If it’s OK with you, let’s go back under the water with Jesus. 

Before we move on to miracles and ministry, before fishing for men and casting out demons, I’d like to go back to that moment with Jesus — when the body of God is fully immersed under the current of the Jordan River.

Can we all just stay submerged for a second? Can we take a moment to hold our collective breath as John the Baptist drops Jesus under the water? I want to consider what is happening beneath the surface. 

When we see this in a movie, a character’s face changes color as their clothing floats up from their descending body. They hold their breath as a few air bubbles release from their nostrils. It’s as if time slows down — and sometimes it does. Directors will often show us this scene in slow motion. We are privy to the thoughts, the memories, and the person’s very life flashing before them.

We didn’t get to be there with Jesus, though. Mark tells the story so quickly that Jesus emerges from the water before we can process where he is coming from, let alone why he waded toward the wilderness preacher in the first place.

So why is baptism necessary for Jesus?

We know from earlier in the story that John the Baptist has been calling the people to a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4). We know from the gospel of Matthew that John calls the people to repent because “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). And, we know from the Apostle Paul that John’s baptism, if it was anything at all, was “a baptism of repentance.” (Acts 19:4)

So, the key word for John’s baptism is “repentance.” In the most basic sense, repentance means turning from one direction to another. It’s a changed action. Heading one way, only to stop, and go the opposite way. 

On the surface, we could say that Jesus does not repent, because he did not sin. What would he be repenting of, after all? But, maybe, below the surface, we might see something else. It may be that Jesus is repenting. It is, after all, a “baptism of repentance.”

First, to say he didn’t repent because he didn’t sin doesn’t really solve the problem. I say this because the absence of sin in Jesus does not prevent him from identifying with our sin. As Paul says, “He made him who knew no sin to become sin that we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

So, if Jesus became our sin, is it possible that he might become our repentance? And, if so, what might he be repenting of? 

I think John’s reason for repentance, which he gives in the gospel of Matthew, might help us.

He says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

I used to always hear this as the formula for my personal salvation. These words reminded me to confess and turn from my sins so I could be right enough to make it into heaven. If I didn’t do that, I should fear the wrath of God and assume that I wouldn’t make the cut. That’s what it seemed like John was saying in Matthew’s gospel. 

But that is not what John is saying. We can and should talk more about that misunderstanding, but let’s get back to the kingdom.

The kingdom of heaven is not a place we go to, but a reality that came with Jesus. It is coming with Jesus and is currently at hand. It is near and now. 

In the days of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, there was a different kingdom over the people. The Romans ruled and they held the power. They dominated by military might, by systems of oppression, by violence and greed. 

Their current empire was not the kingdom of heaven.

When Jesus went into the waters, he was responding to John’s call and representing the people. He was turning from the kingdoms of this world and repenting toward the kingdom of God. In his baptism, he was turning from one kingdom to another. 

And this baptism is pleasing to the Father. So much so, that Jesus of Nazareth is called his Son.

The crowd is watching as the risen Jesus faces the opened skies. The Spirit as a dove descends on the Son and the Father’s voice speaks, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)

The question we must ask is this: What will this Son, the firstborn of all creation, do with the authority and power he has inherited? What will his kingdom look like? Will he bear fruit keeping with repentance?

Because Mark doesn’t waste any time, we are told that the Spirit leads Jesus in the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. 

For 40 days Jesus is offered the world. It is an opportunity for Jesus to seize hold of everything a man could ever need or want. But unlike the firstborn son Cain, who also had sin crouching at his door, Jesus doesn’t walk through it. He does not seize control. He does not use his power to set himself over anyone. 

He does not come to kill his brother but to lay down his life for the brethren.

The power grabbing pattern of the world’s kingdoms stop with Jesus. In his repentance, Jesus demonstrated that the structures and values of the world around him are not the characteristics of his kingdom. He is not obligated to prop up another empire.

He does not do this to merely set an example. It’s who he is. 

His kingdom is recognized by the power of its poverty. His power is on display in that he is authorized by the Father to be nothing for those he came to serve.

And if his kingdom is something we hope to realize today, we will follow Jesus into the waters of his baptism. In his repentance we rise, no longer clinging to the obligation to prop up the kingdoms of this world. 

In fact, if we did we would not be bearing fruit keeping with repentance. 

If there is any question about whether or not Jesus’ repentance moves us from one kingdom to another, Mark guides our way. In the verses following the temptation he writes: 

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15)

I hope that helps.