5 Reasons Jesus Was Baptized
Baptism is an important part of a Christian’s life. One question often asked is, "Why was Jesus baptized?"
3 Questions We Have about Jesus' Baptism
Baptism is integral to the life of a Christian. Our sacred Scriptures place enormous symbolism on the use of water. The Israelites are “birthed” through the water at the Red Sea. Water is provided for them in the wilderness out of the side of the rock. Jesus Christ spoke of himself as the water of life. Water flowed from Jesus’ side on the cross after the soldier pierced his side. Water played a significant part in the cleansing rituals in the Temple ceremonies and was used to describe how grace sanctifies/sets us apart and cleanses us.
It’s no wonder, then, when we read of Jesus’ baptism we have questions. Isn’t he, the Son of God, the Messiah, already set apart?! Since baptism was not seen in the Old Testament and is introduced in the New Testament by “John the Baptizer,” it’s a relatively new idea with little context to go by.
Our various Christian traditions hold differing viewpoints on baptism, influencing the questions we ask about Jesus’ own. Let’s take a look at those.
Was Jesus Baptized because He Needed to Repent of Sin?
Some traditions hold that a person must repent of sin and then be baptized. That is called “believers’ baptism.” This states that a step away from sin is taken in repentance and a step toward greater obedience is taken in repentance.
By Jean Housen - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
John preached a baptism of repentance (Mark 1:4), so does that mean Jesus had sins in his life he needed to repent of? No, that's not why he was baptized, for Jesus was without sin.
1 Peter 2:22 says that Jesus committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth. The writer of Hebrews 4:15, said, "For we do not have a high priest {Jesus} who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." Finally, in 1 John 3:5, we read, "You know that Jesus appeared in order to take away sins; and in him, there is no sin."
Two of the three descriptions in the prior paragraph were written by people who lived and worked with Jesus for three years. They knew him best and said, he used his words well. He was authentic. He wasn't fake. He never sinned.
There must be another reason Jesus was baptized.
That reason has to do with John the Baptist.
Why Was Jesus Baptized By John?
John's job was to be the one who prepared people to meet the Messiah. He fulfilled that role by preaching faithfully and calling people to turn away from anything that separates them from God. He called them to show their repentance by being baptized in the waters of the Jordan River.
Shells were often used in early Christian baptisms.
Down they go into the water and up they come cleansed and called to live according to what the baptism claims: they belong to God in this world and live rightly in response to grace.
In due time, Jesus went out to meet John and said, "John, I need to be baptized by you."
John said, "You are greater than me! You should be baptizing me!"
Jesus responded, "It is necessary to do this in order to fulfill all righteousness." In other words, this is the way God wants it, so let's do this right.
John prepared people to meet Jesus and he did so faithfully. They would have failed their callings if John had not baptized Jesus.
How was Jesus Baptized? How Did John the Baptist Baptize Jesus?
Matthew 3: 16 says, “And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” The Greek word translated “baptized” is Baptistheis and means “submerged.” The same word is used in Mark 1:10 and Luke 3:21 as expected. Jesus was submerged in the Jordan River.
If John had sprinkled water atop Jesus’ head, the word antéxomai (or something similar) would be used.
Various Christian traditions submerge and some sprinkle. Some traditions insist that these descriptive texts are prescritive (since Jesus did it, we must do it). The mode or amount of water, to me, is indifferent. Baptism itself is a sign (points to) something more significant, and that is Jesus’ baptism.
Jesus was immersed in the water. Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River.
5 Reasons Jesus Was Baptized
At this point, we have addressed a few of the common questions regarding the particulars of Jesus’ baptism. Now we seek to understand Why was Jesus baptized by John?
Jesus fully identified with humanity in every way, yet without sin.
Submission to God’s Will
As stated above, Jesus’ baptism by John was not an act of repentance for sin. Instead, Jesus’ baptism symbolized his submission to the will of God and his identification with humanity. It “fulfilled all righteousness.” In other words, “This is what God wants from me.”
By undergoing baptism, Jesus aligned himself with God’s redemptive plan for humanity. He fulfilled the requirements of God’s divine purpose.
Jesus is Identifying with Humanity
Jesus is stepping into the Jordan River to identify with the plight of people who need deliverance.
The first act of his ministry is identification. The Incarnation, his birth, is God’s identification with us. He will not be separated. He comes all the way down into the mud, literally in the mud of the baptismal river and into the murky world of human experience.
Like Jesus said, the Good Shepherd will leave the 99 and go and find the 1. Jesus comes as close to possible with us.
Jesus’ Baptism is the Initiation of His Ministry
Many scholars have linked baptism in the time of Jesus with the water purification in the temple. Priest who served in the temple started their service when they turned 30. They started their service through a water purification ceremony.
How old is Jesus at his baptism? Luke 3:23 tells us he was “about 30 years of age" when he started his ministry. His baptism marks the start of his work as a priest.
No wonder the writer of Hebrews calls Jesus, “Our Great High Priest!”
Jesus’ Baptism Anticipates His Death and Resurrection
Jesus was submerged in the Jordan River when he was baptized by John the Baptist. This going down and coming up again imagery was noteworthy for the Apostle Paul. He likened it to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died (going down) and was resurrected (coming up). After the resurrection, Jesus lived a new life uncorrupted by the power or sway of sin, death, or corruption.
In Romans 6:3-4, Paul likens the Christian’s baptism to the death and resurrection of Jesus. He writes:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.”
Paul teaches the Roman Christians that through baptism, believers identify with Christ’s death, being buried with Him, and also share in His resurrection to a new kind of life. Baptism speaks to the transformative nature of the Christian faith. We die to sin and are raised to a new life of righteousness their our union with Christ.
The Spirit appeared as a dove at Jesus’ baptism.
Like the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and became a people united in covenant with God, we are united to Christ in the water of our baptism.
Remembering Our Baptism
In our beautiful, Reformed theology, baptism is not something we do for God. It is a visible action that reminds us of what God has done and will do for us—God has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world. God has promised to relate to us through mercy, grace, love, and kindness. The water in baptism reminds us of how God’s grace removes our sins.
In baptism, God promises to send the Holy Spirit daily to renew us and cleanse us. Just as the Spirit dove was seen at Jesus’ baptism and remained on him, so too the Spirit is with us renewing us and cleansing us, assuring us of our forgiveness, and helping us notice God’s pull on us.
