Why Was Jesus Baptized

A little girl asked her mother, “Mommy, why do you cut the ends off the meat

before you cook it?”

The girl’s mother told her that she thought it added to the flavor by allowing the meat to better absorb the spices, but perhaps she should ask her grandmother since she always did it that way.

So the little girl found her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you and Mommy cut the ends of the meat off before you cook it?”

Her grandmother thought a moment and answered, “I think it allows the meat to stay tender because it soaks up the juices better, but why don’t you ask your Nana? After all, I learned from her, and she always did it that way.”

The little girl was getting a little frustrated, but climbed up in her great-grandmother’s lap and asked, “Nana, why do you cut the ends off the meat

before you cook it?”

Nana answered, “I had to; my cooking pot wasn’t big enough.”

We do a lot of things in life, and seldom stop to ask why. We develop habits and traditions, and if we’re not careful, we can forget why we do certain things...

Matthew 3:13-17 (KJV)

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. [14] But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? [15] And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. [16] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: [17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luther said we should begin every day remembering that we are baptized. When we feel the water on our faces in the morning, it should remind us of the waters of baptism. To do so is to enter each day with a renewed sense of ministry. Who will I meet today? How will my activities today be a ministry to others? How can I share the dessert first with others, in this community of faith and beyond?

First before we look at why Jesus was Baptized we need to look at what baptism is. Baptism was practiced even in the old testament days for priest to identify them with the priesthood but baptism as we know it today began at the ministry of John the Baptist

Baptism itself is representive of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and is a testimony to the world that we identify with Christ and lay our old life down.

Romans 6:4 (KJV)

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The trinity is revealed at the Baptist of Jesus. Jesus is in the water, the Father Speaks from Heaven and the spirit descends as a Dove, this is one of three times in the ministry of Jesus that the Father speaks from heaven.

Four Reasons why Jesus was baptized

a. To identify with people

Jesus did not come to be over us but came to be with us.

God with us.

The religious leaders of this day were over the people

Mark 8:2 (KJV)

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus came, so that we can relate to God, not so that God can relate to man

Politicians sometimes do things that common people do to appear to relate to men

b. at Age of 30 a priest was dipped in water

Hebrews 4:14 (KJV)

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Hebrews 10:11-12 (KJV)

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: [12] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

c. To be an example for us

Not only do Christians believe that God entered into a human body and lived as a man, but we also believe that He lived His life as an example for us. Jesus’ constant command to people while He was here on earth wasn’t "Go and do this or that." He constantly told people, "Follow me." Jesus came to earth to model the way we should live our life. One aspect of His model was that He was baptized. Because Jesus was sinless, it would not have been wrong for Him to skip baptism.