Why Did Jesus Need to Be Baptized? - Matthew 3:13-17

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 

It is no accident this is Jesus' first appearance on the public scene after living in relative obscurity the first 30 years of his life.  These events carry great meaning for the rest of his ministry.  Note Jesus did not need to repent of his sins like the others who came to John to be baptized, because he was sinless.  

The Sinless One had no sin to confess, no need of repentance. We cannot even ascribe to Him that consciousness of evil which weighs upon the hearts of the saints of God almost in exact proportion to their holiness; yet we must believe that His righteousness was essentially human, and therefore capable of increase, even as He increased in wisdom and stature. Elliott

14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

John was a man who knew his own sin very well.  And. he also knew enough about the prophecy about his cousin, Jesus, that he realized he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not visa versa. It also says in John 1:33 that John saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove, which might have tipped him off to the true nature of who He was baptizing.  Also, we know that John was filled with the Holy Spirit since birth, so that could explain where his knowledge/discernment came from.  

It was as if John said to Jesus, “I need your Spirit-and-fire baptism, not you my water-baptism.” (France)

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

Jesus allowed himself to be baptized by John, because he knew it was the right thing to do, as he identified with sinful man.  He would also set an example for others.  

I therefore offer myself to be baptized, that I may show my readiness to obey all God’s righteous precepts, and to justify God and approve his counsel. (Benson)

It was noteworthy that John consented to baptize Jesus.  He baptized Jesus though he knew himself to be morally inferior in every way.  It is in a way similar to how we accept what Jesus did for us on the cross. Though he didn't deserve it, and we didn't deserve what we gained from it, we need to accept his innocent death for us by faith without protesting. 

16 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 alighting on him. 

The fact that Jesus came up out of the water suggests that he was fully immersed in the water. Some cite this as evidence that all baptism should follow this mode.  This is a topic for another time.  

Importantly as Jesus came up out of the water, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. This passage begs the question, "Did Jesus have the Holy Spirit before he was baptized?"  Since we don't know much about his life before this moment, it is hard to say conclusively.  We know Jesus was always fully human and fully divine when he walked this earth, so he didn't become divine when he was baptized.  Some answer the question using Philippians 2:6-7,

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."

This is a tricky passage which is debated by theologians.  Another translation says "he emptied himself." The question is what did he "empty himself" of?  I think the best way you can interpret it is that he emptied himself of the glory he had with the Father since the beginning.  By becoming human, he became subject to human limitations. I.e. He could only be in one place at one time.  He needed to eat, drink and sleep. And yet, when he received the Holy Spirit, we see He started doing supernatural . miracles on a regular basis.  In fact, when we get to chapter 4 (tomorrow), we will see everything Jesus does from now on is fueled and empowered by the Spirit.  So we can conclude that when Jesus was baptized he received the Holy Spirit in a way He did not have it before as a consequence of his humanness. 

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 

Then, we hear the commendation from his heavenly Father.  This voice was not only for Jesus to hear, as every child needs to hear, but also a public witness to all the people around regarding his unique nature. 

We should not miss the obvious point: God the Father loves God the Son, and communicated that love by God the Holy Spirit. Here we see the love relationship and cooperation between the Persons of the Trinity, in one occasion when the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were all manifested at the same time. - Guizk

How does it make you feel that Jesus was baptized?  How would you have felt if you were John?  Do you remember your own baptism? Did it have any significance to you?  Were you baptized as a baby in water, or as an adult perhaps by full immersion?  Do you think all people should be immersed as Jesus was, or should we baptize infants by sprinkling them with water?