58 Jesus is Baptized [Matthew 3:13-17]

The Bible passage: [Matthew 3:13-17]

The Story:

Jesus went to John at the Jordan River, to be baptized by him.

John tried to stop Him, saying, “You come to me? I need to be baptized by You.”

Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, to show others the way to righteousness.” 

Then John baptized Him.

After Jesus was baptized, He immediately came up out of the water. The heavens suddenly opened, and He saw the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and resting on Him.

A voice came from heaven, “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!”

The Lessons:

• Baptism comes from the Greek word “Baptisma”, which means immersion. Baptism symbolizes the washing away of sins. It also symbolizes death to selfishness (sin), burial, and resurrection to a new life focused on God.
• Jesus didn’t need to be baptized, because He never sinned. He was baptized to set an example for us: that we should be baptized to show that we have died to our sinful life and raised to a new life in Christ.
• After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down to Him, and God the Father spoke to Him. We see the full Trinity in one event. God said, “This is My beloved Son.” We will see that again in 70 The Transfiguration of Jesus.
• The doctrine of the Trinity is much too complex to really cover here. The basic principle is this: there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Put another way, God is one in essence and three in person. There is only one God, but He manifests Himself to us in different ways at different times. Just as examples: God the Father created the universe and reigns over it; God the Son came to the world in human form to give Himself as the final sacrifice for our sins; God the Holy Spirit fellowships and communicates with our spirits.

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Next: 59 Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness [Luke 4:1–13]

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