The Purpose of Jesus’ Baptism
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptised by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptised by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”Matthew 3:13-17.
Before Jesus began His public ministry, He presented Himself to John the Baptist to be baptised: “It so unfortunate that as believers we tend to read the scriptures but fail to let the Word sink into our hearts. We make the mistake of reading, but not really comprehending its importance for our lives. Recognising the sinlessness of Jesus Christ, John initially resisted, but Jesus replied: “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15)
Have you ever pondered in your mind why Jesus consented to be baptised by John? This truth must be fully understood: Jesus, as the Son of God, had no sins to repent of, yet He willingly submitted Himself to baptism; in doing so, He was to function in His office as the Son of Man. This often goes unnoticed in the lives of many people.
The baptism of Jesus prefigured His crucifixion, identifying Him with the death, burial, and resurrection that would accomplish the salvation wrought for the lives of humanity.
John declared: I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’as the prophet Isaiah said.” Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”John 1:23-27.
Jesus’ baptism also identified Him with humanity. Though completely without sin, He willingly stepped into the place of those He came to save. Above all, His baptism demonstrated His complete obedience to the Father and fulfilled God’s righteous purpose.
Jesus never acted according to His own personal preference, but He always, in every situation, willingly submitted Himself to the will of His Father. Therefore, His obedience at the beginning of His ministry reveals the heart of His entire earthly mission: “I do always those things that please the Father who sent Me..” (John 8:29)
Therefore, if the sinless Son of God considered it fitting to humble Himself and obey the Father in baptism, how much more should those who follow Him take seriously the command to obey?
What must be fully understood in our desire to be faithful in following Jesus is to constantly set Jesus before our lives as the Father’s perfect benchmark or standard of living our lives as believers in Christ. It is important to understand that Jesus did not merely teach obedience; He demonstrated it.