baptize me

today we look a confusing passage Matt. 3:13-17

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Now i would like to say that baptism existed before John as a sign of repentance which is why John objects to the baptism.  So why is Jesus doing this sacrament that has to do with baptism.  I believe its for 2 main reasons

1)  He is identifying himself with us by being baptized

2)  I think main reason is because of the endorsement by God that this is my son.

This endorsement shows us how to see Jesus. He is the son of God, the messiah, the prince of peace, and the lion of Judah.  Jesus himself refers to this endorsement in Luke 20:1-8

¹ One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up ² and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” ³ He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, ⁴ was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” ⁵ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Starting at this point there is only one way Christ can and will go to and that's the cross

man in camel's hair

This passage is about my favorite pastor aside from Jesus, in Matt. 3:1-11

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

    ¹ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
   “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
   make his paths straight.’”
   ⁴ Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
   ⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
   ¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

First some background on John.  He is the son of Zechariah the priest and Elisabeth an old women who is a descendant of Aaron the brother of moses and the first high priest. He is the fulfillment of prophecy as we see in this passage he is also the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1.  Even Jesus, his cousin through Elisabeth and Mary, says this to the people in Matt. 11 (which i will get to in a year hopefully)

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,    “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
   who will prepare your way before you.’
   ¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear,^[e] let him hear.

You should know he was not Elijah back from heaven but he was the the fulfillment of this prophecy.

I love John because he does not sugar coat his message unlike many pastors today,  after all he is imprisoned by Herod Antipas, who is the son of Herod the not so great, because he wouldn't sugar coat a message