Luke 3 - Why Did Jesus Get Baptized?

Luke 3 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

Key Verses:

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Commentary:

The obvious question when we read Luke 3, is why did Jesus need to be baptized? If baptism is characterized by repentance and turning from sin, is Jesus a sinner then. The obvious answer is "no". If Jesus needed to be baptized for his sin, he would not have been the sinless Son of God. He could not have been the sacrifice for our sin, as he would have had to die for his own sin on the cross.

 Simply put, if Jesus was a sinner, the basic tenets of our the Christian faith are false. We are still dead in our sins.  Today's story begs the question, "Why did Jesus get baptized in the Jordan River"? What is the significance of his baptism? 

The most common answer is that Jesus chose to be baptized to identify with sinful man.  Another is that Jesus did this in obedience to His Father. In Matthew's version when Jesus came to be baptized by John, John reacted by saying in essence, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me!" Matthew 3:14

Jesus responds by saying, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." 3:15

I think the major purpose of his baptism was the inauguration of his public ministry. It was a time for God the Father to ordain and commission His Son. Not only did Holy Spirit descend on Him like a dove, but the Father's voice boomed from heaven, "This is my Son, whom I love and am well pleased." 

Later at the Transfiguration, the Father will say something similar and then say "Listen to Him". It also showed that Jesus was more than a prophet, He was the only Son of God! 

Application 

1. We too are called to be baptized publicly. When we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, we become part of the family of God. As we declare in our baptismal service to those baptized, 

"You are marked with the cross of Christ, and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever." 

In Jesus' day, a seal was used to identify who the owner was. We are under new ownership! The Holy Spirit is deposit and guarantee of our future inheritance. 

2. We see other people, especially those we don't particularly like do we treat them as children of God?  

Prayer of the Day 

Father, we are honored to be called Your children. Jesus, our deepest desire is to serve you by showing Your deep love to everyone we meet. Holy Spirit, give us a sense of your power, peace, and presence, so we can become the people go and make disciples of all nations. Amen. 
 





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