Tag Archives: baptism of Jesus

The baptism of Jesus: Perspective

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waterI want to conclude this series within a series by trying to put the baptism of Jesus into its proper place. I’m a strong believer in observing what emphasis Scripture itself puts on certain stories and certain ideas (a lesson I learned from Dr. Tom Olbricht) It can be very telling to study what biblical writers emphasized and what they didn’t.

Jesus’ baptism is recorded in three of the gospels and alluded to indirectly in the fourth. That shows that it was a significant moment in Jesus’ ministry. But it’s interesting that we never find the early church saying, “Jesus was baptized, so we should be as well.” (I’m limiting myself to the New Testament canon; if someone wants to bring in evidence from early church writers from later centuries, I’d be interested to hear it)

The baptism of Jesus is important as a watershed moment in Jesus’ ministry. It reminds us of the importance of baptism in the Christian movement (as does John’s ministry in general). But I don’t know that it’s a WWJD moment that should lead people to the water. In and of itself, I don’t think it provides sufficient reason for someone to be baptized in a Christian way.

The baptism of Jesus: That voice from heaven

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waterOne of the most famous elements in the story of the baptism of Jesus is the pronouncement from heaven: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

That’s how Matthew records it, and it’s the version I grew up with. (Though I hear the King James in my head: “This is my beloved son…”)

Mark records the voice as saying: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Same idea, but speaking directly to Jesus. Luke records it as Mark did. John mentions no voice, just the coming of the Spirit in the form of a dove.

Who was the voice for? It doesn’t really seem to have been for John. He doesn’t mention it when he is quoted as describing the event in the gospel of John, chapter 1. And he later comes to have real doubts as to Jesus’ identity. That seems strange for one who heard confirmation from heaven (though it’s surprising how often people doubt visions and voices in Scripture).

There’s no indication that anyone started following Jesus because of the voice. Either no one was around to hear it, no one understood it, or they were unmoved by the experience.

It almost seems to me that the voice was for Jesus. It reminds me of this incident from John 12:

“Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.” (John 12:28–29)

The crowd didn’t seem to hear what the voice said. They heard it as thunder or as an angel speaking to Jesus. No one seems to have heard the message.

Something similar happened at Saul’s conversion:

“My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.” (Acts 22:9)

What do you think? Was the voice from heaven there for Jesus’ sake? Was it for John? Or did it serve another purpose?

The baptism of Jesus: Why was he baptized?

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waterWe 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?