This past week or so I took the time to gain more insights and grasped deeper meanings of a familiar Scripture story. Come and explore the significance of Jesus’ baptism and what it means for us.
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. –Mark 1:4-5 (ESV)
*People were traveling more than 20 miles to be baptized in the Jordan River since that is its closest point to Jerusalem.
*John’s message for people was to confess their sins, repent of their sins, and be baptized with water.
*They knew God grants forgiveness if they turned from sin to righteousness.
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Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” –Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV)
*Jesus, being divine, was without sin, so there was no need for confession or repentance.
And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. –1 John 3:5 (NLT)
*In obedience to God, His Father.
*To mark the beginning of His public ministry.
*To show Jesus was consecrated (dedicated to God and sacred) to God.
*To show that Jesus identified with mankind and his sin, becoming our substitute.
*To show He was the fulfillment of righteousness (the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable) for our sins.
*Jesus was in line with the sinners who were waiting to be baptized. Right from the start of His public ministry, Jesus identified with sinners even though He had no sin.
*How symbolic to learn that the Jordan River, specifically the Dead Sea, which is at one end of the Jordan River, is the lowest point on earth.
*Jesus entered into the depths of the lowest part of the earth. Visualize Jesus being baptized, going to the very bottom of the earth loaded down with the burdens of all mankind’s guilt on His shoulders. He laid them down in the depths of the Jordan River so we can be free.
*Jesus’ baptism is the bridge between Jesus’ birth and His death on the cross.
Christmas–Jesus’ birth joins humanity and divinity; the Word became Flesh.
Baptism–Jesus takes on the worst of humanity with all our sins and brokenness; Jesus becomes accessible to us.
Easter–Jesus’ resurrection means salvation and eternal life for believers, being His finished work.
*The Trinity was present at Jesus’ baptism.
—God, the Father, says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus’ identity is fully revealed. God gives His verbal affirmation to Jesus. Note that Jesus did not do any miracles or any form of ministry to earn God’s affirmation of beloved Son.
—Jesus, the Son-At His baptism, the heavens open, showing the way to God for those who follow Jesus. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him.
—The Holy Spirit-Often represented by a dove, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.
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The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. –Mark 1:12-13 (ESV)
*First ministry–be alone with God going to the desert.
*Confronted by Satan and overcoming Satan’s attacks with Scripture.
*All of creation, from animals to angels, was present with Jesus.
We, too, need to…
*confess our sins and repent.
*be baptized.
*hear God say to us personally, “You are my beloved son/daughter with whom I am well pleased.”
*own our identity as a beloved son/daughter.
*hear God, the Father, giving His verbal approval to us.
*remember our love for God and Jesus is most important before any ministry work.
*know the Trinity resides in our lives–God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. –1 John 3:1-2 (ESV)
Beautifully written! Thank you for continuing to lift me and my family up in prayer!! Still enjoying your book btw! Praying all is well with you and yours! Do have a prayer request….just got word today that my daughter’s 8yr old stepdaughter has a cyst on her brain. They are going to monitor it for a couple of months and then check it again to see the rate at which it is growing.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m glad God is speaking to you through these words and the book. 🙂 Yes, I will be praying for your grandchild; thanks for asking. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Keep hanging onto the Lord! I send my love and prayers.
Thank you Christine for reaching the innermost part of my being. You always have the ability to lift my spirits with your beautiful words. I shared this on Facebook so you can touch more lives. Thank you again 💓.
Greetings, Bruce… Thank you so much for sharing this note of encouragement and for sharing with others. God is so good allowing His word to bless others. I appreciate your faithful reading and sharing to know God is always at work. You are in my thoughts and prayers~ Keep the faith!