The Baptism of Jesus
“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” Mark 1:4-5 ESV
- What do you think this scene looked like?
- Don’t miss that the baptism by John was a baptism or repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Matthew 3:13-14 ESV
This should cause us to ask a question, to feel a little tension. Why was Jesus getting baptized into a baptism of repentance? He was sinless, perfect, there was no sin in Jesus that needed forgiving. I’m with John the Baptist at this point, “Jesus you need to baptize me.”
But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. Matthew 3:15 ESV
Jesus tells us that the reason He is insisting that John baptize Him was “to fulfill all righteousness”. But how is Jesus’s baptism a “fulfillment of all righteousness”?
Jesus consents to be counted as if He were a sinner, along with everyone else. This act foreshadows the time on the cross when Jesus puts Himself in another spot He does not deserve to be in, when He will die for the sins of the world. Jesus is our substitute; He is identifying with those He came to save.
As 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Fulfilling “all righteousness” includes not only Jesus being righteously obedient to His Father’s will but providing by His perfect righteousness a righteousness for us, “that we might become the righteousness of God.” This act of exchange, in which Jesus takes our sin and gives to us His righteousness, is depicted symbolically beforehand when He is baptized by John.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” Matthew 3:15-17 ESV
This opening of the heavens is pointing to Jesus’ death on the cross and the tearing of the curtain in the temple that had separated men from the presence of God.
The coming of the Spirit to “rest on him” raises a question. Did Jesus not have the Spirit before this point? I believe Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and something new is happening at Jesus’s baptism. The Holy Spirit comes to do a new work in equipping Jesus for His public ministry. ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”” Luke 4:18-19 ESV
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Romans 6:4-5 ESV
- Jesus’s baptism pointed forward to His death and resurrection, our baptism points back to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
- At His baptism Jesus was publicly declaring that He was identifying with sinners; at our baptism we are publicly declaring that we are identifying with Jesus and His mission.
- We are publicly declaring that we are dying to ourselves and living for Jesus and by Jesus. (This is chair two, “Follow Me”, where we are committing to dying to ourselves and living to follow Jesus.)
- Heaven is opened to us through Jesus, giving us communion with God the Father (Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 10:19-22).
- We receive the Holy Spirit when we have faith in Christ (Romans 8:9–10).
- We hear the voice of God the Father, who calls us sons and daughters, joint heirs with Jesus.
Living Hope Ministries 