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let’s begin so i’m a little under the weather today it was a little i guess welcome back gift for california as soon as we came back emma and i both got sick or soon after coming back so ask for your patience today as we begin the new school thank you for being here good morning calvary we’re moving onward in our study of the gospels today we’ve examined jesus birth and childhood but now we come to the final events in jesus preparation for ministry and that’s his baptism and his temptation now the original lesson plan calls us calls for us to cover both of those events today jesus baptism and his temptation in the wilderness but as i got into the passage i found there’s a lot that i wanted to discuss regarding jesus baptism and regarding john the baptist god is temptation in the wilderness next week and then we’ll get back to lesson 12 the week after and after that we’ll be back in line with the other sunday school classes so today we’re only talking about jesus baptism which finally lets me use the little water theme for my powerpoint presentation which is kind of exciting now recall that last time we were looking at luke’s account of jesus being left behind in the temple we saw from that account the mysterious display of jesus full humanity and his full deity jesus needed to learn spiritual truth yet he always seemed to know spiritual truth especially who he was and why he came to the earth he was always infinitely beloved by his heavenly father yet he grew in favor with god as he was obedient and as he grew up on earth now we’re going to see more of this mysterious relationship of jesus’s humanity and his divinity as we turn back to matthew’s account of the life of jesus and particularly jesus baptism now why does matthew record this event and where did baptism itself come from why did jesus need to be baptized what did jesus baptism signify about him and what can we learn from this passage regarding our attitudes toward jesus towards salvation and toward baptism we’ve got a lot of great questions to investigate today and we’re going to do so using our inductive bible study method we’re going to break down the text into two main parts we’ll talk about the introduction and the ministry of john the baptist and then we’ll talk about the actual baptism of jesus and we’ll finish up by talking about application there’s my outline there all right let’s pray our god i pray that you’d help me this morning to explain teach your word adequately accurately in a way that is worthy of it help us understand this word help us to live by it we need this word i pray that you would open the hearts of the hearers today to be edified by it to be convicted if necessary pray spirit that you work among your people i don’t have the power but god you have the power so i pray that you would work now for your name’s sake amen okay let’s look first at the introduction of john the baptist and his ministry so if you haven’t done so yet please open your bibles to matthew 3. i guess you couldn’t have done it yet because i didn’t tell you but matthew 3 is where we’re going to be matthew chapter 3 start by reading verses 1-12 this is our first section matthew 3 verses 1 to 12 that’s page 958 if you’re using the view bible let’s read now in those days john the baptist came preaching in the wilderness of judea saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand for this is the one referred to by isaiah the prophet when he said the voice of one crying in the wilderness make ready the way of yahweh or i’m sorry make it ready the way of the lord make his path straight now john himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist and his food was locust and wild honey then jerusalem was going out to him all judea and all the district around the jordan and they were being baptized by him in the jordan river as they confessed their sins but when he saw many of the pharisees and sadducees coming for baptism he said to them you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves we have abraham for our father for i say to you that from these stones god is able to raise up children to abraham the ax is already laid at the root of the trees therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire as for me i baptize you with water for repentance but he was coming after me is mightier than i and i am not fit to remove his sandals he will baptize you with the holy spirit and fire his winnowing fork is in his hand and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor and he will gather his wheat into the barn but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire okay step one let’s observe our passage notice the in those days of verse one based on our previous study we can say that these events take place when jesus is close to 30 years old or about a.d 24 to 26.
