The Baptism of Jesus

Heaven Opened

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John baptized many people in the Jordan River. Then one day Jesus came to be baptized too. This was the beginning of Jesus’ public work.

Why would Jesus be baptized? John’s baptism was for people turning from sin. But Jesus never sinned, not even once. He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

John was surprised. Matthew tells us that John tried to stop Jesus. John said that he needed Jesus to baptize him instead (Matthew 3:14).

Doing what is right. Jesus answered that it was right for them to do this, to do everything God wanted (Matthew 3:15). Jesus obeyed His Father in everything.

Standing with sinners. Jesus stepped into the water beside the people who needed forgiveness. He came to stand with sinners and to take their place.

Not ashamed of us. Jesus could have stayed far away from sinners. Instead He came to the river where people were confessing their sins. He came close to the very people who needed Him.

Pointing to the cross. Later, on the cross, Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). His baptism pointed ahead to that day.

Jesus prayed. The Bible says, “while He prayed, the heaven was opened” (Luke 3:21). Prayer was Jesus’ close time with His Father.

Jesus loved to pray. Again and again Jesus went off to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed time with the Father, we do too.

Heaven opened. Long ago Isaiah had prayed for God to tear open the heavens and come down (Isaiah 64:1). Now heaven opened over Jesus. God had come down to be with His people.

With all the people. “When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized” (Luke 3:21). Jesus did not stand far off. He came close.

The promise of the Spirit. John had said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16). Now the Spirit came upon Jesus Himself, the One who would give the Spirit to all His people.

The start of His work. Jesus was about thirty years old (Luke 3:23). He had lived quietly in Nazareth. Now He began to teach, heal and call people to follow Him.

What we learn. Jesus is holy, and yet He came close to sinners like us. He is never too great to come near.

What to do. This week, find a quiet place and talk to God the way Jesus did. Tell Him what is on your heart.

Jesus’ baptism begins His public ministry. It raises a real question: why would the sinless Son receive a baptism of repentance?

Without sin. Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He had nothing to repent of and nothing to confess.

Matthew 3:13-15. John protested. Jesus said it was fitting for them to fulfill all righteousness. He came to do every part of His Father’s will, on behalf of the people He came to save.

Taking His place among us. Jesus stood among sinners in the water, as He would take their place on the cross. “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Separate from sin, near to sinners. Hebrews 7:26 calls Jesus “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” Yet at the Jordan He stood shoulder to shoulder with them. He is set apart from sin, but He is never distant from sinners.

Revealed to Israel (John 1:31-34). John said he came baptizing so that the Messiah would be revealed to Israel. The Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus was the sign God had given him.

Praying (3:21). Jesus was praying when heaven opened. He prays at other turning points too: before choosing the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12) and on the cross (Luke 23:34).

Heaven torn open. Isaiah once cried for God to tear the heavens and come down (Isaiah 64:1). At the Jordan, heaven opened over the Son. God had answered that prayer in Jesus.

The Jordan. Israel crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land under Joshua (Joshua 3). The names Jesus and Joshua are the same name, and it means the Lord saves.

Hidden years. Jesus was about thirty (3:23). He had grown up in Nazareth for many years, working and obeying. The Father’s words at the Jordan came before any public miracle.

One of the crowd. “When all the people were baptized… Jesus also was baptized” (3:21). The holy Son did not keep His distance. He came down into the same water.

Baptism today. Jesus was not baptized because He needed forgiveness. Christians are baptized after believing, as an outward picture of an inward change: dying to the old life and rising to new life with Jesus (Romans 6:4). Baptism does not save us. Jesus does.

Application. Jesus came all the way down to where sinners stood. There is no place too low for His grace to reach you, and no sin too big for Him to forgive.

My Beloved Son

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When Jesus was baptized and prayed, something wonderful happened. The Holy Spirit came down, and the Father spoke from heaven.

Like a dove. “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him” (Luke 3:22). People could really see it.

The Spirit stayed. John said the Spirit came down and remained on Jesus (John 1:32). The Holy Spirit was with Jesus in all His work.

Gentle like a dove. A dove is a gentle bird. Jesus said, “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). The Spirit who rested on Jesus is gentle and kind too.

Power for His work. Later Jesus read from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

The Father’s voice. “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Beloved means dearly loved.

So His people would know. God spoke from heaven so His people would know who Jesus is. John bore witness that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:34).

Before any miracle. The Father said this before Jesus preached a sermon or did a miracle. The Father loves the Son because He is His Son.

Promised long ago. Psalm 2 says, “You are My Son” (Psalm 2:7). Isaiah said, “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!” (Isaiah 42:1).

Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the Jordan we see all three: the Son in the water, the Spirit like a dove, and the Father’s voice from heaven. There is one God in three Persons.

The Holy Spirit is a Person. He is not a force or a feeling. He is God. He came to rest on Jesus, and He comes to live in everyone who trusts Jesus.

Listen to Him. If the Father loves the Son this much, we should listen to Jesus and trust what He says. His words are the Father’s words.

The Father spoke again. Later, on a mountain, the Father spoke about His Son again and told the disciples to listen to Him (Luke 9:35).

Children of God. Because of Jesus, God makes us His children too. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Loved by the Father. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

What to do. When you feel unloved, remember that in Jesus the Father calls you His dearly loved child. Thank Him for that today.

Luke 3:22 gives one of the clearest pictures in the Gospels of who God is: Father, Son and Holy Spirit present together at one moment.

Bodily form (3:22). The Spirit came “in bodily form,” seen and not imagined. John the Baptist saw it and told others what he saw (John 1:32-34).

The Spirit on the Messiah. Isaiah 61:1 promised, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me.” Jesus read those words in Nazareth and said they had come true (Luke 4:18).

Anointed. Messiah and Christ both mean the Anointed One. At the Jordan Jesus was anointed, not with oil, but with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10:38).

Psalm 2:7. “You are My Son.” Psalm 2 is about God’s chosen King, so the Father’s words name Jesus as the promised King.

Isaiah 42:1. “My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him.” This names Jesus as the Servant, the same Servant who would suffer for sin in Isaiah 53. The King is also the Servant.

Beloved. The Greek agapetos (say: ah-gah-pay-TOSS) means dearly loved. Many Christians hear an echo of Genesis 22:2, where Isaac is called Abraham’s only son, whom he loves.

A gentle Spirit. The dove came down gently and remained (John 1:32). God’s power in Jesus was never harsh. Jesus said, “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).

Well pleased. The Father’s delight rested on Jesus’ hidden years of obedience in Nazareth. The Son had always done what pleased the Father.

One God in three Persons. Christians call this the Trinity: one God, eternally Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory. Jesus later told His followers to baptize in the one name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Into the wilderness. Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was then led into the wilderness to be tempted (Luke 4:1). The beloved Son was tested, and He did not fail.

Adoption. “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). Abba (say: AH-bah) is the Aramaic word a child uses for father. In Christ, the Father’s love for the Son reaches us.

Baptism for believers. In Acts, baptism follows faith: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). It is a public way of saying, I belong to Jesus now.

Application. Your worth does not come from grades, likes or how well you perform. If you belong to Jesus, the Father’s love for you is settled.

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