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Matthew 3:13-17 (Baptism of Jesus)

INTRODUCTION: Last week we looked at John the Baptist and his message in preparation for Jesus. This week we look at Jesus himself and his preparation for ministry. And the first part of Jesus’ preparation for ministry was his baptism. (Read Matthew 3:13-17 and pray.)

What do you need in life? There are the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. You might also say you need friends and community. Some of you need work, while others of you would say you need a vacation! We all have various needs in life, but there is one thing that we all need – no matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what your position or station in life. We all need Jesus. Whatever else is going on in your life, I can tell you with confidence this morning: you need Jesus. You need Jesus in your life to save you, to help you, to guide you.

We are looking at Jesus’ baptism this morning from the gospel of Matthew, and as we do I want you to see three applications from this passage. 1) Recognize your need for Jesus. 2) Trust what Jesus says. 3) See the beauty of who Jesus is.

I. Recognize your need for Jesus (13-14)

First of all, recognize your need for Jesus. Look at verses 13-14:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:13-14)

   A. John the Baptist knew that he needed Jesus.

In Matthew 3:1 we read that John came. Now in verse 13 we read that Jesus came. Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan specifically to be baptized by John. The Jordan was about 30 miles from Nazareth, so this was an all day trip by foot. Jesus came a long way for a definite purpose. He came to the Jordan to submit to John the Baptist in baptism. But when John sees him he tries to stop him. He says, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

John was confused. First of all, John knew Jesus. They were cousins. They probably knew each other growing up. John would have known all about Jesus’ miraculous birth and probably had a good idea that he was the one to come. John had told the people he was not worthy to carry this person’s sandals. And all of a sudden Jesus shows up at the Jordan to be baptized by John. It didn’t make any sense.

John the Baptist knew that he needed Jesus. When he said, “I need to be baptized by you,” he literally said, “I have a need.” I have a need to be baptized by you. John knew that Jesus was coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit, and even though John had been filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, he knew that he needed this baptism from Jesus. He knew that his own baptism was just preparing people for Jesus, but Jesus was bringing the real thing. And so John tries to stop him. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

   B. We need to recognize our need for Jesus.

John recognized his need for Jesus, and we need to recognize our need for Jesus as well. John said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, which means that Jesus would give new life to all who put their faith in him. When you put your faith in Jesus, God forgives you of all your sins, and Jesus gives you new life through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cleanses you from all unrighteousness. This baptism or cleansing by the Holy Spirit brings you into the body of Christ and seals your place in God’s family. You cannot be saved without Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and so like John, we need to come to Jesus saying, “I need to be baptized by you. I need to be forgiven by you. I need to be cleansed by you. I need to be saved by you. I need the gift of your Holy Spirit in my life without which I can never be saved, without which I can never be a part of the family of God.” John the Baptist knew that he needed Jesus. You need to recognize your need for Jesus, too.

II. Trust what Jesus says (15)

Secondly, you need to trust what Jesus says. Look at verse 15. When John tried to stop Jesus from being baptized,

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. (Matthew 3:15)

For you fans of the Disney film Frozen, you might find it interesting that when Jesus tells John to let it be, another way you could translate that is “Let it go!” John says, “I can’t baptize you. You should be baptizing me!” And Jesus says, “John, let it go! Let it go for now.”

Jesus had a specific purpose for this baptism right now. Things would be different later, but for now this was the proper thing to do. So why did Jesus get baptized? We saw last week that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for sin. Jesus didn’t have any sin, so why would he come to the Jordan to be baptized by John?

   A. Jesus was baptized to identify with us. (Romans 8:3; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

There are at least three reasons Jesus chose to be baptized. First of all, Jesus was baptized to identify with us. The book of Romans says that Jesus came “in the likeness of sinful man.” (Romans 8:3) That does not mean that he had any sin of his own, but he came in our likeness — with a true human body subject to temptation and weakness like anyone else. The book of 1 Peter says that he came to bear our sins in his own body. (1 Peter 2:24) 2 Corinthians 5 makes the identification even stronger: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) So even though Christ had no sin of his own to confess in the Jordan River, he was baptized as a testimony that he would identify with us so strongly that he would actually take our sins upon himself at the cross. In other words, Jesus wasn’t baptized because he was a sinner; he was baptized because we were.

When John prepared the way for Jesus, he spoke of a powerful person coming with a judgment of fire. Instead Jesus shows up at the river to be baptized. That Day of Judgment will come, but for now Jesus identified with sinners. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world.

   B. Jesus was baptized to demonstrate his mission to us. (Mark 10:38, 45; Romans 6:4)

Which leads us to the second reason Jesus was baptized. Jesus was baptized to demonstrate his mission to us. Jesus did not come to earth to Lord it over us, but rather to identify with us and to give his life as a ransom for us. (Mark 10:45) Jesus would later refer to his death on the cross as his “baptism.” (Mark 10:38; Luke 12:50) And so through his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus was demonstrating his commitment to follow through on his mission – to die on the cross for our sins and to rise again from the dead.

This death and resurrection is beautifully represented in the very act of baptism. When a person goes under the water, it is a picture of death and burial; when the person comes out of the water it is a picture of resurrection and new life. The book of Romans picks up on this picture of death and resurrection when it says: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

   C. Jesus was baptized as an example for us. (Matthew 28:19)

Which leads us to the third reason Jesus was baptized Jesus was baptized as an example for us. Just as Jesus identified with us in his baptism, so he calls us to identify with him in our baptism. When we are baptized in Jesus’ name, we are giving testimony to our faith in Jesus Christ, that we have died to our old selves and have been given new life through Christ. We have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection, and we demonstrate that through our public baptism.