so around 24 to 26 a.d now notice that john the baptist john the baptist is our main subject here he comes preaching in the wilderness of judea and what’s john’s message repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand now notice the word repent here the word repent is used this word for repent is used many times in the new testament comes from the greek verb which means basically to change one’s mind the one who repents stops thinking one way and starts thinking another way he affirms the truth and then he adjusts his behavior in a way that is consistent with that truth repentance therefore is well defined as a change of mind that results in a change of action john calls on the people to repent and why because the kingdom of heaven is at hand that is to say the kingdom of heaven is near it’s about to arrive it’s coming close therefore repent now this phrase the kingdom of heaven it’s not used in the old testament neither is the phrase the synonymous phrase kingdom of god you don’t hear that particular phrase in the old testament either those phrases but certainly the idea of a coming divine kingdom was not new what kingdom were the people of israel anticipating yes steve i’m sorry um sound people can we turn up the the volume i can’t hear um can’t hear what anyone in the congregation is saying uh just very barely can you try again steve all right the restored kingdom of uh i think you said judah or israel all right um until we get that sound up up maybe not ask questions but yeah certainly they were looking for they were looking for god’s promise to restore them to bring back their kingdom the restored kingdom of israel the kingdom of messiah and we can even say the kingdom of god himself because we just got to go back to the words of the prophets some of the things that we’ve even seen in the old testament in fact look what matthew does here right when he mentions john the baptist and his message he quotes from isaiah and notice what chapter this is from this is isaiah chapter 40.
isaiah chapter 40 verses 3 to 5 says this this is isaiah 43 verses 3 to 5.
a voice is calling clear the way for yahweh in the wilderness make smooth in the desert a highway for our god let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low and let the rough ground become a plane and the rugged terrain abroad valley then the glory of yahweh will be revealed and all flesh will see it together for the mouth of yahweh has spoken so what what was the idea in isaiah 40 it’s that king yahweh himself is coming therefore a way must be prepared for him in the wilderness king yahweh is going to come and set up his glorious kingdom in israel and its glory and majesty is going to extend over the whole earth this is the expectation that israel has but remember what malachi said we looked at malachi when god’s kingdom comes will this be good news for everyone in israel and everyone in the world in a way yes but in a way no because what is coming with god’s kingdom judgment listen again to malachi chapter 4 verses 1 to 3.
malachi 4 verses 1-3 god says for behold the day is coming burning like a furnace and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff and the day that is coming will set them ablaze says yahweh of hosts so that it will leave them neither root nor branch but for you who fear my name the son of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall you will tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that i am preparing says yahweh of hosts so indeed the coming of god’s kingdom is good news for the righteous remnant but it’s terrible news for those who stubbornly cling to sin even in israel the coming of god’s kingdom will not be a good day for them so john’s call to repentance makes a lot of sense right he’s essentially reminding the people which side do you want to be on when god’s kingdom arrives do you want to be on the side of his citizens or the side of his enemies therefore repent now back in matthew 3 verse 4 gives you gives us a quick description of john his clothing and his diet he wears clothes of camel hair and he has a leather belt and also mentions he eats locusts and wild honey now compare this description with what is said in second kings verse chapter 1 verses 7 8 second kings chapter 1 verses 7 8 the verse says he said to them what kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you they answered him he was a hairy man with a leather girdle a bound about his loins and he said it is elijah the tishbite ah noticing a similarity in these descriptions john the baptist is dressed like elijah now notice all the people coming to john and verse 5 it says jerusalem and all judea and all the district around the jordan river they’re coming to john many many people coming to him in the bear wilderness verse 6 says that john sets up by the jordan river and there he starts baptizing the jews who come to him now what is this baptism thing the word baptized means to put someone or something in liquid we could say synonyms like plunge dip wash or bathe but where does this idea of plunging or baptizing come from in religion where does religious baptism come from well the old testament never prescribed a baptism of repentance as we see set up by john here but the law of moses did frequently prescribe bathing as part of cleansing from ritual uncleanness if you go back to leviticus or numbers you’ll see if you become unclean in this way you have to do this this thing and then you have to bathe yourself and then you can um come back later into the camp oh let me go back okay oh the sound is still a little bit quiet actually it’s still very quiet so