CW 377 - To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord
This Sunday is the first Sunday after the Epiphany. It is a yearly celebration of Christ’s baptism. This week’s Hymn of the Day is “To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord.”
Verse one: “To Jordan’s river came our Lord, The Christ, whom heav’nly hosts adored, The God from God, the Light from Light, The Lord of glory, pow’r, and might.”
Jesus began his ministry by coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptizer. As we recite in the Nicene Creed, Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.” The season of Epiphany is about Jesus revealing his glory to the world. Throughout the Sundays in Epiphany, we will catch glimpses of Jesus’ hidden glory, power, and might. The first sighting of Jesus’ hidden glory is in the water of his baptism.
Why does Jesus deserve glory?
Verse two: “The Savior came to be baptized—The Son of God in flesh disguised—To stand beneath the Father’s will And all his promises fulfill.”
Jesus is God’s Son covered in human flesh and blood. Because Jesus is perfect, he doesn’t need to be baptized. Instead, he submits to his Father’s will by accepting a sinner’s baptism upon the holy Son of God.
What is one reason why Jesus was baptized?
Verse three: “As Jesus in the Jordan stood And John baptized the Lamb of God, The Holy Spirit, heav’nly dove, Descended on him from above.”
Already in the waters of the Jordan River, Jesus is fulfilling his role as the sacrificial and substitutionary Lamb of God. He did not inherit any sin, nor commit any sins. In fact, Jesus should have been repulsed by that water! It was a cesspool of sin! That water was filled with every sin imaginable. Sins washed off the multitude of sinners. You name the sin and Jesus is hip-deep in it. Idolatry, hypocrisy, immorality, disobedience, hatred, murder, lust, adultery, theft, lying, coveting, pride, greed – and Jesus wades right into that toxic, putrid water! He lets it be poured all over him! The grime of guilt and the dregs of damnation. Jesus is getting dirty with humanity’s sins in the dirty waters of the Jordan River.
What is another reason why Jesus was baptized?
Verse four: “Then from God’s throne with thund’rous sound Came God’s own voice with words profound: ‘This is my Son,’ was his decree, ‘The one I love, who pleases me.’”
Upon Jesus’ baptism, the Father announces for all his heavenly host to hear, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you” (Luke 3:22). God the Father is pleased with his Son’s divine vocation as the world’s Redeemer. God loves this Man Jesus. And he loves what Jesus is doing, standing there at the Jordan, taking his place among sinners. The Father knows what his Son is going to do for them all, starting here at the Jordan. And God just loves that.
Why was God the Father pleased with his Son?
Verse five: “The Father’s word, the Spirit’s flight Anointed Christ in glorious sight As God’s own choice, from Adam’s fall To save the world and free us all.”
It is the mystery of the Triune God that all three persons are present at Jesus’ baptism – yet they remain distinct – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Father is speaking from heaven. God the Son is in the water. God the Holy Spirit is hovering over the waters in the form of a dove. All three persons of the Trinity delight in their unity of working to save the world from sin and free us from slavery to the devil.
How did each person of the Triune God display himself at Jesus’ baptism?
Then comes our Christian response to Christ in the water. The sixth and final verse: “Now rise, faint hearts: be resolute! This man is Christ, our substitute! He was baptized in Jordan’s stream, Proclaimed Redeemer, Lord supreme.”
Because Jesus carried out and completed his work, what happens at your baptism? At your baptism, all your sins are washed away in those Christ-filled waters. God says the same thing about you that he said about Jesus: “You are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you for Jesus’ sake.” And the Spirit descends upon you, making you a new creation in Christ and empowering you for a life of service in God’s Kingdom. The gates of hell are slammed shut and the doors of heaven are torn open for you. Let your faint heart be resolute.
Why can your faint heart now be resolute?