MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron
Since November, we've been looking at the idea of the Messiah, the One promised and anointed by God, who came "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Last week we touched on a Jewish ritual performed by John the Baptist, and how Jesus came to John to be baptized.
The baptism of Jesus was a part of His fulfilling all the Mosaic laws. His parents had presented Him as an infant in the temple; for the feast of Passover, they took their 12-year-old, where He met with religious leaders in preparation for becoming a son of the law. Now, Jesus' baptism as an adult marked a pivotal point in God's interaction with humanity. This event became part of establishing a new covenant where spiritual laws are written on our hearts, and upon our minds (Hebrews 10:16, quoting Jer. 31:33). The author of Hebrews calls it "a new and living way" (Hebrews 10:20).
John was baptizing people for repentance, as preparation for the coming of a new kingdom. The Baptist's message gave meaning to what they'd just undergone, and what he promised, "'As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I; ...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'" (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16).
The Gospel of John gives three major bits of information about the baptism from John the Baptist's perspective: Lamb of God; baptism with the Holy Spirit; Son of God. "The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!''"(John 1:29). Then, "John [the Baptist] bore witness saying, 'I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him'" (John 1:32). Finally, "And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (John 1:33-34).
But then, significantly, we hear the voice of God Himself, and in that moment there's the Trinity, with the Spirit descending, the Father speaking, the Son beginning His mission. All three Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present the three events in the same order, so it must be significant: heavens opened, Holy Spirit descended like a dove, voice came from heaven.
The opening of the heavens indicates God coming down and intervening on behalf not only of the Son, but for all mankind, revealing His concern and involvement. There's a representative prayer in Isaiah 64:1, begging that God “would rend the heavens and come down.” It can also be seen as preparatory for the rending of the curtain in the temple (Matthew 27:51) after the crucifixion: "And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split." From then on, Jesus' sinless death opened access to heaven.
The Spirit coming as a dove reminds of Genesis 1:2, "The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." Present during the creation of the universe, the Spirit is also here at the moment of new creation through Jesus. Another parallel is found in Acts when the Holy Spirit appears, not as a dove, but as flames of fire (Acts 2:3-4), anointing with power the gathered followers of Christ to continue His calling and mission.
There's a voice from heaven, just as in Genesis chapter 1, as God spoke into being each part of creation. Here at the baptism, He expresses pleasure with His Son. Later, at Jesus' transfiguration, the voice from heaven affirms Jesus' sonship, His messianic appointment, and God's approval. "'This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!'" (Luke 9:35).
Baptism has a connotation of dying. Jesus understood this role, as He stated in Mark 10:45 "'For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'" That's why John the Baptist identified Him (John 1:29, 34) not only as “the Son of God”, but “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Paul in his letter to Christians at Phillippi understood all this. He encouraged them to be like Christ who took the form of a servant, humbled Himself and died on a cross. Therefore, "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11).
Jesus the sinless man did not need repentance or baptism. But it was necessary that He undergo the ritual and fulfill the Mosaic requirements, in order to usher in the new kingdom. As soon as He was baptized, the heavens opened, the Spirit appeared, and God's spoken word came from above, identifying Him as the Messiah.