Just as our baptism is our public testimony of faith, so Jesus’ baptism was his public testimony that he identified with our sins and would die on the cross for our sins. In effect, Jesus’ baptism was his testimony that he had come as the Savior, which is what his name “Jesus” actually means: “Savior, or salvation.” As the angel told Joseph concerning the birth of Jesus, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Jesus told John, “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” On one level Jesus was simply being obedient to God’s commands. But on a deeper level by submitting to baptism Jesus showed that he was submitted to the cross, and at the cross Jesus secured perfect righteousness for all who believe in him.

Matthew tells us that at Jesus’ birth he was called Immanuel, God with us. At his baptism Jesus took it one step further. Jesus not only identified with us as human beings, but he identified with us in our sin. Indeed Jesus’ baptism was a foreshadowing of that day when he would so fully identify with us that he would take our sins upon his very self.

Jesus doesn’t explain all this to John. He simply says, “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” And John consented. He didn’t understand it all, but he trusted what Jesus said. It’s funny, in the original language the phrase used for “John consented” is the same phrase Jesus used when he said, “Let it be.” So you could actually translate this conversation: Jesus told John, “Let it go!” And John let it go. He consented. He trusted what Jesus said even if he didn’t understand it all. A lot of times Jesus is going to say things to you that you don’t fully understand. And yet you need to trust what Jesus says. You need Jesus. And you need to trust him at all times.

III. See the beauty of who Jesus is (16-17)

So far we have looked at two applications from this text. 1) Recognize your need for Jesus. 2) Trust what Jesus says. And now I would like us to look at a third application. 3) See the beauty of who Jesus is.

   A. See the beauty of his relationships in the Trinity
      – Isaiah 11:1-3; Luke 4:18; John 10:17

First of all, see the beauty of his relationships in the Trinity. Look at verses 16-17:

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. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

Here we see all three members of the Trinity represented. Jesus is in the water. The Holy Spirit descends like a dove. God the Father speaks from heaven. All three members of the Trinity are present and active at the baptism of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus was prophesied by Isaiah. We read in Isaiah 11: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:1-3)

The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at his baptism to anoint him for ministry. When Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth he began by saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:18)

Matthew tells us the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. A dove was a symbol of purity, gentleness and innocence. We are used to seeing the Holy Spirit represented by a dove in modern times, but this is actually the only time we ever see the Holy Spirit represented as a dove in Scripture. It is only in the passages describing Jesus’ baptism.

So we see the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus for ministry in verse 16. Then we also hear the Father’s voice of approval in verse 17. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Jesus’ baptism was his commitment to go to the cross to die for our sins, and the Father voiced his approval from heaven. Later Jesus would say, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life.” (John 10:17)

So once again, all three members of the Trinity are present at this baptismal scene which takes place at the beginning of Matthew. In Jesus’ baptism we see the beauty of Jesus’ relationships in the Trinity.

   B. See the beauty of his obedience to the Father
      – Genesis 22:2; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 42:1

In Jesus’ baptism we also see the beauty of Jesus obedience to the Father. There are only two times in Matthew’s gospel that God speaks audibly from heaven – here at Jesus’ baptism and then later at Jesus’ transfiguration. Both times he says the same thing: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

When God speaks these words at Jesus’ baptism he affirms two things about Jesus. First of all, he affirms that Jesus is his Son. God’s words at Jesus’ baptism are a combination of three Scriptures from the Old Testament. Genesis 22:2 where God told Abraham: “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love.” (Genesis 22:2) Psalm 2:7 where God says to the Messiah: “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” (Psalm 2:7) And Isaiah 42:1 where God says of his servant: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.” (Isaiah 42:1)

What is God saying in these words? Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac for God, so God was willing to sacrifice his only Son Jesus for us. Jesus is the Son of God whom God the Father testified to in the Psalms. Jesus is also the suffering Servant who lays down his life for God’s people. God first of all affirms that Jesus is his Son.

But secondly God affirms that he is completely pleased with Jesus. He is pleased with the perfect life Jesus lived in Nazareth all those years between his birth and his baptism. But God is especially pleased with Jesus’ obedience in submitting to baptism in preparation for the cross. For it is immediately after Jesus is baptized that God chooses to speak. Remember Jesus said, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life.” (John 10:17) And so at Jesus’ baptism, we not only see the beauty of his relationships in the Trinity. We also see the beauty of his obedience to the Father.

CONCLUSION: It’s interesting, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ ministry begins with his baptism in the Jordan and then ends with Jesus telling his disciples to go and baptize others. We find Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:19: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) In both cases the Trinity is presented. The Trinity is presented visually at Jesus’ baptism and then verbally in Jesus’ words at the Great Commission. Jesus’ ministry in Matthew both begins and ends with baptism. And this shows us how important baptism is.

God commands all believers in Jesus Christ to be baptized as a sign of their faith. Just as Jesus identified with you in his baptism, God is calling you to identify with Jesus through your baptism. If you have never been baptized as a believer, let me encourage you to be baptized in obedience to Jesus Christ and according to his example.

The bottom line – you need Jesus. Recognize your need for Jesus. Trust what Jesus says. See the beauty of who Jesus is. He is the beloved Son of God who was baptized not because he was a sinner, but because you were.

© Ray Fowler

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