Mat. 3:15 ... "But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all right-eousness."
According to God's plan to present His Messiah to the world, He first sent before Him a harbinger to prepare men to receive Him. This select herald was John the Baptist, who began his ministry in the Jordan Valley about six months before Jesus made His appearance. It can be said that John's impact upon the people was sensational, for it is reported that "all the country of Judea and all Jeru- salem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins," (Mrk. 1:5). John's message was as clear as a clarion call: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight," (Mat. 3:3). Also, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," (v.2). He was preaching to a people full of sin who needed urgently to confess, repent, and receive baptism unto repentance. Droves of the people thus responded.
Then one day a man from Nazareth in the hill country of Galilee appeared in the crowds that assembled before John. To other people He was merely Jesus son of Joseph, an humble and unpre- tentious carpenter in a small village of no reputation. But John looked upon the man quite differ- ently. It says that "the next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jno. 1:29). This was the people's first hint that the Messiah was already actually among them. John declared unto them, "This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who ranks before me, because He was before me'," (v.30). In greater detail John had said, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire," (Mat. 3:11-12).
It is difficult to suppose exactly what John expected Jesus to do when he had introduced Him to the people, but it is certain that John was not prepared for what Jesus wanted. Jesus had come to be baptized by John. John could not comprehend this, because his baptism was a response to sin unto repentance. He knew that Jesus had no sin and therefore needed not repent. So he remonstrated with Jesus: "John would have prevented Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?'" (v.14) But Jesus explained, "Let is be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteous- ness," (v.15).
Simply put, Jesus told John, "It is not necessary for you to understand the whole thing that you are to baptize Me. It is enough for you to know that it is God's will, and 'to fulfill all righteousness' we must obey God's will." It is to John's great credit that he remonstrated no further, for he forthwith proceeded to baptize Jesus.
There is a great lesson in this for people today. In our sophistication and self-proclaimed enlight- enment we feel we are due a complete explanation of all things, especially when action is involved. If that desire, which we project as an almost rude demand, is not met, we are most apt to refuse to comply with the action that is required. But Jesus shows us here that it is sometimes sufficient and best to respond without question upon the faith that what is being required is the only issue at hand. Sometimes God explains His commands, but there are times when He does not. Jesus bids us by His own example to act in faith without equivocation.