no not not quite there yet just uh saying that for the sound team so we do have this idea of the bathing from ritual uncleanness in the old testament moreover a custom had developed among the jews by this time regarding gentile converts to judaism namely that a convert as a sign of a as a sign of cleansing from his former life of gentile impurity he would ceremonially wash in the presence of witnesses while a rabbi read from the law this washing was immersive preferably done in a natural water source like a river but it could also be done in special washing receptacles that permitted the full submersion of the body well actually i found a lot of these receptacles archaeologically and in jewish communities hey that’s a little bit better in terms of sound now notice that those baptized by john are confessing their sins oh is that a question in the back dwayne no okay then we see the this uh so the people who are baptized are confessing their sins but then we see this contrasting word verse 7 but but the pharisees and sadducees also came down to be baptized who are the pharisees and sadducees ah these are two prestigious factions religious factions within judaism at this time they comprise essentially israel’s religious elite the sadducees were a group that did not acknowledge any part of the old testament as inspired by god except the five books of moses that was their only scriptures they did not believe in the resurrection nor in most things supernatural including angels they also rejected human religious traditions the sadducees as you could guess if they didn’t believe in the resurrection they were very this world minded they’re often greedy unscrupulous and obsessed with power now where could one find sadducees at this time why in jerusalem especially in the temple and among the priesthood much of the official jewish political and religious leadership at this time was sadducee the pharisees were the counter movement to the sadducees pharisees acknowledged all of the old testament as well as their rabbinic traditions pharisees affirmed the supernatural and they affirmed the resurrection and they stressed strict adherence to god’s law and to the traditions of the rabbis therefore pharisees were thought to be the holiest of all jews many pharisees were also rabbis pharisees were much more popular with the common people than the sadducees though as we’ll see in jesus’s ministry jesus constantly exposes the fake righteousness of the pharisees so we have men from these two groups coming to john to receive baptism now you’d think that this would have pleased john hey look even the religious elites have come to repent but notice what john does he first calls them a brood of vipers okay what does that mean let’s see if i can hear you guys now what’s the brute of vipers yeah it’s a group of snakes i don’t i don’t know about a pit brood is the idea of offspring so these are viper babies uh viper by the way is a type of snake known for injecting venom via its fangs viper venom is a special kind of venom that disrupts blood it can be quite deadly a viper bite can disrupt the normal blood clotting system in a creature and cause the blood pressure of that creature to collapse so depending on how much venom goes from a snake into a person it can kill you john tells these religious leaders you are the spawn of a deadly and venomous snake then john asks a question who warned you to flee from the wrath to come this is a rhetorical question the sense appears to be what are you doing here you don’t belong here now notice that therefore verse 8 john introduces a conclusion based on what he just said because wrath truly is coming and because you truly are brutal vipers bear fruit in keeping with repentance notice what john devises against he says do not simply tell yourself that abraham is your father why and why not john says because god can raise up children to abraham out of stones then something else john says the ax is already laid at the root of the trees and then we get another therefore in verse 10.
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire so this this wood from these trees they’re not going to be saved for anything but burning and then notice the fire imagery continues into verse 11 and 12.
who is it that’s bringing the fire who’s bringing the fire the one coming after john which we’ll see yes it is jesus john says though about this one he’s not fit to remove his sandals but when he comes this one will baptize with both the holy spirit and fire so notice there’s a repetition of this idea of baptism john baptizes with water but the one coming is also going to baptize but in a different way he’s going to baptize with the holy spirit and with fire and we get another image in verse 12. an image of winnowing and a winnowing fork what’s this all about what is winnowing well remember that when you harvest grain especially at that time you have to go through a couple different steps you first have to cut the grain down in the field you bring it back and you thresh it you pound it or you you run something over it so you can break the uh the kernel apart so you have the good the good head of grain which is edible and then you have the chaff which is not edible it’s a kind of like a shell on the stalk of grain but those things are mixed together you need to separate them how you going to do that well you would use a winnowing fork you would winnow it and that means that you take the pile of grain and chaff and you toss it into the air in a breezy spot with your fork and the chaff because it was light it would blow away while the grain that you actually want falls back