We talked last week about John the Baptist. Now we need to talk about Jesus’ baptism. Each of the gospels mention it, though the perspective changes from book to book. Mark is pretty sparse on details (as he often is), though he does mention that voice that proclaimed the identity of Jesus and the Father’s pleasure with what had been done. Luke’s account is very similar. Matthew adds the protests of John, where he said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” We’ll talk more about Jesus’ reply to John.
John’s gospel doesn’t mention the baptism itself, but it does mention the descent of the Spirit in the form of a dove. No mention of the voice from heaven, either.
So why was Jesus baptized? “To fulfill all righteousness” is the quick answer, quoting Jesus’ words from the gospel of Matthew. But it raises as many questions as it answers. Matthew often talks of fulfillment, yet it’s hard to see how this act fulfilled any prophecy. And he says this was about fulfilling righteousness, not Scripture.
Then you have the fact that John’s baptism was about repenting from sin and receiving forgiveness for that sin. Jesus had no sin. (It’s an interesting fact that Jesus began his ministry by being baptized for sins that he didn’t have and ended it by being crucified for sins that he didn’t have)
If you had to give a brief answer to the question “Why was Jesus baptized?”, what would you say?
I would say, “Amen” to yours. What you said is interesting: that He was immersed for sins that He did not commit and would suffer death for sins He did not commit. Fuel for thoughts. Thanks.
Jesus *himself* had no sin.
But IMO we think of that first because we are individualistic Westerners.
Jesus is not an individualistic Westerner. He is an Israelite. He is, for that matter, THE Israelite.
NT Wright has convinced me that the whole root concept expressed by the various translations Righteousness/Justification/Justify, etc., are jargon for the fullness of God’s saving purposes.
In order for God’s saving purposes to be carried out, Israel — the children of Abraham through whom God promised to bless the world — must repent and get into the forgiveness of sins (which I think is Jewish synecdoche for ALL the blessings of God’s coming kingdom, God’s return to the Temple, God’s mission to redeem all creation).
Jesus, perfect though he is in himself, belongs to sinful Israel! As her king, as her servant, as her savior, he himself must publicly identify with her in all her brokenness and fallen plight. In order to carry Israel’s sin, he must take up Israel’s sin. In a stroke of divine irony, the baptism that takes away the sins of the sinners who come to John is the same baptism through which Jesus takes up the sins of Israel, and through them, the world.
So Jesus needs to publicly pledge his loyalty to the God of Israel (repentance), and particularly that God’s peculiar, self-abnegating way of saving the world (fulfilling all righteousness) wherein Jesus understands himself to be the One in and through whom God will return to the Temple and that great and awesome day of the Lord (Joel 2:11; Zephaniah 1:7; Malachi 3:1-3, 4:5) will arrive (forgiveness of sins).
Need to read John again. He doesn’t mention Jesus’ baptism. He mentions many details we know occurred at the time of Jesus’ baptism, but his not mentioning actually shows his gospel is inspired by God and not from man. Consider why it is not mentioned in John and your faith will be strengthened.
Need to read past first paragraph or perhaps it should be corrected. :-)
Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He wasn’t going to live His life out of Himself. Though perfect and He could have done so without sin, He chose to live by the Father. Living by another life is significance of baptism.
In my MA thesis I suggested that all righteousness would include our righteousness – which demanded the cross. Hence, Jesus was committing himself to do all of the will of the Father, even to death.
I Peter 3:21 suggests that our baptism also has the effect of a pledge of a good conscience. Translations differ. Is it an appeal or a pledge? The Greek can go either way. In my thesis I suggested Peter might have deliberately chosen a word with a double meaning since baptism looks back to forgiveness and forward to newness of life-hence both an appeal and a pledge for a clear conscience.
Tim,
Some of the church fathers say that in being baptized, Jesus actually baptized the water.
–guy