The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:1–17
Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. Matthew 3:13

Since John’s baptism was a baptism unto repentance and Jesus had no sin of which to repent, how is it that he sought baptism by John? And why did he seek this, as he said to John, “to fulfill all righteousness”? How could baptism add anything to the already perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ?

The best way to understand Jesus’s words is by understanding what is the primary significance of baptism, which is not immersion or sprinkling but the idea of identification, which is what I think the word baptizo primarily means. In Christian baptism we are identified with Jesus in his death and resurrection so that his death becomes our death and his resurrection our resurrection. In Jesus’s baptism by John, Jesus identified himself with us in our humanity, thereby taking on himself the obligation to fulfill all righteousness so that he might be a perfect Savior and substitute for us.

The last two verses of chapter 3 record the testimony of God the Father to Jesus. We might call it God’s authenticating seal on the outward sign of John’s water baptism of Jesus. This was an impressive testimony for two reasons. First, the entire Trinity was present: the Father who spoke from heaven, the Son of God who was baptized, and the Spirit of God who was seen descending like a dove on Jesus.

The second reason involves the words that were spoken. “A voice from heaven [that is, God’s voice] said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (v. 17). Any Jew who knew the Old Testament would immediately have a setting for these words. The first part of the sentence (“This is my beloved Son”) comes from Psalm 2:7, where God declares of his Messiah, “You are my Son.” The second part of the sentence (“with him I am well pleased”) comes from Isaiah 42:1, at the beginning of the prophecies of God’s suffering servant who would atone for Israel’s sin (42:1–9; 49:1–7; 50:1–11; and 52:13–53:12). So here, in the words of God himself, we have verification of the essential message of John the Baptist and Christianity itself, described earlier, namely, that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, and that his work was to save his people from their sins.

I ask you these questions: Do you love Jesus? And are you well pleased with him? The Father certainly is; that is what these words state clearly. If the Father is pleased with Jesus, shouldn’t you be? If you are not, you are far from being a true Christian. If you are, surely you will want to follow Jesus in faithful obedience and point others to him, as John the Baptist did.

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.