down the heads of grain fall back earlier the edible part falls back down so widowing fork is for separating wheat from chaff and notice that john says the winnowing fork is already in the hand of this coming one and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor he’s not going to miss anything and what will be the result he will gather the wheat into his barn but the chaff will be burned up with unquenchable fire that is this fire is not going to stop nothing can put it out neither will it put itself out by running out of fuel this is an everlasting fire all right now that we’ve worked through our passage with observations let’s ask interpretation questions now in what sense was god’s kingdom near in john’s ministry in what sense was the kingdom of god near yeah exactly we’re talking about the coming of the messiah here the one bringing the kingdom that is the messiah is about to appear on the scene and even as john says this messiah will gather the righteous remnant and destroy all wicked ones now note that jesus himself will say the same thing about the kingdom of god later on in matthew in fact just a chapter later matthew 4 17 jesus says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so it’s not that the kingdom automatically arrives with the coming of the messiah but messiah is the one who will set up god’s promised kingdom so it is right for both john and jesus to say that the kingdom of heaven is near now why does matthew quote isaiah 40 in reference to john why bring that up in this passage if matthew quotes this passage that connects with what john is doing what does that show about john exactly yeah this is a way of showing that what john is doing fulfills prophecy and that john and his message are from god that’s right he’s authenticated now we can say the same thing about the description of john also given in matthew matthew doesn’t just haphazardly note the appearance of john and his diet this is also to help the reader to see that john is the second elijah as malachi prophesied remember malachi 4 verses 4 to 6 very end of malachi god says i’m going to send elijah to you and we see one very much like elijah in the man john the baptist now by undergoing baptism what were the jews that were coming to john declaring about themselves remember the context of this washing or bathing so what would it have meant for a jew to be baptized by john yeah they’re acknowledging their deep sinfulness even some say this and i think it’s possible even to the level of being a gentile saying i’m so unclean i need to do what a gentile proselyte needs to do my former life is that impure so we understand why the passage says that when they were baptized they were confessing their sins now why though does john get so upset when he sees the pharisees and sadducees coming for baptism that’s right however we understand um john’s thinking it’s certainly along the lines of he knew that they were being hypocritical they didn’t think they needed baptism or if they did think that they needed baptism john knew that they weren’t really serious about repentance so he calls them out he sees their desire for baptism and for confessing their sin as fake and we see the strong emphasis from john to them and to the people about bearing fruit now what is someone trusting in if he says abraham is my father that’s right yeah whatever i’ve inherited my culture or my my bloodline that is going to be that’s that’s going to be the thing that’s going to save me or protect me but john points out or and john’s next line points out the silliness of that when he says god can raise up children abraham from stones john is showing that lineage is nothing special being a jew doesn’t save you just as being a gentile doesn’t condemn you nothing is impossible with god you can make people out of stones who are inheritors of abraham’s covenant but what god has declared is that he will judge the wicked and save the righteous lineage does not matter when it comes to that now what truth does john emphasize when he mentions the axe is already laid at the root of the tree and the windwing fork is in the hand of the one who is coming that’s exactly what’s that’s exactly what he’s saying he’s saying judgment is imminent time is almost up trees are about to get cut down for some reason when i think of that line the axe is laid at the root of the tree i can’t help but thinking of a cartoon like like a lumberjack or somebody coming up next to a tree laying down the axe just for a second so he can spit on his hands and then grab the axe again and start chopping that’s the idea the tree is about to be cut down or if the windowing fork is in the hand of the one who’s coming the wheat and the chaff are about to be separated god’s kingdom is coming imminently and that means both salvation and judgment yeah rob okay it’s a really great question rob what this promise that the kingdom is near how was that fulfilled or when was that fulfilled we’ll come back to that question in just a little bit but uh before that a couple more questions what is the baptism of fire that the coming one will bring the contest fire of devotion that we sometimes sing about in christian songs this is the fire that consumes this is i think ultimately everlasting hellfire that we’re talking about here you see the messiah brings two kinds of baptisms he brings the baptism of the holy spirit which we don’t understand as some special spiritual experience but rather the indwelling of the holy spirit that jesus procured for all believers by his work on the cross so he brings the holy spirit for those who are saved but for those who are