Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 3:13-15

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him." — Matthew 3:13-15 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: Christ, having been proclaimed to the world by the preaching of His forerunner, will now manifest Himself to men after a long period of obscurity. ¹

Remigius of Auxerre: This verse contains four elements: person, place, time, and office. The time is indicated by the word, "Then."

Rabanus Maurus: This means when He was thirty years old, showing that no one should be ordained as a priest or even be permitted to preach until he is of full age. Joseph was made governor of Egypt at thirty years old; David began to reign, and Ezekiel began to prophesy at the same age.

St. John Chrysostom: Because Christ was to put an end to the Law after His baptism, He came to be baptized at this age. He did this so that, having kept the Law perfectly, no one could say that He canceled it because He was unable to observe it. ²

Pseudo-Chrysostom: "Then" means when John preached, so that Christ might confirm his preaching and receive his testimony. But just as when the morning star has risen, the sun does not wait for it to set, but rising as it moves forward, gradually obscures its brightness; so Christ did not wait for John to finish his course, but appeared while he was still teaching.

Remigius of Auxerre: The persons are described in the words, "came Jesus to John"—that is, God to man, the Lord to His servant, the King to His soldier, the Light to the lamp. The place is described in the words, "from Galilee to Jordan." Galilee means "transmigration." Whoever, then, would be baptized must pass from vice to virtue and humble himself in coming to baptism, for Jordan means "descent."

St. Ambrose of Milan: Scripture tells of many wonders performed at various times in this river. Among others, the Psalms say, Jordan was driven backwards (Psalm 114:3). Just as the water was driven back then, now sins are turned back in its current. As Elijah divided the waters long ago, so Christ the Lord worked the separation of sin in the same Jordan. ³

Remigius of Auxerre: The office to be performed was "that He might be baptized by him." This was not a baptism for the remission of sins, but one that would leave the water sanctified for those to be baptized afterward.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Savior willed to be baptized, not so that He Himself might be cleansed, but to cleanse the water for us.^{i 4}

From the moment He was dipped in the water, He has washed away all our sins in water. And let no one wonder that water, a physical substance, is said to be effective for the purification of the soul.

It is so effective because it reaches and searches out the hidden recesses of the conscience. Subtle and penetrating in its own nature, and made even more so by Christ's blessing, it touches the hidden springs of life and the secret places of the soul by virtue of its all-pervading dew. The course of this blessing is even more penetrating than the flow of water. Thus, the blessing that flows like a spiritual river from the Savior's baptism has filled the basins of all pools and the channels of all fountains.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He comes to baptism so that He who has taken upon Himself human nature might fulfill the whole mystery of that nature. It is not that He is a sinner Himself, but that He has taken on a nature that is sinful. Therefore, although He did not need baptism Himself, the carnal nature in others needed it.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Also, like a wise master who inculcates his doctrines as much by his own practice as by word of mouth, Christ did what He commanded all His disciples to do. ⁵

St. Augustine of Hippo: He deigned to be baptized by John so that servants might see with what readiness they ought to run to the baptism of the Lord, when He did not refuse to be baptized by His servant. ⁶

St. Jerome: Also, by being baptized Himself, He sanctioned the baptism of John.

St. John Chrysostom: But since John's baptism was for repentance and therefore showed the presence of sin, John cried out to Him so that no one would think Christ came to the Jordan for this reason: I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? ⁷

As if he had said:

Pseudo-Chrysostom: There is good reason that You should baptize me, so that I may be made righteous and worthy of heaven. But what reason is there for me to baptize You? Every good gift comes down from heaven to earth, not ascends from earth to heaven.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: John rejects Him from baptism as God; Christ teaches him that it ought to be performed on Him as man.

St. Jerome: The word "now" is beautifully used to show that just as Christ was baptized with water by John, so John must be baptized by Christ with the Spirit.

Or, "Allow it for now, so that I, who have taken the form of a servant, may fulfill all that this humble position requires. Otherwise, know that on the day of judgment you must be baptized with My baptism."

Or, the Lord says, "Allow this for now; I have another baptism with which I must be baptized. You baptize Me with water, so that I may baptize you for Me with your own blood."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: In this, he shows that Christ later baptized John, which is expressly told in some apocryphal books.ⁱ

He means, "Allow it for now, so that I may fulfill the righteousness of baptism in deed and not only in word, by first submitting to it and then preaching it." For, so it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. This does not mean that by being baptized He fulfills all righteousness, but that "so," in this manner, He fulfills it. Just as He first fulfilled the righteousness of baptism by His deeds and afterward preached it, so He would fulfill all other righteousness, according to the book of Acts: all that Jesus began both to do and to teach (Acts 1:1).

Alternatively, "all righteousness" refers to the requirements of human nature, just as He had previously fulfilled the requirements of birth, growth, and so on.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: For all righteousness had to be fulfilled by Him, by whom alone the Law could be fulfilled.

St. Jerome: He says "righteousness" but adds neither "of the Law" nor "of nature," so that we may understand it to refer to both.

Remigius of Auxerre: Alternatively, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness means to give an example of perfect justification in baptism, without which the gate of the kingdom of heaven is not opened. Therefore, the proud should take an example of humility and "not scorn to be baptized by My humble members when they see Me baptized by John, My servant." True humility is that which is accompanied by obedience, as the text continues, "then he allowed Him"—that is, he finally consented to baptize Him.

1. non occ.
2. Hom. 10, 1
3. Ambrosiaster. Serm. x. 5
4. non occ., cf. Ambrosiaster, Serm. 12. 4
5. Ambrosiaster, Serm. 12. 1
6. in Joann. Tract. v. 2
7. Hom. 12