Holy Baptism gets its power to be what it is and do what it does only because Jesus is baptized. Baptism would never have the power to do anything more than simply be a symbolic ritual if the One who takes away the sins of the world had not united Himself to us in this way. Jesus is the Word made flesh; as Luther famously put it, 'Apart from the Word in the water, the water is just plain water, and there is no baptism, but with the Word of God, it is a baptism.' That is life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was baptized, the power of God entered into the water with the baptized people of God. It was like putting a live, high-voltage cable into the water where everyone was bathing, and it was instant death for everyone who was in the water. Apart from the cable in the water, it's just plain water, and nobody gets hurt by it. But when the cable goes into the water, it becomes deadly water.
When Jesus was baptized, He brought His death on the cross into the water with Him, and when you were baptized, you were united into His death, so His death became your death. Listen to this - you died while you were still alive! When Jesus was baptized, He brought His resurrection from the dead into the water with Him, and when you were baptized, you were united to His victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil. Listen to this - you rose from the dead before you were buried in the ground (Romans 6:3-4)."
-Rev. Paul Nielsen