unrepentant and evil he brings fire he will bring two kinds of baptism yeah that’s a good comment you were talking about how your impression was that the fire was a cleansing fire for those who are being saved the verse 12 does suggest the fire is more a fire of judgment in a sense it is a cleansing fire but not not a personally cleansing fire this is a nationally cleansing fire this is a fire that cleanses israel and part of the way that that happens is by actually destroying the wicked ones if we just refer back again to what we heard from malachi um in chapter four it was that same idea israel i’m gonna purify you but it’s going to be a purific purification by judgment yeah duane um yeah that’s so green dwayne um just just repeating what you said the the context again of verses 10 um 12 and 13 is the one they all mentioned fire it’s a fire of judgment and even in revelation 20 when people are cast into the lake of fire it is a baptism really they are immersed in fire there’s another um verse from jesus later on that where he mentions fire and connects it with judgment it’s interesting that we have this expression in our christianity today where we link fire as a as a sign of devotion and something good you want to be on fire for god that’s not necessarily a wrong thing to say but that phrase is not not found in the bible you don’t have that concept in the new testament or the old testament fire is almost always a judgment or even purification yeah duane oh yeah that’s a good point dwayne i didn’t think of that but you’re right there we do have fire tongues of fire appear on the apostles on the day of pentecost and that was that was a special sign of the the spirit coming down upon them and dwelling them enabling them to speak in tongues so yeah that today we do see and especially in the charismatic movement the the connection with fire was being filled with god’s spirit but in this passage the context is definitely all judgment so we shouldn’t understand the baptism of fire here as to as referring to pentecost no i think the the fire is rather the fire of judgment uh yeah roy yeah so what you’re bringing out roy is that as i think is totally right that from isaiah even and the other prophets in the old testament we have the idea of a coming separation there’s a there’s an existent separation between those who really follow god and those who don’t but that separation is going to be made more stark when god comes he’s going to reward the righteous he’s going to vindicate their faith in him but he’s going to destroy the hypocrites and the wicked ones and really this idea of separation goes all the way back to genesis right you have the seed of the woman at war with the seed of the serpent and i i don’t know if i can really say this dogmatically but it is interesting that he calls them brood of brood of a viper that’s a snake that could even be an illusion back to the serpent in the garden he says you’re you’re not you’re from the line of the evil one i don’t know if i can say that too dogmatically but certainly the idea is as you were saying roy there’s a separation between those who truly follow god and those who don’t and so by referring to isaiah here and just even thinking about the context the prophets behind these words the the passage is continuing that explanation of there’s a there’s a separation there’s a separation that’s going to be going to result in two different destinies when god’s kingdom comes and jesus as you said roy jesus will say the same thing he will talk about how he he separates and even at the end at the end of the age what do we see the separation of the sheep and the goats and one they receive god’s blessing and the other they are cast into eternal darkness and flame yeah so the the context here is a very sobering one the message here is a very sobering one and it is judgment and blessing blessing for those who repent but judgment for those who will not or who only hypocritically repent here we need to move on but we’ve talked about the baptism of fire the baptism of the holy spirit all of this centers around the idea of very earth but all this is connected to the idea of bearing fruit what does it mean to bear fruit well that’s to live a changed life one that’s not characterized by your former actions your sins but is characterized by holiness and a fear and love for god this is again a very common message in the new testament the mark of true repentance is a changed life jesus and the apostles will say much about this if you’ve truly changed your mind about god if you change your mind about your sin and about yourself then it will show up in your actions those who have truly repented begin to live lives of increasing righteousness and affection for god while those who have falsely repented don’t have such fruit so bearing fruit is critical it’s not merely an optional way to live before god and john declares boldly here john the baptist declares bully that every tree not just some not just a few every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and burned every person without the food repentant in his life that shows that he hasn’t truly repented he’ll be judged by god and that judgment john emphasizes is already ready to begin now from our perspective of course we can’t be totally definitive just looking at food in people’s lives that you’re a christian you’re not a christian you’re you’re going to be judge you’re not going to be judged but there is there is this warning from god in the bible that if you’re not bearing fruit that’s that’s a mark of you not being a believer and that is a mark also of judgment coming upon you so