036. Chapter 15 - The Baptism of Jesus

Chapter 15 - The Baptism of Jesus Matthew 3:13-17;Mark 1:9-11;Luke 3:21-23 The almost complete silence of the Gospel writers concerning the first thirty years of Jesus’ life causes the reader to focus his attention on the first public appearance of Jesus. The scant but startling information furnished concerning the birth and infancy of Jesus and His visit to the temple at the age of twelve add profound emphasis to the question — How will Jesus begin His great work? What will be the first significant act which biographers will record?

Call of Old Testament Prophets

One cannot but compare Jesus’ first appearance from the seclusion of Nazareth to the way in which the Old Testament prophets began their life-work. How many of them saw a wonderful vision and were given explicit instructions: Abraham’s call, Jacob’s ladder, Gideon’s fleece, the vision and call of Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Our whole acquaintance with the great leaders of the Old Testament concentrates attention on this scene in the Jordan where Jesus was baptized and received the Spirit. The Baptism Not a “Call” The baptism of Jesus was not a “call” in the sense of the miraculous commission given to the Old Testament prophets. It is rather the calm and deliberate beginning of One who needed no commission — of One whose course was already set before Him plainly. Even in infancy He is represented as “filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him.” At the age of twelve He knew enough of His future to say: “Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?” Now at the age of thirty, He comes to begin His ministry. His remark to John, “Suffer it now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness,” shows a calm conviction whose depth cannot be sounded. The prophets all expressed timidity, consternation, a sense of awe and unworthiness that they should be “called” to such a high and holy task. But none of this is seen in Jesus as He comes to be baptized. The timidity and unworthiness are expressed by John instead of Jesus. The prophets commonly asked for proof of the reality of their call, or special blessing to fit them for their work. But the Christ does not express either doubt or sense of need. There seems to be that intimate understanding of the Father’s will which leads Him to the waters of baptism to “fulfill all righteousness.”

Brevity of the Account The New Testament offers exactly ten verses as the historical record of the baptism of Jesus. Luke tells the story in two verses, Mark in three, and Matthew in five verses. John does not describe it, but alludes to it by presenting the impressions of John the Baptist concerning it. The history is so plain and simple that no explanation seems necessary. And yet the interpretation of the event — its significance in the life of Jesus — is supremely difficult.

Significance of the Baptism The question which troubled the early church profoundly and which is still current is: How reconcile the personality of Jesus ;with this act of humiliation? How harmonize the virgin birth with the baptism? How could Jesus be begotten of the Holy Spirit and yet need here the descent of the Spirit? Why should He, who was and is God, submit to John’s baptism? How relate this humble action with His claims of absolute pre-eminence? How reconcile the great mission of Jesus as Saviour with this acceptance of baptism at the hands of another religious figure as if He Himself needed salvation? How reconcile the claims of Jesus and the New Testament writers that He lived a sinless life with His deliberate acceptance of this baptism of John which was “of repentance unto the remission of sins”?

John the Baptist felt the strain of this question. Even though he did not realize that Jesus was the Christ, yet he knew by prophetic insight that Jesus was without sin and did not need his baptism. “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” John had not been baptized. It was evidently necessary that his beginning be independent. The question is often asked whether or not the Twelve Apostles were baptized with Christian baptism before they began to baptize the 3,000 on Pentecost. We have no such record. Like John, they instituted a new era. As founders and charter members, they started the movement. John knew that Jesus had no sin and did not need his baptism. It caused him to recall how much more fitting it would be for Christ to baptize him. Jesus agreed with John that He had no need of a baptism “of repentance unto the remission of sins” but nevertheless asked to be baptized in order “to fulfill all righteousness.”

Relation of Jesus to John

John was the forerunner. It was his mission to announce the coming of the Messiah and prepare the people for His appearance. John had no forerunner. He was a voice lonely and majestic crying out concerning the mightier One. When and where did these two great leaders meet? In the waters of Jordan. This is the only place we find the two lives joined. John announced the presence of Jesus among the multitudes. He later pointed Him out to his disciples. He expressed gratification at the great following gained by Jesus in the early months of His ministry. He finally sent from prison a doubtful inquiry. But here in the Jordan and here only does the New Testament place the two alongside.

