The Baptism of Jesus in four Synoptic Gospels

What is Baptism?
Baptism is an outward act that symbolizes the inward phenomenon of coming to and accepting
Jesus Christ as real, as God incarnate, as the sacrificial means by which those who believe in him
can be forever reconciled to God. The purpose of baptism is to give visual testimony of our
commitment to Christ. It is the first step of discipleship (Acts 8:26-39).
The Greek word for “baptism” is “βαπτιζω". The English letters look like this: "baptidzo." The
Greek word "baptidzo" literally means to “dip” or to “immerse”.
Baptism is like a wedding ring. We put on a wedding ring as a symbol of our commitment and
devotion. In the same way baptism is a picture of devotion and commitment to Christ. A
wedding ring reminds us and tells others that we belong to someone special. In the same way,
baptism reminds us and others that we are devoted to Christ and belong to Him.
The baptism of Jesus is recorded in the Gospel Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In
this story we see that Jesus approaches John and asks to be baptized. John has been proclaiming
the Gospel and baptizing those who repent of their sin, want to make right their relationship with
God, and await the coming Messiah. John is astonished that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, is
asking to be baptized and John feels like he should be the one asking Jesus to baptize him!
Jesus tells John that His baptism is "fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness". Jesus is baptized as
a symbol of giving His will up to His Father and the beginning of His earthly ministry. When
Jesus comes up out of the water, John sees the Spirit of God descend like a dove upon Jesus and
they hear God's voice from heaven say "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved."
Why Was Jesus Baptized?
Both Mark and Luke record this story but don’t raise the question (Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22).
John’s Gospel doesn’t give us the events of Jesus’s baptism but emphasizes the same effect as
the other Gospels—that the Spirit of God descended on Jesus, anointing him as the Son of God
(John 1:32–34). Only Matthew raises the issue by including a piece of the story that the other
Gospel writers don’t—John himself was hesitant to baptize Jesus. John, aware that Jesus wasn’t
just another person coming to repent and confess his sins, protests: “I need to be baptized by you,
but you are coming to me?” (Matt. 3:14).
Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John
would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to
me? 15 But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [a]it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all
righteousness. Then he suffereth him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway
from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened [b]unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending as a dove, and coming upon him; 17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, [c]This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
 Mark 1:9–11
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized
of John [a]in the Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent
asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him: 11 and a voice came out of the heavens,
Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:21-22:
21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized,
and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a
dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well
pleased.
John 1:29-34:
29 On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God,
[a]
that taketh away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who
is become before me: for he was [b]before me. 31 And I knew him not; but that he should be made
manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing [c]in water. 32 And John bare witness, saying, I
have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew
him not: but he that sent me to baptize [d]in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt
see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth [e]in the Holy
Spirit. 34 And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

Matthew 3:13–17 Mark 1:9–11 Luke 3:21–22 John 1:28–34

-From Galilee to the Jordan -From Nazareth in the -In Bethabara beyond
Jordan Jordan

-Behold the lamb of God,

-John forbade him This is he
-Suffer it now

-Jesus being immersed -- -Jesus was immersed -Jesus having been

Straightway coming up out immersed
of the water -Straightway coming up
from the water

-Heavens split open -Jesus was praying -From heaven

-Heavens opened (to him)
-Heaven was opened

-He saw the Spirit of God -He (John) saw the Spirit -Holy Ghost descended in a -I (John) saw the Spirit
descending like a dove and descending like a dove into bodily shape like a dove descending like a dove and
coming upon him (or unto) him upon him it abode upon him
-Voice from the heavens -Voice came from the -Voice came from heaven
heavens

-This is my beloved Son in -Thou art my beloved Son; -Thou art my beloved Son;
whom I am well pleased in thee I am well pleased in thee I am well pleased

-God had said to John:

Upon whom thou shalt see
the Spirit descending, and
remaining on him, the same
is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost

-I saw and bear record: This

is the Son of God

Jesus was tempted in all points

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all
points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15.

Jesus had His own will, which He denied

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be
done.” Luke 22:42.

Jesus tells us to follow Him on the way of self-denial

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it.’” Matthew 16:24-25.

Jesus grew and developed spiritually

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52.

The Spirit of God testifies that Jesus ame in the fleshSin is anything that goes against God’s will
and His laws. To commit sin is to transgress or disobey these laws. The lust to sin dwells in
human nature. In other words, it is contaminated and motivated by the sinful...
“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
not of God.” 1 John 4:2-3.

Jesus humbled Himself and came in the likeness of men

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He
humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross.” Philippians 2:5-8.

The apostle Paul refers to “the Man Jesus Christ”

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave
Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an
apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and
truth.” 1 Timothy 2:5-7.

Jesus calls Himself a Man

“Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But
now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.” John 8:39-
40.

Jesus had to fight and obey to be saved from sin and death
“Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with
vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because
of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He
suffered.” Hebrews 5:7-9.
Jesus is called our “forerunner”
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the
Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become
High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20.

Jesus was “made like His brethren”

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in
the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed
He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all
things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest
in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He
Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-17.

The Bible tells us to follow in Jesus’ steps

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you
should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when
He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed
Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,
that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” 1
Peter 2:21-24.
If we were to compile a catalog of practices that are essential to the Christian faith, what would be
included? Among other essentials, baptism would certainly need to be high on the list. Baptism is one of
the means by which Jesus commissions his followers to make disciples (Matt. 28:18–20). It’s also central to
the preaching of the gospel at the inception of the church at Pentecost (Acts 2:38). In short, the idea that
Christians should be baptized—regardless of when or how—is central to the Christian faith. This should
come as no surprise.

