Jesus' Baptism (Matthew 3:13-17)

• The Purpose of Jesus’ Baptism (3:13-15)

→ At first John refused to baptize Jesus because he felt that he should be baptized by Him.

→ Matthew 11:3 indicates that John may have wavered on his       understanding of Jesus’ identity, but 3:13 demonstrates that he recognized Jesus’ identity as the Messiah.

→ Jesus explained that His baptism would fulfill all righteousness:

1) God requires believers to baptized, so Jesus must be baptized   

2) Jesus’ baptism is an example for us                                       3) Baptism marked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry 

• The Significance of Jesus’ Baptism (3:16-17) 

→ After being baptized, Jesus came up out of the water, which indicates immersion

→ After the heavens were open, God revealed Himself trintarily:

God the Father: Speaks from Heaven, indicating that He is pleased with His beloved Son. This terminology reflects the Servant Songs (Isa. 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12).

God the Son: Comes up out of the water. 

God the Holy Spirit: Descends from Heaven as a dove and lights on Jesus’ shoulder. The significance is that Jesus was anointed to fulfill His messianic task.