John did not present Jesus publicly to the multitudes as the Messiah. He left Jesus to pursue His own methods of self-revelation. He directed some of his chosen and trusted followers to Jesus as the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world”; but they, too, were left to do their own investigating and make their own acquaintance with Jesus. John did not furnish Jesus with His message. Jesus took up the proclamation where John left off and proceeded to unfold His gospel. John did prepare the hearts of the people to hear the Christ. But could anything be more fitting than the actual juncture of these two lives in the ordinance of baptism? For baptism, with its profound spiritual significance, summed up the whole message and ministry of John. The Priests and Levites, sent from Jerusalem, questioned John insistently (John 1:19-28) and finally asked: “Why then, baptizeth thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the Prophet?...I baptize in water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not, even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.” This shows that both John and the Jewish leaders accepted baptism as the concrete summing up of his ministry. And John joined hands with Jesus in baptizing Him. In what finer fashion could the two lives have been linked? The baptism of Jesus with the accompanying descent of the Spirit revealed Jesus to John as the Christ. To the multitudes he said: “In the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not.” To his disciples he declared: “I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest unto Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water John knew that Jesus was without sin and did not need his baptism (Comest thou to me?) but he did not fully realize that He was the Christ (I knew him not). And God had arranged that Jesus should be revealed to John in the act of baptism and the descent of the Spirit in the form of a dove. In the moment after His surrender to the watery grave, He was revealed in glorious fashion as the Christ, so that John, by this infallible sign, might identify Him, direct his followers to Him, and further aid His ministry.

Relation of Jesus to the Multitudes Was Jesus baptized in the presence of the multitudes? Alfred Plummer (Commentary on Luke, p. 98) sets forth the interesting idea that this was a private baptism. How else could it be that the multitudes were not excited by the descent of the dove and by the voice? How could it be they were so slow to recognize Him as the Messiah if they were present at this scene? He offers as proof Luke 3:21 which he renders: “After every one of the people had been baptized He says: ‘Possibly Jesus waited until He could be alone with John. In any case, those who had been long waiting their turn would go home soon after they had accomplished their purpose.’” The American Standard Version translates: “Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also….” Plummer insists the Greek must be rendered “After all the people had been” and not “while they were being.” He is evidently correct. But his rendering “every one of the people” is rather rigid. This phrase is probably a generalization — expressing the press of the multitude. McGarvey and Pendleton suggest, this may mean that, on the day of His baptism, Jesus was the last candidate, and hence His baptism was the most conspicuous of all; but it more probably means that Jesus was baptized in the midst of John’s work — at the period when his baptism was in greatest favor” (The Fourfold Gospel, p. 84). It is doubtful whether the Greek permits the latter interpretation. It either means at the close of the particular day He was the last candidate or that He came after the climax of John’s ministry had been reached. “After all the people had been” cannot but be a generalization in the light of the fact that we find John baptizing much later (John 3:23; John 4:1). If this be the meaning, then the greater part of the multitudes had come and gone. Doubtless, there were still crowds but not so dense. Jesus did not rush in first and make a show of His obedience. Neither did He hide it in a corner. But in the lull after the first great storm of excitement, He came — at the psychological moment as it were — when John would begin to wonder when the Christ was going to present Himself. At any rate, the baptism could not have been private. This runs counter to the whole career of Jesus. He did not seek to hide His moments of humiliation in a corner. All of the beauty and sublimity of Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will in this act suddenly drops out if we imagine Jesus calling John aside for a private baptism.

If the crowds, then, heard the voice and saw the descending dove, how did it happen that they did not identify Jesus as the Christ immediately? “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” That announcement should have been sufficient to have stirred all the people. The Gospels represent Jesus as withholding public announcement of His Messiahship until He had opportunity to instruct them as to the kind of Messiah to expect. How does this scene match these records? McGarvey and Pendleton disagree but few times in their work (Fourfold Gospel). This is one of the points: McGarvey argues that the descent was plain to all; Pendleton, that the vision was seen “only by the two inspired parties, Jesus and John.” The latter holds that the opening heavens and descending dove were hidden by a miracle from the multitudes. McGarvey argues, “The object of the Spirit’s visible appearance was to point Jesus out, not to himself, but to others.” But one finds no such result achieved among the multitude. Certainly the visible appearance must have played some part in the experience of Jesus as did the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Transfiguration Mount. But the Gospel of John sets forth that the explicit purpose of the “visible appearance” was to point Jesus out not “to others” but to one other — John. It seems that both Jesus and John heard and understood the voice and that the multitude heard it, but did not understand what was said. So in John 12:28, John 12:29 — “There came a voice out of heaven, saying, I have glorified it and will glorify it again. The multitude, therefore, that stood by, and heard it said that it thundered. Others said, An angel hath spoken to him.” Again, when Christ addressed Saul on the way to Damascus, “Why persecutest thou me?”, it is evident from comparing the two recitals offered in Acts that those with Saul saw the light and heard the voice, but they did not understand what words were spoken. At the baptism of Jesus it is probable that the multitudes saw the dove descending out of the opening heavens and heard the voice, but they did not understand the significance of the descending dove or perceive what was spoken by the voice. The descent of the dove did not necessarily signify anything Messianic even to John for it was necessary for him to have a direct revelation from God that this was to be the sign by which he could identify the Christ. The profound spiritual experience of Jesus in receiving the Holy Spirit was hid from the multitudes and doubtless even from John except in such fashion as His glorified countenance may have revealed it. At any rate the descent of the Spirit need not have disturbed the relation of Jesus to the multitudes. He was still free to teach and instruct them and reveal Himself gradually as He desired. The miraculous features would have made an impression, which, although not understood at the time, would return with powerful significance when they began to understand His true nature and mission.

