Matthew 1-4: Why Was Jesus Baptized?

This has puzzled me many times. Jesus said He needed to be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15), but what does that mean? He did not have sin which needed to be washed away. He did not need to be buried with Christ (Rom. 6:4) because He WAS Christ. So why did He submit Himself to the baptism of John?

1. To fully submit to the Father's will. John said to Jesus, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" (Matt. 3:14) He recognized this as an act of submission. Jesus submitted Himself before His Father through His baptism.

2. As an initiation ceremony; an anointing. This was the beginning of His main ministry. He was thirty years old, the age when Hebrew men began to gain respect because of their age. Everything was in place for His earthly work. His baptism, accompanied with the Father's voice, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased," (Matt. 3:17) and by the Holy Spirit lighting upon Him in the form of a dove anointed Him as the Son of God and the chosen one for a special work.

3. As an example for His followers. Jesus asks us to do only those things He has already done. He asks for full submission - He fully submitted. He asks for love - He loved to the greatest degree. He asks for baptism - He submitted to baptism.

Let me know if you have some other reasons you can think of for Jesus' baptism.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 5-7