It was always interesting to me. You know: that passage in the Gospel of Matthew 3:13-17, where John the Baptist hesitates to baptize Jesus. Jesus said something interesting in response: “it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
To fulfill all righteousness? What in the world does that mean?
We kinda just read right past that statement without considering what it means. But, to fulfill all righteousness basically means “to do everything that is necessary.” To fulfill all righteousness means to be obedient to all things that are required. That doesn’t clear up the confusion though. What could be necessary for Jesus? Why would God need to be obedient?
We do say that Jesus is God, right? Christians say that Jesus is the Almighty, All Powerful, God of creation, right? So, to whom must He be obedient? Who would God have to obey?
For a people who believe in Jesus alone, and fall victim to the pride and arrogance of such a belief, being obedient is a far-fetched concept. Yet, for some reason God the Son finds it important to demonstrate being obedient.
Even God must be obedient.
But why? Why must God be obedient? What do we learn from an obedient God? And how does His being obedient fulfill all righteousness?
Yet, the Baptism of the Lord shows us how being obedient fulfills all righteousness. And in fulfilling all righteousness, we reveal the Triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God.
Being obedient to the doctrine of the Trinity is important to living a Christian Life. We cannot succeed at being Christian if we don’t care about understanding even the basics of the Trinity.
To be obedient in fulfilling all righteousness, we must understand that within Himself God exists in Divine Community. Being created in the Image of God, then, means that humanity was created to exist in community. There is no personal relationship with Jesus Christ that will save you, if you have no relationships with any others in community.
So, let us learn and share more: what do we learn from an obedient God?
