Series: Jesus in the Wilderness
Read: Matthew 3:13-17
In the Baptist conviction in which I was raised, it was important for individuals to approach baptism as an individual decision to make a public proclamation of one’s faith. My problem, however, was that I was incredibly shy. I remember when my mom came and got me out of children’s Church so that I could walk the aisle at the end of the adult service and announce that I wanted to be baptized. I made it halfway up the aisle, chickened out, and ran out the back of the auditorium. My dad had to come down, pick me up, and carry me to the front. You wouldn’t know it now, but, yes, I was that shy. I’m so thankful for my parents, taking the time and showing me grace and patience while also pushing me to do the right thing.
Whatever your convictions are on the subject of baptism, it is a serious matter. It is one of two orthodox doctrines that have divided good, well meaning followers of Christ throughout the centuries. There is a growing tendency to avoid difficult topics, but that leads to a casual opinion about baptism, and it is not a casual topic, open to interpretation. On the other extreme, we can talk about baptism as though our understanding of it is the only legitimate way of practicing it. This lends to inflating the mode over the intended purpose. Instead, we should look at baptism with deep conviction and with full intention of understanding what Jesus is asking us to do when we follow His example.
John was baptizing people in the wilderness of Judea in the Jordan River. This was to show that the current religious system had been hollowed out by the Pharisees and the Sadducees. John demonstrated the opposite of the religious leaders as he was decked out in garments made of camel’s hair and eating locusts. The crowds were coming to John to be baptized by him, which means that his message resonated with them in some way. He was calling them to repentance and preparation for the Kingdom of God.
So why was Jesus baptized by John? He didn’t need to repent of anything. He was the sinless Son of God. Yet, He humbly submitted Himself to be baptized. This is a crucial turning point in the Gospel because it is one of just a handful of stories that is included in all four Gospel accounts. In fact, what Jesus is doing here is the start of His earthly ministry. Up until this point, we don’t see Jesus preaching or performing any miracles. Something significant is taking place here.
What He Came to Do
First, this demonstrates what Jesus came into this world to do, and how He came to do it. John was calling people to repent and they were confessing their sins. Jesus had no sins to confess, but He came to be baptized to identify with the need for repentance and to demonstrate that He alone was able to pay the penalty for our sins.
John stops Him as he sees Jesus. He had already mentioned that he was unworthy to carry the Messiah’s sandals, now John is face to face with Jesus. We will see a similar example when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. Peter refuses to see Jesus in such a lowly position, but this was necessary for Jesus because He came into this world to serve. Here Jesus is submitting to John to show His obedience to God and the humility by which He will bring about God’s will.
Jesus declares, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” The people were coming to repent and confess their sins, but how would those sins be forgiven? Jesus would be the sinless sacrifice on our account. His righteousness would become our righteousness as our sins, repented and confessed, would be placed on Him on the cross.
Who Jesus Is
Secondly, this baptism shows us who Jesus is. John had been proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand, and as Jesus came up from His baptism we are giving a glimpse into that Kingdom. The heavens were opened, the Spirit of God descending on Jesus like a dove, and the voice of God was heard declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
In this image we have a demonstration of the triune God. We have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This shouldn’t be a surprise for Christians who can look back over both Testaments of Scripture and see the Trinity working together throughout history, but this would have been revolutionary to the early believers. They were looking for a redeemer like Moses and a king like David. They were not anticipating that God Himself would come and dwell among His own creation.
This shows the difference of how we see our problems and how God sees our problems. We want God to improve our lives, rescue us from our oppressors, and bless us with His wisdom, riches, power, and glory. Our vision is set on the kingdom of this world. Jesus, however, came to save us from our sins. His vision is on the Kingdom of Heaven. The problem we actually face is that God cannot dwell on earth because He is holy and cannot tolerate our sin.
God says He is pleased with His Son. This means significantly more than God being happy to watch His Son get baptized. This demonstrates the sinlessness of Jesus and the fact that He alone is able to bring hope to humanity. No one else can claim that God is pleased with them. We are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. But Jesus was sinless. He pleased the Father, and He alone was able to satisfy the wrath of God for the punishment that you and I deserve.
What Do We Do?
John was calling people to be baptized for repentance. Jesus was baptized to demonstrate that He alone would bring forgiveness. What does baptism mean for us?
When we are baptized, we are demonstrating our own need to repent, but the water does not wash our sins away. We need another baptism. We need to be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ.
When we are baptized, we are proclaiming that Christ alone is able to save us. By following Jesus’ example, we are surrendering to His work and God’s will. We need The Father to be pleased with us, so we must put on Christ so that God will only see us through His Son.
When we are baptized, we are witnessing to others that we are not our own. We have surrendered to Jesus. We are following His example of obedience. We are committed to the Kingdom of Heaven. And we are inviting others to follow us as we follow Christ. Come on in, the water is fine.
Adam Miller is the president and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church. This article is a condensed version of one of his sermons.