13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The angel came to Joseph; the Magi came to see the Christ Child; the parents came to the temple with Jesus; in this chapter John came preaching repentance and baptizing those who did and rebuking those who did not. Now, Jesus came to be baptized. Notice that each of these events has a hiccup, a "but" to them. Joseph says: "but what will people think? The Magi wanted to see the newborn King, but Herod wanted to eliminate Him. The family wanted to have a normal life with Jesus, but every time they went to the temple people said it was otherwise. John came out to prepare people, but many were hard-hearted. Now, when Jesus comes to be baptized by John, John says: "But you should be the one baptizing me." Jesus says: It's okay. It needs to be this way, so John obeys. Just like Joseph obeyed the angel, the Magi obeyed the warning, and Jesus obeyed His less than perfect parents, John obeys the paradoxical command of Christ and consents to baptize Him. Because He did, we was able to witness exactly what He had been waiting for: seeing the Holy Spirit come and rest upon Him. John's consistent obedience to God made him ready for the special events God sent His way. Without that faithful obedience, we miss them. Watch for the people and events God is sending; they are coming your way. Just be humble and obedient as you wait.
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