What may come as a surprise, however, is that Jesus himself was baptized. Baptism wasn’t just something
Jesus commanded his followers to do, but an experience he also underwent. As familiar as we may be with
the Gospel accounts, the fact that Jesus submitted himself to baptism may still strike us as odd.

The plot thickens even more when we consider that the baptism Jesus submitted himself to was John’s
baptism, which is described as (1) accompanying “repentance” (Matt. 3:2); (2) in conjunction with people
“confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:6); and (3) as the means by which to “flee from the coming wrath” (Matt.
3:7).

It doesn’t take much pondering to realize that this doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of what the New
Testament says about Jesus—that he was God’s virgin-born (Matt. 1:19–25), sinless (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb.
4:15), perfectly obedient Son (Heb. 5:8–9; John 17:4), fully pleasing to the Father (Matt. 3:17), who pre-
existed as divine but laid aside his glory to take on flesh (Phil. 2:5–8). Nonetheless, Jesus says it is fitting
and appropriate that he be baptized (Matt. 3:15).

All this leads to an important question: Why did Jesus need to be baptized?

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

Both Mark and Luke record this story but don’t raise the question (Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22). John’s Gospel doesn’t
give us the events of Jesus’s baptism but emphasizes the same effect as the other Gospels—that the Spirit of God
descended on Jesus, anointing him as the Son of God (John 1:32–34). Only Matthew raises the issue by including a piece
of the story that the other Gospel writers don’t—John himself was hesitant to baptize Jesus. John, aware that Jesus wasn’t
just another person coming to repent and confess his sins, protests: “I need to be baptized by you, but you are coming to
me?” (Matt. 3:14).

As familiar as we may be with the Gospel accounts, the fact that Jesus
submitted himself to baptism may still strike us as odd.

Jesus’s answer to John’s reluctance is instructive, both in answering our question and also in revealing an important aspect
of Matthew’s theology. Jesus said, “Let it be so, for it is fitting in this way for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15).
This is a weighty answer, containing two words—“fulfill” and “righteousness”—that are central ideas in Matthew’s
Gospel. Something important is going on here.

Nonetheless, Jesus’s response to John remains a bit esoteric for most readers today. So allow me to offer the following
paraphrase: Jesus is fulfilling his role as the obedient Son of God by practicing the required righteousness of submitting to
God’s will to repent (i.e., to live in the world wholeheartedly devoted to God).

How Does a Sinless Man Repent?

To understand this, there are a couple of elements we need to unpack.
First, “righteousness” in Matthew refers to whole-person behavior that accords with God’s will, nature, and coming
kingdom. Paul uses this word in some other ways, but Matthew’s usage is more typical of the Old Testament sense of
heart-deep, faithful obedience to God. In submitting to John’s baptism Jesus is showing himself to be the good and
obedient Son who does God’s will perfectly.

Second, we must understand what “repentance” means. Today this word often evokes the image of someone on the street
corner with a sandwich board that reads, “The end is near!” Biblical repentance is broader and tuned differently. The call
to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17) is an urgent invitation to reorient our values, habits, loves,
thinking, and behavior according to a different understanding, one rooted in the revelation of God’s nature and coming
reign. In short, repentance means, “Become a disciple!” Jesus repents not in the sense of turning from sin (our repentance
necessarily includes this where his does not), but in the sense of dedicating himself to follow God’s will fully on earth.

God has sent John as the final herald of the King’s return and now Jesus
comes in line with this and fulfills it by submitting to John’s baptism.

Thus, the qualms we (and John) may have about why Jesus would undergo John’s baptism dissipate. Even as a virgin-
born, divine-incarnate, unique person in the world, the Son desires to be wholeheartedly obedient to the Father (i.e.,
righteous). Thus, he must submit to the God-ordained message of life-dedication preached by John. To call this a
“fulfillment” of all righteousness taps into what Matthew has been arguing repeatedly from the beginning of his book
(Matt. 1:18–2:23), and what he will continue to do in the following stories (Matt. 4:14–16; 5:17)—Jesus is the fulfillment
of all God’s work in the world. He is the final goal and consummation of all God’s saving activity. God has sent John as
the final herald of the King’s return, and now Jesus comes in line with this and fulfills it by submitting to John’s baptism.

Jesus as the Last Adam

So why did Jesus need to be baptized? Because central to Jesus’s purpose in being the Savior of the world is his own
faithful obedience to the Father. He was obedient even to the point of death on a cross (Phil. 2:8; Rom. 5:18), thereby
securing our salvation.

As Brandon Crowe helpfully summarizes, “Jesus is portrayed in the Gospel as the last Adam whose obedience is
necessary for God’s people to experience the blessings of salvation.” Jesus’s baptism signals the inauguration of his
mission as the obedient Son and of his model of what it means to be faithful to God.

We don’t simply get baptized because he did. We’re

baptized into him and he baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.
The church’s ongoing practice of baptism—like another essential practice, the Lord’s Supper—is simultaneously a
repetition of and a post-Pentecost transformation of Jesus’s own act. Jesus was baptized as a sign of his dedication
(wholehearted obedience), and so too we follow his example. At the same time, his own baptism is transformed in our
experience because he is more than just a model. We don’t simply get baptized because he did. We’re baptized into him,
and he baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.

Though like John the Baptist we may at first be perplexed as to why Jesus was baptized, we can see now that Jesus’s
baptism is a crucial part of his saving work in the world, always to be remembered.