LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 3:13, Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by John.

 

Baptism usually occurs once per month at the church we attend; this past weekend baptism took place for the second time in July. The church we attend is considered a “megachurch” because of the number of people who go there. Because of the number of people attending, there are five services each weekend – one on Saturday night and four on Sunday. I mention this because of the crazy number of baptisms that occurred this month – 494 total. People of all ages were baptized. The pastor emphasized that each person had been talked to in order for them to realize the significance of being baptized and to be sure they understood that the water does not save them; only the Lord Jesus Christ is able to do that! So, “water is not salvation but identification that the Jesus has save us” (Dr. Ed Newton).

 

That brings me to some thoughts today on the Lord Jesus Christ going to the Jordan River to be baptized. Jesus has arrived at the place John the Baptist is preaching the message of repentance and has been baptizing those who are publicly willing to repent of their sin and renew their commitment to following the Lord. Jesus comes to him and desires to be baptized by him and John tells Jesus he (John) needed to be baptized by Him. John recognized Jesus as the Messiah. We do not know when John came to realize this. I imagine that because Jesus and John were cousins, John’s parents had explained to him the circumstances of Jesus birth. Because John was a prophet, the one sent to proclaim the Good News of repentance before God, he was doing what God had sent him to do. Can you imagine what he must have thought when the Messiah came to be baptized by him. Did he have the authority to baptize Him? Baptism was a way to recognize a cleansing because of a new declaration to live as God commanded they live; Jesus had committed no sin! There was nothing Jesus could announce had changed in His life as He came out of the water. I have to think that John must have thought baptizing Him was not necessary.

 

Why did Jesus need to be baptized? In verse 15, Jesus told John He needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness”. I found several answers to what this statement means. Jesus had come to die for sinners and baptism identified Him with the sinners He came to save. It would help Him show all sin could be forgiven through Him and baptism was to show an identification to Him. Another thought was to identify with the ministry of John who was preparing the way for the Messiah as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. There is a third thought that is pretty simple. Jesus was doing this because God the Father wanted it to be done.

 

As a result of being baptized the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove. At that time a “voice spoke from heaven saying, ‘This is my Son in whom I am well pleased’” (verse 17). Can I just say that regardless of all the details of this happening that the Holy Spirit coming to rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ was powerful confirmation that He was being empowered by the Father to fulfill the mission He had been sent to do.

 

By being baptized, we publicly declare that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Lord; we are a new creation because He has cleansed us of all unrighteousness. As Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do all He did, we also have been empowered with the Holy Spirit when we asked Jesus Christ into our heart. I think the Father in heaven rejoices when Believers follow Jesus in publicly declared they have been forgiven by the blood of His Son!