Day 4, The Baptism of Jesus, Luke 3:16-22

John’s teaching about Christ and baptism in 3:16 is profound.  Unfortunately any discussion of baptism tends to focus on the mode (immersion or sprinkling), or is it physical or spiritual, or should I speak in tongues, or is it for infants or adults.  Most Bible studies skip the subject because of the controversies and thus provide no opportunity to think through what it means and how it fits our lives.

I have answers to all the above issues.  But those things are not in play here.  The baptism of John involved water John says so.  Jesus is physically baptized, in water, as an adult.  No one in this story speaks in another language.  What we see here with respect to baptism is fundamental to the idea of baptism in every Biblical context where we find reference to it.  Baptism is identification.  John was baptizing people who publicly proclaimed repentance and a desire to be ready for the coming Messiah.  Like Anna at the time of Jesus’ birth, these being baptized were those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem, except that John was preaching that the time and the King were near at hand.  

Remember the time when the mother of James and John asked Jesus if her sons could sit on His right and left in the kingdom (Mt. 20:20-28)?  Jesus, of course, could not promise them the honor their mother desired for them.  But He did ask them the qualifying question: Are you able to … be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?  God exalts those who humble themselves.  So Jesus’ question was, would they be willing to go through the suffering and affliction that qualifies someone to be so honored?  But more specifically Jesus asks: to what extent are you willing to be identified with Me?  He would carry His cross to Calvary; would they be willing to do the same?

With that in mind, think about today’s passage.  In v19-20 we see that John the Baptist so identified with Christ that he endured the baptism Jesus would be baptized with.  And shortly before John was beheaded Jesus would honor John as the greatest of the prophets (Luke 7:24-30).  In v21-22 we see that Jesus came to be baptized.  He did not come confessing His sins, for Scripture is clear: He had no sin to confess.  But why did He come?  It was to identify with John’s ministry and with those who had responded to John’s message.  Jesus is the end-point of John’s ministry; so Jesus begins His ministry identifying with John’s message.  

Thus what does the Father do?  He makes it clear to the people that the ministry of John is finished (the One has come whose sandal John was unworthy to loose) and Jesus’ ministry is now on the rise (being the Son with whom God is pleased to exalt to the throne of David, Ps. 2:6).

Let us not get sidetracked on this issue.  However we see baptism, do we see ourselves as being boldly and without hesitation identified with Jesus?  Don’t be flippant, blurting out “yes, I’m a Christian.”  Think on this.  Read what it means to be faithful (Heb. 11:35-38).  Are you truly identifying with Christ?