March 7, 2024

This is another one of those passages that I think has some rich meaning that we often miss. John the Baptist was calling people to repentance from sin and telling them to make that statement through the act of baptism. Then Jesus comes to John to be baptized. In Matthew and John, the writers share how John tried to get out of doing it. He didn’t feel worthy of doing it. But Jesus told him that this is what God wanted. So he did.
It was confusing for John because Jesus was God in the flesh, and therefore, He was sinless. Paul affirms Jesus’ sinlessness in 2 Corinthians 5:21, as does Peter in 1 Peter 2:22, and the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 4:15. So why would a sinless Savior need to be baptized? The answer? He wouldn’t. But though Jesus didn’t NEED to be baptized, He CHOSE to be baptized.
There are probably a lot of reasons that Jesus had John baptize Him, but let me offer two for you to ponder. One, I think Jesus did it for US. He who was eternal became a human being. He felt pain like we feel pain. He was tempted just as we were tempted. He experienced the sting of being abandoned, betrayed, and rejected. He knew the joy of laughter, celebration, and the sorrow of grief. I think Jesus being baptized was a way of expressing that He had stepped into our fallen world of sin and wasn’t afraid of joining in with the worst of sinners. Proud Pharisees were too full of themselves to be baptized. But not Jesus. He came to be a Friend to sinners. He wasn’t afraid to be seen as one of us.
Also, I think the baptism was a great foreshadowing of what Jesus had come to do. His baptism was the kickoff to His ministry among us. A ministry that would ultimately end with a burial and resurrection. Jesus showed through His baptism His Divine Destiny. He had come to give His life on our behalf, to be buried, and to be raised victoriously from the grave. Jesus began His ministry by showing the end of it. His baptism was a marvelous demonstration of what would be our victory. No wonder His Heavenly Father said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” He brought US great joy as well! That’s God’s Word for you today.