Though many of the events in the life and ministry of Jesus are not recorded in all four Gospels, several of them are, and His baptism is one of them. Our Gospel passage for this week from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer tells Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus. Let’s take a closer look at this event which was important enough for all four evangelists to record.
The Scriptures speak of two different types of baptism. Throughout the Book of Acts and many of the Epistles we read of Christian or Believer’s Baptism, the baptism that Jesus, before His Ascension, instructed the Apostles to perform for future believers (Matthew 28:19-20). This baptism is a public sign that one has accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior from sin through His death and resurrection. The other baptism was the baptism that John the Baptist performed, which was a baptism of repentance. A short while before Jesus began His ministry, John the Baptist appeared on the scene preaching repentance and the need for people to turn from their sins and follow the Lord and His Word. Many people took John the Baptist’s message to heart, were repentant, and were baptised by him as a sign of their repentance and desire to amend their lives.
As we read in the Gospels, right prior to the start of His ministry, Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptised by him. We must ask why He would do this. This wasn't a believer's baptism. Jesus would not take part in that, as He couldn’t accept Himself as Savior. However, why would the Lord Jesus take part in the baptism of John the Baptist, which was a baptism of repentance? Jesus, the sinless Son of God, did not have any sins that He needed to repent from.
One of the main reasons why Jesus was baptised was because He was identifying with sinners. Jesus would ultimately bear the sins of all mankind. That was the whole purpose that He came to earth for, to take our sins upon Himself, and bear the punishment for them at the Cross of Calvary. Jesus did not become a sinner, but He took upon Himself our sins and the punishment they deserved, while His perfect righteousness would be imputed to those who believe.
Another reason that Jesus took part in this baptism was to show His support of the ministry of John the Baptist. Many of the Pharisees, along with the chief priests of Jerusalem, were critical of John the Baptist’s ministry and rejected him. However, a large number of the common folk, and the more “public sinners” came to John to hear his preaching and be baptised. Later in His ministry, Jesus gave the testimony that there was no one born of women who was greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). By taking part in John’s baptism Jesus was showing that He accepted and believed in what John preached and taught.
It was at the baptism of Jesus that God gave a public affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah by testimony directly from heaven (vs. 10-11). Some false churches and doctrines deny the Trinity, saying that it is not mentioned in the Bible. Here we see, though, all three members of the Trinity. We see God the Father in the Voice that spoke from heaven. God the Son is in Jesus Christ, of course. And God the Holy Spirit is shown in the dove that descended upon Jesus. Let us all publicly affirm Jesus as the Messiah, and Son of God!
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