The Baptism of Jesus
Introduction: All four gospels have some manner of detail about the baptism of Christ. By considering a composite view from them, we may increase our appreciation of that event which marked the beginning of the Lord's public ministry on earth. The one detail common to all four gospels is that the Spirit of God came upon Jesus as a dove. Based on Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the temptation of Christ began immediately after his baptism.
NOTE: Bible passages are from the World English Bible.
A — The Baptism of Jesus Recorded in Matthew
Matthew 3 “13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John would have hindered him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?’ 15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, ‘Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfil all righteousness.’ 16 Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. 17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”
Comments: John the Baptist used metaphoric language to describe the far superior work that Jesus would perform, compared with the water baptism he administered. The baptism in the Holy Spirit by Jesus sets apart the “wheat” that will be gathered into the barn from the “chaff” that will be burned with unquenchable fire. When Jesus came to be baptized by John in water for repentance, John was very hesitant because he recognized that Jesus was the very Son of God. Jesus had no sin to be forgiven, but he assured John that his baptism was a necessary step to complete all righteousness. There were two confirming signs from heaven about the identity of Jesus: the Spirit of God came upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and the voice from heaven declared Jesus to be the Son of God in whom God is well pleased.
B — The Baptism of Jesus as Recorded by Mark
Mark 1 “9 It happened in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 A voice came out of the sky, ‘You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”
Comments: Mark is very specific to state that Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As with Matthew's account, Mark includes the Spirit descending like a dove. In Mark's gospel a personal pronoun is used to refer to Jesus, indicating a direct address to him; and stating that he is the beloved son who is well pleasing to the one speaking from heaven. Nazareth was the town where Joseph and Mary lived with their family, and Jesus willingly submitted to the authority of his parents throughout his early years.
C — The Baptism of Jesus as Recorded by Luke
Luke 3 “21 Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying ‘You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.’”
Comments: Luke does not give preparatory details like Matthew and Mark for the arrival of Jesus at the Jordan River. However, there is a very distinctive aspect in his description: after Jesus had been baptized, he was praying, and the Holy Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove. The time of baptism is the first recorded instance of prayer in the life of Jesus, and the first observable direct communication between God the Son and God the Father.
D — John the Baptist Described His Baptism of Jesus
John 1 “29 The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 32 John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, “On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” 34 I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.’”
Comments: The apostle John in his gospel does not detail the baptism of Jesus when it occurred, or the subsequent temptation in the wilderness. None of the four gospels specify who was present at the baptism of Jesus other than John the Baptist. The day after John the Baptist had given his answer to those who questioned him, Jesus returned to the Jordan where John the Baptist repeated his declarations about Jesus. When John saw Jesus approaching he directed attention to him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world — which certainly attributes to him the unique ability not limited to any time in history, or to any location anywhere around the globe.
Reflections in Prayer
Lord, I thank you for coming into the world in the form of man through a series of events that had been promised throughout the Old Testament. When you submitted to a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sin, you did this because it was necessary to complete the righteousness of God that we cannot achieve on our own merit. I now more fully understand that when I realized my need of a Savior and asked you to take control of my life, that you were ready to forgive my sin because you had fulfilled all righteousness for me. John the Baptist also told us that you, Jesus, came to be the Lamb of God for that perfect sacrifice that takes away sin for all who have the faith to accept it in their behalf. I thank you My Savior that you have made me part of the “wheat” that you will gather into your barn, and that you have saved me from the unquenchable fire. Hallelujah and Amen!
Published 11 January 2014