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13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 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. 16 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. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." ~ Matthew 3:13-17
Today we complete our study of Matthew 3 where we have been introduced to the older cousin of the Lord Jesus Christ, John the Baptist. John was the voice crying out in the wilderness preparing the way for the Messiah to come to Israel. Previously, John warned his hearers of the impending doom spoken of by the Old Testament prophets. John's message was that of repentance. His goal was to get the people to see that their sin was not permanently atoned for and they needed a Savior. It was John's God-given job to point the people to the Lord Jesus Christ whom he identified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
In v.13-15 of today's passage we read, "13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?' 15 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."
The baptism of the Lord Jesus performed by John the Baptist was a public event for anyone there to see. The Lord Jesus Christ departed from Galilee to begin His ministry "at the Jordan River." The Lord Jesus came to John "to be immersed by him." From that point on, the Messiah would become the central point, the focus of God would be on the Lord Jesus who fulfilled everything requirement in the Old Testament to procure man's salvation. This made the Lord Jesus the Savior of all who would believe on Him.
When the Lord Jesus came to John to be baptized by him, John tried to prevent Him from being baptized because John's baptism was a baptism of repentance and John knew the Lord Jesus had no need to repent for He had never sinned. In addition, John, despite being the prophet of the Lord, realized his unworthiness to baptize the Lord Jesus. John knew that he was just a sinful man, therefore he was acutely aware of his need to be baptized by the Lord Jesus.
John ended up baptizing the Lord Jesus which marked the beginning of His ministry at age thirty. The baptism of the Lord Jesus was part of what He did for His people to be declared righteous by God. Without His baptism sinful man's ability to repent from his sin and turn to God would be impeded. Just as on the cross the Lord Jesus received the punishment of our sin, so, in His baptism, He represented before God the very sinful people whom He came to save.
For years it was inculcated into the Jewish culture to confess their sins at the temple, taking along a sacrifice as mandated by the Law of Moses. They went to the priests who ministered the law before God. The system was designed for this by God, and it was brought forth through the hand of Moses. Along with any individual confessions of sin, there were various sacrifices each day, month, and year. On the Day of Atonement, all the people were to refrain from work and to afflict their souls. There was nothing in the law that said, "When the Messiah comes, He will be exempt from the statutes, rules, and ordinances of the law."
John was called as a prophet and his message was to call the people to turn from their wicked ways and redirect their lives to be defined by God. Rote observance of the rituals of the temple did not change their hearts toward God. However, they were required by the law and the people were to submit to them. These were all ministered by the priests. John was of the priestly class, being a son of Zechariah. Since the Lord Jesus was required to observe the rules and rituals of the law, and since God had called John to supplement those rules and rituals with the people’s inward reconsideration of their sinful condition through baptism, then it was right for the Lord Jesus to be baptized by John.
On the Day of Atonement, the Lord Jesus had no need for atonement, but being born under the law, He had a need to observe the day accordingly. With John’s baptism, the same need existed to fulfill all righteousness, meaning those things which God had ordained had to be upheld. A true prophet of God under the law was called forth to do the will of God in accordance with the law. All righteousness demanded that the Lord Jesus enter into John’s baptism regardless of His sinlessness.
In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 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. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
The purpose of baptism was a symbolic thorough cleansing from one’s past. Only immersion provides the proper symbolism for this teaching. The meaning of baptism in the Greek means "to immerse." The Lord Jesus went to John who immersed Him in the Jordan River. From there the Lord Jesus then ascended out of the Jordan. "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" According to John's Gospel, at that point John saw the Spirit of God descending upon the Lord Jesus as a dove and alighting upon Him. Thus, this event signified to all that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah. When the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus, His earthly ministry began.
As noted when the Lord Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Father spoke from heaven. This was the first of three times that the voice of God was heard in this way. The other two instances happened at His Transfiguration and again during the week of Passion. With His words the Father proclaimed that the Lord Jesus was His Son sent to earth from heaven. In Matthew 1:18 God had already said the Lord Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit thus He was His Son.
Finally, the voice from the heavens declared, "in whom I am well pleased." This was an audible and a legal approval from God the Father to the Lord Jesus. In this case, God formally sent forth His Son to accomplish the redemption of all sinful man. The Lord Jesus was the chosen instrument to overcome the works of the devil and to restore sinful man to Himself. As everything reproduces after its own kind, it is understood that the Lord Jesus is thus God and Man. Here, we see that the Lord Jesus is the Son of the Father in heaven. The voice of the Father is not the same manifestation as that of the Spirit because the Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus and yet the voice was heard from the heavens.
This passage reveals with clarity the Trinity. Even though the Bible never uses the word Trinity, here, it was on clear display for all to see. The baptism of the Lord is notable because through it He identified Himself with sinful man even though He never once sinned. The Lord Jesus was baptized so that all righteousness might be fulfilled. That means His baptism symbolized the sinners’ baptism into His righteousness, dying with Him and rising free from sin and able to walk in newness of life. His perfect righteousness would fulfill all the requirements of the Law for sinners who could never hope to do so on our own.
