Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 

But John tried to stop him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?"

Jesus answered him, "Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness."

Then John allowed him to be baptized.

Matthew 3:13-15 CSB

These are the first words of Jesus recorded in Matthew's gospel. 

John was a big character and you can imagine his distress at having been speaking and teaching about Jesus the Messiah for so long, and now here he is, and wanting to kind of line up under John's spiritual authority - he just didn't get it. 

And Jesus says trust me, there's a bigger story here that you're a part of, that you can't see right now. 

When we follow Jesus, when we love our neighbour and get nothing back, when we are rejected and show grace, when we're forgotten or excluded and don't keep a record, when we give whether we're thanked or not, serve without being served, love without measure, we are like John, participating in a bigger story.  

Jesus asks John to baptise him even though he doesn't get all the "why". Jesus asks him to be part of something bigger. 

And he asks us to do the same.

#wordsofJesus

#thereisabiggerstory