Jesus Comes To Jordan To Be Baptized

Jesus Comes to be Baptized by John

Matthew 3:13-17

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is mentioned in all four gospels. Even though it is not explicitly stated in the Gospel of John, it is strongly implied. What was the relation of John the Baptist to Jesus? All of the gospels deal with this topic. They all show that John the Baptist was subordinate to Jesus. Even though they use different ways to demonstrate this, it was extremely important to show that this was the case. Whether it was John’s statement that he was unworthy to undo Jesus’ sandal thong, or his statement that He must increase and I must decrease, or his admission that he needed to be baptized by Jesus and not vice versa as we see n this passage, great attention is placed upon the fact that Jesus was superior to John the Baptist.

We know that John the Baptist had many followers (disciples). Paul found some of them in Ephesus. The destinations of the four gospels show that it was necessary to make clear this relation there also. Jesus affirmed the importance of John. There was never a greater Old Testament prophet. But if one was truly a follower of the Baptist, they would then leave John and follow Jesus once the identification was made. This would be so true in our ministries as we must remember that we are servants of Jesus Christ. We must be as John the Baptist and realize that God sends people our way to be won and baptized. Afterwards, we disciple people in the Christian faith. It is normal for converts to be strongly bonded to their teachers. This allegiance must be transferred to Jesus, and we must get out of the way.

The destination of the Gospel of Matthew is a subject of debate among scholars. Many think it was a group of Palestinian Jews somewhere in Palestine. However, I am not sure that this is exactly right. I think too much distinction between “Jewish Christianity” and “Gentile Christianity. “ If such distinction is made, then there is a tendency to reduce the importance of Matthew to Gentile Christians. There can really only be one true faith as God has one special people who come from Jews and Gentiles alike. Rather, I have argued in my sermons on Matthew, that it is the Gospel of the People of God. This is in contradistinction to the Pharisees who held to a racial aspect to being a Jew. As the Pharisees emerged from the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD intact, whereas the Essenes and Sadducees for the most part did not, then a rivalry would ensue as to whether Christianity or Pharisaic Palestinian Judaism represented the true people of the Covenant. The Gospel of Matthew does have some “Jewish” aspects to it, but a careful reading of the text shows that it strongly asserts the inclusion of Gentiles into the people of God (Israel) as much as Paul would have done. One should note Gentile women included in Jesus’ genealogy, the absence of circumcision and the emphasis on baptism, the coming of the Gentile Magi, and the Great Commission to make disciples of “all” nations (Gentiles.) This is just to name a few.

In this passage, we see Jesus coming to John for baptism. John’s baptism was described by John himself as a baptism of repentance. One had to come out of Israel, be baptized, and then re-enter Israel. It symbolically represents the time in which Israel had crossed the Jordan to Gilgal in the book of Joshua. They had crossed over uncircumcised, even though they had been explicity commanded to be circumcised from the time of Abraham.Anyone who was not circumcised was to be cut off from. Israel.If Israel was disobedient in this most important of commandments, one could only imagine that they weren’t all that observant of what we call the “ceremonial law” today. So they really did not become Sons of the Covenant until they were circumcised at Gilgal. So baptism, which the church teaches replaces circumcision and is available to male and females alike, states that one is not really a Christian until one is baptized. I am not saying here that if one confesses Christ and dies before he or she can be baptized, through no fault of their own is lost. But the one who claims to be a Christian and refuses baptism is no Christian at all.

The circumcision at Gilgal is part of the preparation to fight “holy war.” One of the grossest sins of the Canaanites was sexual perversion. The physical mark of circumcision was to remind the men of the creator’s purpose of male and female in marriage. It was a reminder that they needed to be sexually pure. Sexual immorality is the road which leads to destruction. In the Christian community, sexual purity as well as purity in other matters was to be held. The call on Pentecost by Peter was to repent and be baptized, just like it was preached by both John the Baptist and Jesus. The Jews at Pentecost, by submitting to baptism were in a sense saying they had not been true Jews at all. Having repented, they came through the waters of baptism and were admitted into the covenant. In the early church, this was the invitation to the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper.