Luke 3:21- 22 – The Meaning of Jesus’ Baptism
I’ve got a quandary that I’ve been faced with all week as I’ve been preparing this message. Have you ever been faced with a quandary from God’s word – you’ve read something and you just don’t understand why it happened that way? Well I’ve been in that situation this week as I have looked at Jesus’ baptism.
Read 3:21-22
You see my quandary comes because I read that Jesus traveled down from Nazareth to the Jordon to be baptized by John. If you’ve been with us in the last couple of weeks, you would know that John was calling out for people to come and repent and confess their sins. The Baptism of John was adopted from a purification ritual that was used for Gentiles who wanted to convert to the Jewish faith. It was to purify them from all the grime and dirt from their previous Gentile lives. John however, was using this for Jews also. He was saying – you are just as evil as those pagan Gentiles – you have wandered away from God so you need to be purified. Come and be baptized and be purified and may this action show that you are repenting – turning around and coming back to God; and then – only then - can you confess your sins so that you can be forgiven.
My quandary is that if this baptism was all about repenting and purification so that the people could go and ask God to forgive them for their sins … Why…Why … Why … did a perfect man like Jesus want to be Baptised?
He didn’t need purifying – he was already clean spiritually in God’s sight. He didn’t need to repent or come back to God. He didn’t need forgiving – He was sinless. So what use did Jesus have for Baptism? Do you see my quandary here?
As I have grappled with this topic this week, I have made some fascinating discoveries which I want to share with you today. I believe there are 3 reasons why Jesus was baptized and they can be summed up in these 3 words … He was baptized to 1) Identify 2) Exemplify and 3) Be Annointed. See if you can remember these by the end of the service. They are the first three vowels – a e i - in reverse order. Identify, Exemplify and be Annointed
1. To Identify …
The first reason Jesus was baptized was to identify with mankind. We read in Matthew’s account of the Baptism this … Matt 3:13-17 Jesus came down to be baptized, but John protested saying – “You don’t need to be baptized with this water. It’s I that need to be Baptised with your baptism of the Spirit and Fire.” But Jesus said, “Let it be so now; It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
John recognized that Jesus didn’t need to repent or be forgiven, but Jesus says it is right for me to be baptized. Why? Because he needed to identify with those people he was to save. It is an amazing thing that the God who created the world, chose to come and identify with his creation in their position of need. He could have come up with a different plan which allowed him to remain in heaven, but no, God’s plan involved Jesus coming down to identify with us in all our weaknesses.
Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, a Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
He hurt, he had emotions, he had pain, he was tempted just like any other person and so in coming and standing in the Jordan He was standing in solidarity with the rest of mankind. Why? Because he wanted to identify with us as sinner even though he was without sin. Through his life on earth takes on our sinful condition and our predicament and becomes our representative before God. Notice what event occurs directly after Christ’s baptism – the temptation in the wilderness. Isn’t it significant that when Christ empties himself of all his rights and privileges as God and steps into the ring as our representative, that he is faced with the full ugliness of our fallen condition in temptation.
Not only does Jesus here want to associate with our sin and weakness, but he also wants to associate himself with those who came to John in repentance and confession. He identifies himself with those who would seek to live a life of obedience to God. He identifies himself with God’s true Israel. And in so doing, he reinforces the importance of these actions of repentance and confession which he later advocates so strongly.
In his Baptism, Jesus, therefore enrolls as one of God’s faithful and identifies with those that need salvation. So Jesus was baptized to Identify with us, but also to Exemplify to us.
2. To Exemplify …
The words recorded by Matt “Let it be so now, It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” are really quite interesting. What does this phrase “fulfill all righteousness” mean?
“Righteousness” in Matthew is a synonym for the Christian life. It symbolizes a life that has a relationship with God and which lives this out in obedience. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance which led to confession. Intrinsic in this repentance and confession is future obedience. You can’t repent and begin walking with God again without obeying him.
What Jesus is saying here is that to fulfill all that is required of me by my Heavenly Father, I need to be baptized - NOW. Why? I don’t know, but I know I need to obey him now. Jesus’ baptism was an example of obedient living. It wasn’t a case of waiting to see if God really meant what he said or waiting to see if an easier option came up. He exemplified a live which was submitted to the will of God and which acted immediately in obedience. This was just the first step in a journey of obedience for Jesus which would lead Him to the Cross.
This little act of Baptism actually symbolized the rest of His life’s journey in obedience. His immersion typified His baptism in God’s judgment at Calvary. His emergence from the water foreshadowed His resurrection. By His death, burial, and resurrection, He would satisfy the demands of God’s justice and provide a righteous basis by which every sinner could be justified. Many commentators think that Jesus was thinking about Is 52:11 when he spoke about fulfilling all righteousness. “After the suffering of Hhis soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant (the Messiah) will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities”. It is through Jesus’ right living that we were forgiven.
In living a life of obedience, Christ is a wonderful example for each of us. It was proper for Jesus to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness before God his Father. I wonder what it is proper for you to do today to fulfill all righteousness before God your Father. Obedience to God is not something we can pick up and put down as we chose. It is not an optional extra for Christians. To be a Christian is to follow Christ and Christ’s example is to obey the wishes of his Father.
