Jesus Standing Among the People
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. On this first Sunday of the season after Epiphany, we return to the scene where Jesus’ public ministry begins. But this beginning is different from what we might expect. There is no great announcement. There is no new teaching yet. At the Jordan River, many people had already gathered. They listened to John the Baptist, looked honestly at their own lives, confessed their sins, and went down into the water to be baptized. Right in the middle of them, Jesus is standing. Without drawing attention, without being set apart, he stands quietly among the people.
The Gospel of Matthew tells this story very simply. Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan River. He comes to John to be baptized. For those of us who know who Jesus is, this scene feels unfamiliar. Why does Jesus need to be here at all? That question naturally arises. John the Baptist asks the same question. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” John’s words are completely reasonable. Jesus is without sin.
But Jesus answers him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” This is not simply an explanation to convince John. It shows us the path Jesus chooses to walk. Jesus does not put himself first. He does not try to prove who he is. Instead, he looks to the will of God. And he already knows where that path will lead him.
The place where Jesus stands is not a place of power over others. It is not a place of self-exaltation. It is a place beside the people. Not a place of judgment, but a place of shared confession. Not a place to set himself apart, but a place where he enters the same water with those who confess their sins. What matters most here is not simply that Jesus was baptized. What matters more is that he did not refuse to stand in that place. Though he was without sin, Jesus willingly chose to fulfill God’s will from the place of sinners.
This choice was not a single act of humility. It clearly reveals the heart of the Incarnation: God entering directly into the center of human life. That the Word became flesh does not only mean that Jesus took on a human body. It means that he entered the very middle of human life, even the place of confession and weakness. This choice shaped the direction of Jesus’ entire life. His way was never to look down from above, but to go down and stand with others. 1
This path had already been foretold long ago. In Isaiah, God says, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;” And then God continues, “He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;” God’s servant does not stand above others. He does not break an already bruised reed. He does not quickly extinguish a dimly burning wick. He remains quietly beside them and stays with them to the very end.
The baptism of Jesus was the moment he accepted this servant’s path as his own. And upon that choice, God’s response follows. When Jesus comes up from the water, the heavens are opened. The Spirit descends like a dove. And a voice from heaven is heard, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” This voice does not give Jesus a new identity. He is already the Son of God. What matters is the moment when this voice is spoken.
It is not after a miracle. It is not after the praise of the crowds. It is when Jesus stands among sinners, when he goes down into the water with them, sharing their place. God is pleased with that choice. The path of coming down, not trying to rise above; the path of solidarity, not separation; the path of carrying together, not judging from a distance. This is the path that accords with God’s will. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter describes Jesus’ life this way: “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord asks us a question. What kind of God do we believe in? And where are we standing now? The baptism of Jesus was not the beginning of rising upward. It was not a moment of self-display. It was a choice to go down among the people, a decision to fulfill God’s will from the place of sinners. God was pleased with that choice.
As we take the first steps of the season after Epiphany, the Church stands again before this scene. And we confess this truth: God’s way does not begin in high places. It begins where we come down and stand among the people. On that path, Jesus is already there. And Jesus shows us today that living among others, sharing life at its center, is the way we are called to walk. Amen.
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