Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #7 Jesus Christ Baptized

Continuing to travel along with John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea, we’ve observed that his simple, bold, heart-convicting message started a revival of hope for the coming of God’s Messiah. Multitudes of needy folk had come out to partake in the baptism of repentance that he offered.

The One to Come

We’ve also heard about those who felt themselves superior and flat out rejected it. The self-satisfied, self-righteous Pharisees along with the secular, skeptical Sadducees led this gang. John had no fear of these people, he only continued to confront their wicked ways.

In any case, this baptism of repentance was only a temporary measure—the building of a bridge to the one who came after John bringing a new, more complete, more powerful baptism (Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16).

Matthew 3:11:
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [the gift of holy spirit], and with fire.

How many pastors, preachers, teachers, and church leaders do you know today that have the same humility as John?  The same zeal and passion to point, not to themselves, but to the true Christ, the true Son of God, the one who baptizes even now with holy spirit and with fire? I don’t know, but God does. And I am fully convinced that our Father will remember and reward all that we’ve done by the holy spirit within us.

Speaking of that—let’s look closer at the baptism of holy spirit and fire. (See Pentecost: Worship, God’s Dwelling, and Fire and Fired Up for God! for further details.)

With Holy Spirit and Fire

First, for a fundamental explanation of “baptism” from God’s Word, please read Gene’s recent blog, Baptism. The following section of scripture from Matthew 3 (also in Luke 3:9,16,17) gives us a description of how “fire” functions in the work of the holy spirit.

Matthew 3:10-12:
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

When I was baptized with holy spirit, I was completely immersed in a new life, holy and spiritual, making me a child of God. All true and good things! But it’s the holy spirit fire that will destroy the unproductive trees and burn up the useless chaff. And not only the unproductive, but also the corrupt trees that bring forth evil fruit will be cast into the fire.

In Matthew 7, we read of false prophets as one example of corrupt trees.

Matthew 7:15-20:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Remember John the Baptist called the people to bring forth “fruits meet for repentance”? (See Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #6 John the Baptist.) He knew the people by observing their fruit, and we also can know the people in our day by their fruits. Even our own works shall be “tried by fire,” yet because of our baptism in holy spirit, we ourselves shall be saved. (See Our Grand Midwest Tour: Renovation.)

John Baptizes Jesus

From the days of Autumn, 26 A.D. through the early months of 27 A.D., John had been baptizing near the Jordan River in the wilderness of Judea. Then and there it was that Jesus came to be baptized by him.

Matthew 3:13-15:
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [allow] it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered [allowed] him.

Many in Israel had already received John’s baptism and repented of their sins, having been freed from the burden of the past, cleansed by the symbolic immersion in water, and prepared for a new way of life. But now Jesus, the Son of God, had come to receive this same baptism. It’s no wonder that John’s first reaction was to absolutely forbid it. Did Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, the one perfect sacrifice for all, need to be baptized by John?

Jesus gave John the answer from God, “Let me be baptized by you now,” and the reason, “for it’s appropriate for us to fulfill all righteousness.” The baptism of John was God’s order for His people in this unique time in history, a precursor to Jesus’ own ministry. Jesus, as God’s Son and yet a man, needed to follow all that his Father required of His people to “fulfill all righteousness” by being baptized in water.

In this way, Jesus began his ministry by taking his place beside every sinner, taking on their burdens, their follies, their sorrows, their sickness and their failures. He finally finished their complete redemption as a sinless man, the pure and perfect Lamb of God, sacrificed at the cross on Calvary.

But I’m getting ahead of myself! Back to the River Jordan….

The Spirit Like a Dove Descending

Luke’s gospel records that many had already been baptized when Jesus first came to John from Galilee.

Luke 3:21:
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized….

All the people who were baptized up to this point, including Jesus, had been baptized by John in the wilderness of Judea on the west side of the Jordan River (Mark 1:9). We’ll continue in Matthew’s account of John baptizing Jesus.

Matthew 3:16,17:
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 [the spirit from God] descending like a dove, and lighting (coming) upon him:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

At his baptism, Jesus saw the spirit from God descending like a dove, lighting upon him. This was the moment when God, the Father, anointed His beloved Son with holy spirit and with power (Acts 10:38). God designated him here as the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior to the world.

The Son of God

Later by the time that John had moved over to the land beyond (east of) the Jordan River to baptize, Jesus had already been baptized, and had also endured his 40 days in the wilderness. John 1:29 picks up the record where Jesus appeared again in the place where John was baptizing.

John 1:29-31:
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

John’s declaration to his followers, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” was the culmination of all his work, “to make manifest to Israel” the Son of God. I can only imagine the thrill God was stirring in John’s soul to proclaim, “This is the one that I’ve been talking about!”

John then underscored the authenticity of this claim by relating to his followers what he had seen at Jesus’ baptism.

John 1:32-34:
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].
And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

God, who had sent John to baptize with water, had told him that he would see the spirit descending and remaining on (in Matthew 3 above, “descending and lighting upon”) Jesus. John had seen and confirmed what Jesus had also seen at his own baptism, and declared to the world at the time and to the ages to come that surely this man, this Jesus, was the Son of God.

Our Power in Christ Today

The power and effect of all these events has come down to us today—that we might be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:38:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].

 When we are born again, we receive not only the forgiveness of sins, but also the power of God in the gift of the holy spirit.

Acts 1:8:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [holy spirit] is come upon you….

 The same God who sent John to baptize His Son, gives us eternal life through Christ. And though we may have trials in this life, we can always rejoice together with joy unspeakable as we await the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I Peter 1:7,8:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

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