Baptism of Jesus: Matthew 3:13-end

John’s Baptism

The baptism of Jesus is a key turning point in Jesus’ life, and is recorded in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In contrast, the birth of Jesus, which we’ve just been celebrating, is only recorded in two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke.

Because we are familiar with the idea of baptism as Christians, we probably don’t see anything that unusual in what John was doing by baptising people, but John’s baptism was unusual.

Up to this point in time, baptism in the Jewish religion was something that was administered to Gentiles who wanted to become Jews. When someone wanted to convert to Judaism, they underwent a process of initiation which had three stages to it. The first stage of the initiation was to take a ceremonial bath in a Mikveh, to wash away their ‘Gentile impurities’. After this special bath, the convert was said to be born anew, to have had their sins cleansed, imagery and language that we use when it comes to Christian baptism. Then following on from this, the males of the family were circumcised, and the head of the family would offer a sacrifice.

But there were some significant difference between the self administered baptism of a Gentile (non Jew) becoming a Jew, and the baptism that John was offering.

1) John’s baptism was given to those who were already Jews.
2) John’s baptism took place in the Jordan river, as opposed to the Mikveh
3) John’s baptism was not self administered, as proselyte baptism was.
4) Fourthly John’s was a baptism of repentance. All through the Bible God pleads with us to turn away from our sins, failures, and mistakes, and to turn toward him—trusting in God alone to save us. That is what repentance means, and John’s baptism—like Christian baptism—was intimately connected to repentance. Baptism marked the “turning point” for those who chose to turn toward God. In Matthew 3:1 John’s message is "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." And in verses 5 and 6 we’re told, “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” John the Baptist was calling people to turn away from their sins and return to God.
And whilst all this is going on, Jesus comes to John and asks to be baptised. Jesus’ baptism raises a very interesting question, which is why did he get baptised? The baptism John was offering was one of reprentenance, but of all the people ever to have lived, there was only been one person who did not need to repent, because they had never sinned, and that was Jesus. So why did Jesus feel it was important to be baptised by John, and what is its significance for us today?

There are three things I want to mention about Jesus’ baptism, that helps us to understand what our own baptism as Christians means. It’s about Belonging, Identification & Commissioning.

Belonging

When Jesus was baptised by John in the river Jordan a voice from heaven was heard saying "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." In his baptism Jesus was publicly declared as being God’s very own Son.

Baptism is a sign that we belong to God’s family, that we are children of God. The bible teaches us that we too are chosen and created by God. Psalm 139 says, “You created me, and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” And in Jeremiah we read. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;”

In baptism we are brought into the family of God, it is a public sign and acknowledgement that not only do we belong to our earthly family, but also to God’s family. Baptism is also a sign that we are loved and accepted by God. This is what the apostle John writes in his first letter. “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children – think of it- and we really are… Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, right now.”

Baptism is not only a public sign that we are God’s children, but also that we are joining his family the church. This is why when someone is being baptized, we begin the service with the words, “In baptism the Lord is adding to our number those whom he is calling.” So baptism is a sign that we are joining God’s family the church.

Identification

Secondly baptism is about identification.

Why did Jesus need to undergo a baptism of repentance if he was without sin? When Jesus came to be baptised, John tried to deter him, saying “I am the one who needs to be baptised by you, not you by me.” So why was Jesus baptised?

He was baptised in order to identify himself with the message that John was preaching, which was message of turning back to God, placing God first in our life. When John questioned Jesus why he needed to be baptised, Jesus said, “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." In other words Jesus is talking about living a life in total obedience and faith to God. So by submitting himself to baptism, Jesus is demonstrating his commitment to serve and obey his heavenly Father.

By his own baptism, Jesus shows us that a healthy relationship to God means submitting our lives to him. As Christians we are meant to give every part of our lives over to God, our relationships, our money, our time, our very selves. I’ll be honest and admit this is something I struggle with, something that does not come easily, but the more we do it, the more we experience God’s love and mercy in our lives.

Secondly, in his baptism Jesus identifies himself with a world where there is so much sin and suffering. God choose to reveal himself to the world, through his Son Jesus, by immersing himself in the world and in its struggles. And in that way God is able to identify with you and me. At his birth, Jesus stepped from heaven to take on our flesh. At his baptism he waded out into the water to stand with us in our sinfulness. Baptism was for the immoral, the impure, the liars, adulterers and thieves, and yet Jesus willingly plunged into the water as if to say, “I’m with them!” Jesus in his baptism identifies himself with you and me.

And through our own baptism we identify with Jesus. In baptism we identify with Jesus in his death and resurrection. When someone is baptised, the sign of the cross is made on their forehead as a reminder that Jesus died on the cross for them, and for each one of us, it is a mark of identity. And when we go into the waters of baptism, it is symbolic of dying to sin, and being raised to new life with God.

This next short video, reminds us of our identity in Christ as Christians:

The Jews saw baptism as a rite of passage for proselytes. John preached baptism with repentance for the forgiveness of sins—acknowledging that, apart from God, we are all unclean. But Jesus added a whole new level of meaning to baptism, as it came to be a living picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This is why Paul writes, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? When we were baptized into his death, we were placed into the tomb with him. As Christ was brought back from death to life by the glorious power of the Father, so we, too, should live a new kind of life.” (Rom. 6:3-4)Just as the waters of baptism provided Jesus with a way to identify with us, they also provide us with a way to identify with him.

Commissioning

Thirdly baptism is a commissioning.

When Jesus was baptised it marked the start of his public ministry. At his baptism the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus, affirming that he is indeed God’s Son, and equipping him for the task ahead. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.”

In our baptism we too are commissioned and equipped to follow and serve God for the rest of our lives. We are commissioned to share the love of God that we have received with the world around us. We are all called to full time Christian ministry, because our calling is to live the Christian life 24/7, whatever we may do. his is both a tremendous privilege and a tremendous responsibility, and so we need help in doing this, and so in baptism we are equipped to do this by receiving God’s Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a promise to everyone who places their faith in Jesus. The Bible says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39 NIV).God enters into our lives through his Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit that guides and directs us as we follow and serve God. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us our new identity in Christ so that we truly are born again spiritually.

Conclusion

So Jesus’ baptism tells us something very important about who Jesus is, and also reveals something important about who we are.

It reveals to us that through baptism we belong to God’s family, that just as God spoke ‘this is my son whom I love’ so he says this to you and I. He loves us, he calls us into his family.

We see that in baptism we are identified with Christ’s death and resurrection, and that through baptism we are commissioned to serve God in the world.

I want to finish by inviting you to renew the promises made at your baptism, as a way of recommitting ourselves to serving and following God. It doesn’t matter whether you can remember your baptism or not, and if there is anyone here who hasn’t been baptized, you also can join in with these words.

Renewal of Baptism Promises