling place of God among his people.

The blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the ark of the covenant to forgive their sins.

And Jesus is that very lamb of God who will shed his blood for the atonement of all our sins.

Second, the Jordan is a place where Elijah departed and Elisha takes over as the new prophet.

And it happened this way.

Elijah touched the Jordan River with his mantle.

The waters parted. Then they went from the west to the east side of the Jordan.

And there Elijah was taken up into heaven. He departed and his mantle fell on Elisha.

Elisha took up the mantle, touched the waters of the Jordan River.

They parted and Elisha crossed over back to the promised land.

And this miracle, the parting of the waters, revealed that Elisha is now the new prophet.

So at the Jordan River, John the Baptist is like Elijah, and Jesus is like Elisha,

but greater than Elisha.

Elijah departs, and Elisha is the new prophet, so also John will depart,

and Jesus will increase.

Out of the old comes the new.

Elijah's mantle rested on Elisha, marking him as the new prophet.

And when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus,

marking him as the new prophet, priest, and king, the promised Messiah.

Finally, the Jordan River is a place where Naaman was cleansed of his leprosy.

And it went like this. A servant girl in Israel told Naaman that if he would

go to the prophet Elisha, that Naaman would be cleansed of his leprosy.

So Naaman went to the prophet Elisha, and Elisha told him to wash seven times in the Jordan.

Now at first, Naaman refused.

He wanted to wash in the other rivers.

But he finally obeyed the word of the prophet and did what Elisha told him to do.

He washed seven times in the Jordan and a miracle took place.

He was cleansed of all his leprosy.

So just as Naaman listened to the prophet and washed in the Jordan,

so also Jesus listened to his heavenly father to go, my son,

and rescue sinful mankind. kind.

Jesus' road to the cross began at his baptism in the Jordan.

Naaman came to the Jordan to get rid of his leprosy, but Jesus comes to the

Jordan to take on the leprosy of our sin. We are like Naaman.

Just as Naaman could not cleanse himself of his leprosy, so also we cannot cleanse ourselves of sin.

We need Jesus.

So Jesus' baptism could not take place in any other river.

It must take place in the Jordan where Jesus fulfills the old and brings in the new.

Jesus' baptism reveals him as the promised Savior, the Lamb of God who takes

away the sin of the world.

So one day, John the Baptist, John was preaching and baptizing people there

in the Jordan River. They were confessing their sins.

They were being baptized in the Jordan River.

And all of a sudden, Jesus shows up.

He stands in line with all the other sinners.

Now, John did not think that Jesus should be baptized.

And if we're honest, neither do we. Deep down, we don't think that he should

be baptized. either. Why?

Because we want a clean Jesus. And the waters, the water of the Jordan River is dirty.

We want a spotless Jesus. But the waters of the Jordan are filled with sin,

sin of adultery and fornication, sins of idolatry, sins of lying and stealing, and sins of gossip.

We don't want Jesus to get dirty.

But the truth is, he does.

He wants to take your sins upon himself, and he wants to take them all the way to the cross.

For if he did not, then there would be no salvation.

And that is why Jesus said to John, let it be so now.

For us, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. It is as if Jesus

said to John, continue with this baptism, John, pour this dirty water,

sin-filled water over my head.

Go ahead. I must take the place of sinners.

I must stand in their shoes. I must carry their sins to the cross.

Baptize me as if I was a sinner. And John did.

Sinners came to John's baptism to get rid of their sins, but Jesus came to the

Jordan River to take on the sins.

Jesus is Lord of all, and yet he is the servant of all.

Jesus is the sinless one who took upon himself the sin of the whole world.

Jesus is our substitute.

He took our place under the law, and he did what we failed to do.

When Jesus came up out of the water, the spirit of God descended upon him and

the father declared, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

He is well pleased because Jesus is going to die upon the cross and rise from

the dead for our salvation.

Jesus must die as a payment for our sin and he must appease the wrath of God. But where should he go?

Could he die in Nazareth? No.

Could he die in Galilee? No. He must die in Jerusalem.

Why? Jerusalem. Well, it must be in Jerusalem because this is where animals

are sacrificed in the temple to make the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people.

And Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God who will be crucified as a payment for our sins.

Furthermore, Jerusalem is the temple. Jesus is the real temple and the new temple.

Jesus must die at payment for our sins and he must appease the wrath of God. But how?

How should he die? Could he die by means of stoning?

No. He must die on a cross.

Deuteronomy chapter 21 says, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

Deuteronomy 21 · chapter mention

Jesus was nailed to the tree of the cross. He was cursed because of our sin.

Crucifixion is a way for Jesus to shed his blood for us.

So there on the cross, Jesus was baptized, if you will, covered with blood.

He was numbered with the thieves and regarded as a sinner.

He bore the wrath of God in our place and he died for our sin and in our place.

Jesus was a substitute, both at the Jordan River and at the cross.

Three days later, he rose from the dead. He defeated our enemies of death and the devil.

And heaven, our promised land above, now stands open for you and me and for all who believe.

Where do people go to be baptized? Where do we go to receive the forgiveness of sins?

Where do we go to hear the word of God and preaching?

Where do we go to receive the Lord's Supper, the body and blood of Christ?

We don't go to Walmart or the grocery store.

Rather, we come here to God's house where the gospel and sacrament are present.

Here in this place, God uses the water of baptism there at the font along with his word.

He uses his word of God read or preached the gospel and the forgiveness.

And then he attaches his body and blood to bread and wine for the forgiveness of all our sins.

Where were you baptized? Were you baptized at this font or a different font

or another font or another place?

Since I've been here, the Johnston children were baptized in this font,

along with Andrew Hauks, a K-State student.

Skyler wants to be baptized, a K-State student.

Eleven days ago, I baptized Jim Reiser in a nursing home. I had a bowl of water,

and he was baptized with water in the Word.

I was baptized as an infant on November 20th at East Ida Emanuel Lutheran Church in Monroe, Michigan.

Do you know where you were baptized? Do you know when you were baptized? Thank you.

When you were baptized, God saved you. Titus, St.

Peter says that baptism now saves you as the ark saved Noah.

And this baptismal font has eight sides, symbolizing the eight people in the ark.

And St. Paul writes that he saved us through the washing, the regeneration,

and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. So when you were baptized,

you passed through death and rose with Christ.

You were clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness. You were declared

the Father's beloved child.

Your sin made you dirty, but in baptism God washed away your sins.

Your sins offend God, but Christ paid for every offense and granted you forgiveness.

Your sins made you an outcast like Naaman, but baptism made you a child of God.

Simple water alone can do nothing, but water joined to the word of God grants you eternal life.

For Israel, the Jordan River was a place of deliverance.

They passed through the Jordan and entered the promised land. Likewise, baptism.

You passed through the waters of baptism and entered into God's kingdom.

You were delivered from sin, and heaven was freely given to you.

And because of Jesus, the Father now regards you as his beloved.

Because of Jesus, the Father is now pleased with you.

Just as Israel followed the Ark of the Covenant, so you now follow Jesus on

his path of righteousness.

He leads and you gladly follow.

On your journey to heaven, do not let sin be your master.

Love and serve your family and your neighbors and your loved ones and friends.

Do not let Satan or the world lead you, but let Christ be your leader,

your greater Joshua, who leads you into heaven, your promised land above.

Do not take your baptism or the gospel or the sacrament for granted.

Do not live like the world, but by God's grace, live a life of repentance and

faith in the forgiveness of sins.

When you confess your sins and receive, this morning you confessed your sins

and you received the word of absolution, it is as if you are reliving your baptism

all over again, drowning those sins and being forgiven.

Those sins are drowned And you

emerge Forgiven and cleansed

Your baptism Is the foundation of your Christian life Your baptism was not merely

Something that happened in the past And has no relevance to today No Your baptism

is a present reality It defines Who you are And who are you?

You are a baptized child of God God loves you, and he cares for you.

Always remember your baptism.

So when you are burdened with the troubles of this life, when you go through

trial and tribulation, and when you have a bad day, remember that you are baptized.

That you are a child of God, loved by God.

You are a light in the midst of darkness.

Christ is your light, and may Christ continue to lead and guide you all the way to heaven. Amen.