I know that some of you today are struggling with obedience. God is calling you to do something, but you are just not sure of it. Can I encourage you to step out in faith and obey because God can only bless you when you chose to obey Him. Matt 3:16 says that as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened. Luke 3:21 says Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.” Jesus’ obedience led to the outpouring of God’s Spirit on his life. He was anointed (and we’ll talk more about that soon). When we obey, God blesses us. When we obey, we can expect to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. When we obey, we see God in a new light as heaven is opened up and we receive new revelations of God. But none of this will happen unless we first step out in obedience and faith – unless we are prepared to embrace what God has already shown us is his will for us.
This last week I was handed a prophecy by a member of our congregation and I want to share some of it with you. Just like the rain that has fallen on our land in the past weeks, this prophecy says that “the Rain is being sent ahead by God. It is a forerunner of bigger things to come. A big outpouring of His spirit is coming. It will come like a breath, like a wind, and will come when we least expect it. Not all will be aware of His coming and only those who are open will receive Him while others will send him away … This move will be new, it will be fresh, it will not be contained in programs or traditions, but in man’s heart. This move is HUGE and it is not far away … The rain is to soften the soil. Seeds that have already been sown are being touched by the rain. The rain is stirring the life force in the seed … It will no longer remain dormant and unseen, but shall break through (the soil) and grow towards the SON. All to the glory of the Father.”
Exciting isn’t it, that God wants to come and pour his Spirit out on us and work in ways we never imagine – to bring in the seed that has been sown for God’s glory. But in order for this to happen, before God’s spirit can move in powerful ways, I believe that we need to live lives that follow Jesus’ example. We need to be walking in humble obedience to him, doing all that is proper to fulfill all righteousness before God our Father. This obedience is a life long task, but is one that will also lead to blessing. I ask you again, what is proper for you to do to fulfill all righteousness before God your Father. Maybe it is for yourself to get Baptised. Maybe it is dealing with some sin that constantly plagues your life. If God is laying something on your heart – do it now, so that you too can experience His blessings. Follow Jesus’ example of obedient living
3. To be Anointed …
Jesus was baptized therefore to Identify, to Exemplify, but also to be Anointed. It was the inauguration for his ministry of redemption. After this event, he ceased to be a tradesman and took on his role as Messiah. It was in these events that any doubts about his calling were dealt with. It was here that he was crowned with Authority and prepared for ministry. But all this didn’t come about in the Baptism itself, but in what followed immediately afterwards – the anointing by the Holy Spirit.
The word “Anoint” is a word which literally meant to rub oil on a person or thing. Anointing usually was to symbolize that a person was set apart as holy or consecrated. So temple furnishings and priests were anointed. The other time things were anointed was to confer on them authority. Kings and honoured guests were anointed. The “anointed one” was a title used of people who were chosen, appointed, consecrated and equipped for office. The interesting thing is that the word Christ or Messiah means “Anointed One.” In these Baptism events, Christ was anointed. He was set apart as holy and consecrated for the service of God and he was given authority for the work ahead.
But Jesus wasn’t anointed with Oil as was tradition, he was anointed with God’s Spirit. In Luke 4:18 as Jesus begins his ministry he stands up in the synagogue and reads from Isaiah the prophet
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus was anointed for ministry when the Holy Spirit descended on Him. Whether it was an actual dove, or just a physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit which looked similar to the flapping of a dove is not clear. Whatever form the Holy Spirit’s descent took, it was physical and obvious to at least Jesus and John.
The anointing of Jesus with the Holy Spirit was to mark the beginning of his ministry – a ministry marked with power from Heaven. It was to mark the beginning of the end of the old covenant and the coming of the Kingdom of God. No longer would people be reliant on the sacrificial system of the old Covenant. After this point, people could be saved by calling out to Jesus the Christ in faith. This was a pivotal point in Redemptive history and was marked by Jesus’ baptism.
With the coming of the Holy Spirit, was a declaration from Heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” It was a vote of confidence from God. A Revelation of who Jesus’ true Father was and a conferring of the Father’s authority and power.
As an aside, In this passage we have one of the strongest statements in the Bible supporting the idea of the Trinity. Here we have God the Father and God the Holy Spirit attesting to the fact that Jesus is God’s Son.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are also anointed just like Christ. We are anointed to a new ministry of service of God just like Jesus was. We are set apart and given authority by virtue of the fact that we become Sons and daughters of the most High God just as Jesus was. We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit just as Jesus was. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive his power and his gifts and we begin to manifest his fruit. When we are anointed, we leave behind our old lives and begin our new lives lived in and through Christ’s death on the cross.
Unfortunately, although we have the Spirit indwelling us, we can choose to hinder the Spirit’s work in our lives. We can be so distracted by concern and worry that we can’t recognize the power that we have at our disposal. We can prevent the Spirit working, but if we do, we risk missing all that God wants to do in our lives, in our church, and in this world. We are anointed for a purpose, are we willing to step out in faith and do what we’ve been anointed to do? Be open to his power and don’t be scared if he wants to do new and amazing things through you – things you didn’t expect..
Jesus’ testimony was - The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
What has God anointed you to do? Free prisoners of darkness, heal those who need healing, release the oppressed. What ever it is, don’t be scared to do it, because you have been anointed with the Holy Spirit for that purpose.
So Jesus’ baptism was an incredibly important point in his life. It was important for him to identify with those he was going to save. It was important for him to exemplify how important living in obedience to God is. It was important because in it, he was anointed for the ministry that God set before Him.
As we close, I encourage you again, to seek God’s face and examine whether you are following Jesus’ example. Are you obeying God’s revealed will for your life? Be assured that God can not bless you or work through you in power until you surrender to him. And secondly, you have already been anointed for service if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, so don’t be scared - serve Him.