Relation of Jesus to God

Jesus was baptized in obedience to the will of God. “To fulfill all righteousness” can well be rendered, “to leave nothing undone that had been revealed as the righteous will of God.” John had been instructed by special revelation that the Messiah would come to offer Himself for baptism and would then be revealed to him. The baptism, which could not mean to Him what it did to the multitudes, was accepted as part of the will of God in regard to His ministry.

God’s good pleasure in Jesus finds very beautiful and fitting expression as He rises out of the waters of Jordan. The voice from heaven said, “In thee I am well pleased.” Does this mean the eternal pleasure of God in Christ or His delight over this particularly humiliating act of obedience? Both probably are signified for the former is contained in the latter. The descent of the Holy Spirit denotes a closer relationship a more complete identification and understanding which results from this act of obedience. This does not mean that Jesus did not possess the wisdom and power of the Spirit before this. But now He comes in His fullness. The apostles had been granted the presence and power of the Spirit during the ministry of Christ. They were sent out to perform miracles, teach, etc. They had the knowledge of His ministry, His death, and resurrection; they were scarcely able to contain themselves they were so anxious to tell the great news, yet they were not permitted to set up the Church on Pentecost until the Spirit had taken possession of them — until they had been baptized in the Spirit. So Jesus, who had been led and guided by the Spirit before baptism, did not enter upon His public ministry until here at the scene of His baptism the Spirit joined Him in the great task before Him.

Relation of Jesus to His World-Wide Mission

It is extremely significant that the baptism of Jesus occurred at the very beginning of His ministry. As our baptism marks the dividing line between the old life of sin and the new life in Christ, so the baptism of Jesus is the dividing line between His quiet life of seclusion at Nazareth and His public ministry. At the Jordan Jesus took the decisive step leaving behind Him home ties and setting forth with “no place to lay His head” but with His great mission before Him. The baptism marked the complete dedication of Jesus to His task. Baptism is a complete surrender of body, mind and soul — a burial and a resurrection. It set forth His absolute devotion to His lifework. The baptism of Jesus is an important factor in the complete example He has given to us. “To fulfill all righteousness” is His motive. He humbled Himself to give us a complete example. It is not enough to know that the bread and wine symbolize His broken body and shed blood when we keep the Lord’s Supper. Our hearts reach back to the upper chamber as well as Calvary and we delight to remember that He Himself shared that first Supper with the little group of Apostles. And so in His baptism He joined hands not merely with John, the multitudes, and God Himself, but also with all of us. When we come to obey our Lord in Christian baptism our hearts go back to the Mount of Ascension whence the Great Commission was given, but also to the Jordan where He gave the example. Is there a heart that does not quicken as he sees Jesus, the Son of God, humble Himself in the waters of the Jordan? Is there a timid soul hesitating on the edge of the baptismal waters, who, when he remembers that scene, cannot take up his cross and follow after? The first act of Jesus’ ministry was, by His deliberate choice, one of humiliation. It reveals the soul of Jesus. How He loved us and shared our lowly obedience! See Him as He is buried in the waters of the Jordan. Behold the Son of Man! But Jesus also shared God’s nature. As the resurrection followed and completely eclipsed His death on Calvary, so here in the very moment of His humiliation He is uplifted and glorified as He rises from the burial in the Jordan. See Him as the Spirit comes upon Him and the gracious voice from heaven claims Him. Behold the Son of God! Is it any wonder that after this scene John exclaimed: “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world”?