Why Did Jesus Get Baptized?

Baptism is supposed to be an event of obedience in the life of a new Christian. The first thing we find new converts doing in the Bible after accepting Christ was to be baptized. It is astounding to me that people claim to be believers and yet have never followed the Lord in believers’ baptism. Biblically, we know that the act of baptism doesn’t save anyone. Perhaps the greatest example of this truth is the thief on the cross. He was saved while hanging next to Jesus just minutes before he would be dead. The Romans didn’t take him down and say to him, “Go get baptized, come back and then we’ll finish killing you.” Being baptized is a public announcement of something that has happened privately. Trusting Christ is something you and I do inside our hearts. No one sees what truly transpires. It is the outward act of baptism that proclaims to people, “I am a follower of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” It is a picture for all to see. It declares that I believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The Bible passage for this is Romans 6:1-5. We tell the world of a new life in Christ in which we plan to walk.
But why did Jesus get baptized? He wasn’t a sinner that needed to repent. There was nothing in His life to repent of. Jesus was impeccable. There are some reasons I think Jesus received baptism, which I’ll mention as you read. Each of the four gospels refer to the baptizing that John was either doing or had done. I’ll share things from three of the gospels. Matthew 3, the whole chapter, has some wonderful truths I will touch on today. Luke 1 & John 1:28-36 also contain some clues as well.
1. Arrival. We are told in John 1:28 that John was baptizing “in Bethabara beyond Jordan.” That name means “house of the ferry.” This was a wilderness area near Gilead north of the Dead Sea, and not far from Jericho. “Beyond Jordan” tells us it was the east side of the river Jordan. This was Gentile and Samaritan territory. Israel was on the west side of the Jordan. There are many that see this as symbolic that the gospel is for all people. Matthew 8 tells us about a demon possessed man in Gentile territory of the Gadarenes and John 4 tells us about a woman from the city of Sychar who was a Samaritan. Both of these were saved in areas not being a part of Israel proper.

At Bethabara there was a ford, a place where people could cross the river going back and forth. John the Baptist used that location as one of his places to baptize those Israelites with a repentant heart who were from Jerusalem and Judea (Matthew 3:5). Even though Jesus and John were cousins, there is no place in the Bible where we are told they have met before this moment. The only proximity between them was when both of their mothers were next to one another and John leaped in his mother’s womb when Jesus is mentioned. That moment was before either had been born. Thirty years have passed. It was this place John was baptizing that Jesus walked for one specific purpose, “to be baptized of John” (Matthew 3:13). As a side note, proving the importance of being baptized, Jesus walked about 90 miles to be baptized. From Nazareth to Bethabara, depending on the trek, was roughly a five-day travel time. Jesus’ walking this far validates the ministry of John the Baptist. He was “a voice crying in the wilderness” & the forerunner of Christ. To use a Bible term, “A man sent from God” (John 1:6). The baptism of Jesus is considered by scholars to be the official start of the public ministry of Jesus. No longer would He have a private life.
2. Announcement. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Lamb of God? Lamb of God? Would that phrase be important to Israel? If they knew their history, it certainly would be important. Way back in Exodus, the last of the ten plaques of Egypt was the death angel passing through Egypt killing the first born. The only houses overlooked were the houses that had prepared, killing the Passover lamb and putting the blood on the door post and lentils. These lambs had to be without blemish. With that in mind look at Luke 1:5. “There was in the days of Herod (Herod the Great), the king of Judaea, certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” If anyone knew about the history of the Passover lamb and all the many centuries of celebrating Passover yearly as a national holy day, it would have been these two. Priests were the ones doing the sacrificing. They were the ones inspecting to make sure the lambs were spotless, without defect. John’s mom was raised in a priest’s home, we would say today, “She was a preacher’s kid.” They knew about The Passover. These two parents were “righteous before God…blameless” (Luke 1:6). They raised John with the importance and reasons for the Passover; sin must be dealt with. Back in John 1:29 their son, the fiery preacher, declares “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John was constantly pointing others to the Lord Jesus. Some of the time it would be harsh, such as when dealing with the Pharisees and their pride, while at other times gently with those who came humbly because of their sin. Let me throw one more thing into this point as to the reasons Jesus was baptized, being our example. Matthew 20:22-26, Jesus is approached by Salome, James, and John’s mother. She wants her boys to be prominent in the kingdom that Jesus will set up. Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They saith unto him, We are able.” Being a follower of Jesus isn’t a life of ease. The joys always outweigh the pain, but the Christian walk can be a hard road to walk. It could get worse for Christians in America. At the moment, we are on easy street compared to our brothers and sisters around the globe. Jesus was immersed in suffering. His whole life was one of not owning anything as in “no place to lay his head.” He was abused verbally and physically, yet He opened not His mouth. He was nailed to a cross. His whole life was a constant baptism by fire. Can you follow in His steps? His baptismal example would be a simple picture of the life of being a Christian immersed in hard places. The old Baptist, Obadiah Holmes, was constantly arrested and beaten. During one of those sufferings, while being whipped, he smiled and said to the tormentors, “It is as though you have beaten me with rose pedals.”
3. Affirmation: Matthew 3:16-17 is beautiful. Jesus comes up from the water and immediately all three persons of the Trinity are represented. “…and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) descending like a dove and lighting upon him:” The sweet Holy Spirit touches down on him at the very moment he comes up from the water. In the Old Testament, oil would be poured over the head of the prophet, priest, or king. This anointing at the baptism would be a picture of anointing the whole ministry of Jesus, doing Messiah things by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father then speaks from heaven at this exact moment. “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” His eyes roam to and fro throughout the whole earth and this is a joyous occasion as the plan of redemption takes another major step.