Why does Jesus come for baptism? John is rightly puzzled. He recognised that Jesus, the ‘one more powerful’ (vs 11,13), had no need for a baptism of repentance because he had never turned away from God (v 14). Jesus cites obedience as his reason (v 15). Jesus’ life on earth until the moment of death was continual obedience (Philippians 2:8). Through his baptism, the sinless Jesus is showing his willingness to identify completely with sinful humanity. Just as later, on the cross, he would carry our sin and face the judgement that we deserved. 

From the beginning of the Gospel, Matthew has emphasised the royal lineage and destiny of Jesus. Now, through the baptism and heavenly confirmation, Matthew signals that God’s obedient servant-king, promised by Isaiah, has arrived.

Verses 16 and 17 need quiet contemplation. The visible presence of God the Spirit and the audible voice of God the Father fulfil the words of Isaiah 42:1 but unveil a greater mystery. Jesus is confirmed as Son of God. We see the triune God, in heaven and on earth, united in their redemption task.

As we follow Jesus at the commencement of his public ministry, pray that we may see afresh the grace displayed in his servant life.

When Jesus appeared beside the River Jordan, John the Baptist initially resisted his request for baptism. This is not surprising since this dramatic ritual was normally accompanied by confession of sin, whereas John viewed the Messiah as the Holy One who would usher in the ‘kingdom of heaven’ (v 2). He agrees to Jesus’ request, however, since this will ‘fulfil all righteousness’ (v 15). The phrase looks back to the promises given to Israel that God would break into human history to bring justice and peace and that an anointed ruler would at last turn the dreams of redemption and shalom into reality. Jesus’ baptism and God’s response to it identify him as the agent of this great transformation and mark his acceptance of the mission to which the heavenly Father has called him.   

The opening of heaven, the vision of the Spirit descending like a dove and God’s own pleasure in the beloved Son contain multiple echoes of the stories of creation and the Exodus in the Old Testament. The revelation of a reality beyond the perspective we have on earth is a reminder of the cultural difference between us and the world of Matthew and Jesus. The spiritual realm was everywhere taken for granted in ancient times and contact between heaven and earth was not strange or unusual. What is unique is the appearance of the Spirit, symbolised by a dove, and the voice of God affirming the path now publicly chosen by Jesus. This is nothing less than the commencement of the new creation and just as God had been delighted with his own creative work at the beginning of time,¹ so now he declares himself ‘well pleased’ (v 17) with the path his Son has chosen to tread.

Reflect on the appearance of the Spirit and the voice of the Father in this passage. What did this mean for Jesus and what does it say to us?

¹ Gen 1:31