Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21, John 1:29-34
Baptism is an external expression of an internal change. It represents the old us being buried with Christ and the new life being raised with Christ. But why does Jesus have to be baptized? He doesn’t deserve death, nor need to be raised into a new life with the Holy Spirit! He is the incarnate God, never sinning and completely holy.
Jesus’ baptism is the start of his ministry. Jesus is the model for us. He is the holy God wrapped in human flesh. Hebrews tells us:
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Jesus did everything we are supposed to do - yet he did them perfectly when we could never. That includes baptism! Jesus is identifying with us, the sinful people he came to save through his substitutionary life and death. Jesus' baptism reveals his mission to live the perfect life as an example to all people, to begin his ministry, and to reveal his identity. “And behold a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
We get baptized, not to mark the moment of baptism as when we receive the Holy Spirit, but because we follow the example of Jesus. We show that with the crucifixion, we are dying to our old selves and with Christ’s resurrection we arise as a new creation, the dwelling place of the Spirit. This story is easy to skim over and assume there isn’t much to take away. This portion of scripture is saying something big though! It is a powerful story of the humble obedience of our Savior who took every step to be an example for us.
Take some time today to look at your life. Really, where are you quick to rebel instead of obeying?
Remember you have been raised with Christ. You are new because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father, even in baptism. Take a moment to ask God to help you believe that and to lift your eyes to Christ today, so that you may run the race with joyful obedience.
