Matthew 3: 14 – 17 (NLT)
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires. (or for we must fulfill all righteousness)” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
John’s comment in verse 14 is interesting – “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, so why are you coming to me?” Remember that John is 6 months older than Jesus, and Jesus’ mother was a cousin of John’s mother, Elizabeth. I know that travel in that day was extremely complicated, and people likely didn’t travel that far from where they lived. Jesus was 30 years old when he began his ministry right after his baptism. I would imagine in that 30 years, that Jesus and John would have met. Although Jesus’ ministry hadn’t started when he was a child, teen or young adult, John likely saw something in this cousin’s life that set him apart. And on this particular day, John realized what it was.
In John’s ministry so far, John connected baptism with repentance. “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near (v. 2).” “And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River” (v. 6). No wonder when Jesus asked to be baptized that John felt it was the wrong thing to do. If anyone needed to repent, it would be him, not Jesus. So why did Jesus ask to be baptized? That doesn’t seem to fit.
An article from gotquestions.org talks about Jesus’ baptism, and I found that article helped me understand why Jesus would be baptized, so I’m sharing it with you:
“There are several reasons why it was fitting for John to baptize Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus was about to embark on His great work, and it was appropriate that He be recognized publicly by His forerunner. John was the “voice crying in the wilderness” prophesied by Isaiah, calling people to repentance in preparation for their Messiah (Isaiah 40: 3). By baptizing Him, John was declaring to all that here was the One they had been waiting for, the Son of God, the One he had predicted would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3: 11).
Jesus’ baptism by John takes on an added dimension when we consider that John was of the tribe of Levi and a direct descendant of Aaron. Luke specifies that both of John’s parents were of the Aaronic priestly line (Luke 1: 5). One of the duties of the priests in the Old Testament was to present the sacrifices before the Lord. John the Baptist’s baptism of Jesus could be seen as a priestly presentation of the Ultimate Sacrifice. John’s words the day after the baptism have a decidedly priestly air: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1: 29).
Jesus’ baptism also showed that He identified with sinners. His baptism symbolized the sinners’ baptism into the righteousness of Christ, dying with Him and rising free from sin and able to walk in the newness of life. His perfect righteousness would fulfill all the requirements of the Law for sinners who could never hope to do so on their own. When John hesitated to baptize the sinless Son of God, Jesus replied that it was proper to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3: 15). By this He alluded to the righteousness that He provides to all who come to Him to exchange their sin for His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5: 21)
In addition, Jesus’ coming to John showed His approval of John’s baptism, bearing witness to it, that it was from heaven and approved by God. This would be important in the future when others would begin to doubt John’s authority, particularly after his arrest by Herod (Matthew 14: 3 – 11).
Perhaps most importantly, the occasion of the public baptism recorded for all future generations the perfect embodiment of the triune God revealed in glory from heaven. The testimony directly from heaven of the Father’s pleasure with the Son and the descending of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus (Matthew 3: 16 – 17) is a beautiful picture of the trinitarian nature of God. It also depicts the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit in the salvation of those Jesus came to save. The Father loves the elect from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1: 4); He sends His Son to seek and save the lost (Luke 19: 10); and the Spirit convicts of sin (John 16: 8) and draws the believer to the Father through the Son. All the glorious truth of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ is on display at His baptism.”
Today, Christians are baptized to publicly declare they have accepted Jesus’ death and resurrection as the “price” that needed to be paid for their sin. They know they can not be accepted by God on the basis of their own good deeds. It is Jesus who made it possible to become part of God’s family. How do we know that we should be baptized? Jesus gives us those instructions as he talked to the disciples right before he ascended to heaven:
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19 – 20)
The Apostle Paul refers to baptism as an outward expression of what Jesus has done for us in Romans 6: 4 – “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Going down into the water and then coming up out of the water is a visual picture of our brand new life in Christ when we accept his death and resurrection for us.
If you have not been baptized, pray about it. Talk with Pastor Deb Toth about baptism; she can answer your questions and also prepare you for baptism.
Our song for today is Thank You God for Saving Me by Chris Tomlin.