you need to beware now who’s the one who brings this judgment well it’s the one that john says is coming after him it’s jesus it’s the messiah so behold then this striking truth about christ he is no mere mild-mannered rabbi he is the bringer of amazing salvation for the repentant remnant but he’s the administrator of terrifying judgment for the unrepentant and the hypocritical so we can just go back to the two images of baptism mentioned here those without true repentance will be baptized with fire by jesus total judgment while those who have truly repented will be baptized by jesus with the holy spirit they will have total blessing and this of course is all very consistent with the nature of god has expressed the old testament we can go back to exodus 34. you may remember me sharing that passage with you lately that’s where god declares his nature before moses as his glory passes by and he emphasizes both i am a totally compassionate god i give abundant loving kindness for those who fear me but i will by no means leave the guilty unpunished i will i will totally destroy them i will overwhelm them with my judgment now john preached that god’s coming kingdom this is going back to your question rob god’s coming kingdom and its judgment was imminent it was close at hand yet the kingdom did not come during jesus earthly ministry or at least not as john seems to suggest it was and neither did god’s judgment come neither did the final day of tribulation neither did what the prophets declared so was john mistaken about jesus when he said the kingdom is near you may remember that later on in the gospel john will actually send a message to jesus and he he’ll ask jesus are you really the one who is to come or is it someone else this is after john is put in prison and the idea seems to be that john he didn’t understand what was happening things were not happening the way that he expected jesus though answers john by saying i am the one who is to come and god’s plan is indeed being fulfilled so what do we make of this in what sense was john and later jesus correct in declaring that god’s kingdom was in hand i think the answer that is uh is best here is that god’s kingdom as expressed in the old testament god’s kingdom would have come had the jews accepted their messiah but because the people rejected jesus god’s kingdom was delayed another way you could say it is that god’s kingdom came only in a limited way in a seed form in a hidden and mysterious form the full visible manifestation of god’s kingdom as expressed in the old testament was delayed due to the rejection of the jews now this rejection was not a surprise to god it’s not like he said uh oh plan a is not going to work time for plan b no in fact that was also a fulfillment of what the prophets foretold this was all part of the plan and also this development did not change god’s plans for israel as jesus said not a john or a tittle will pass away from the law until everything is accomplished so those promises that god gave about the kingdom in the old testament they’re still going to be fulfilled in fact all of this is really one of the core concerns of matthew as he writes this gospel remember he’s writing to a jewish audience that have some understanding of the gospel but he wants to explain to them why the expected kingdom of god did not come when the messiah king came to the earth it was because jesus wasn’t really the king or something else now matthew insists that jesus is the king and he shows that again and again and he also shares the kingdom is still coming it’s only been delayed by israel’s rejection we can say though and getting back to a little bit of what you’re saying uh rob that israel’s rejection the messiah did result in judgment on them it’s not like god said okay you’re getting off scot-free for not accepting my messiah think about what jesus foretold in all that discourse he says there’s going to be some massive judgment brought on jerusalem the temple is going to be thrown down ultimately the jews were expelled from their land again so there was a severe consequence that came to israel for rejecting the messiah it was um in a way john’s words about coming judgment found a a foreshadowed fulfillment or a of foreshadowing like the ultimate fulfillment but god’s kingdom is still going to come it’s going to still come for israel and now more than ever john’s and jesus’s words regarding god’s kingdom then are true jesus will come again and finish what he began jesus will inaugurate god’s kingdom on earth and he will bring salvation to the remnant on the one hand and bring furious judgment to all wicked ones on the other therefore the the response that john exhorted his audience to embrace is still appropriate more appropriate than ever repent for the kingdom of god is near or the kingdom of heaven is near so to sum up this first part of the passage we have a number of truths three of them to remember john the baptist came as the promised forerunner of god’s promised king that is jesus and john sought to prepare the people for the messiah this is exactly as the prophets foretold through jesus will be the fulfillment of all old testament expectations about god’s coming kingdom including expectations regarding salvation and expectations regarding judgment the proper response to such a coming of god’s kingdom and god’s messiah is repentance that bears genuine fruit now john’s ministry in the wilderness of judea and by the jordan was quite powerful that he himself was quick to declare his own low status compared to the one who was to come so let’s now see that one as he comes on the scene later on in this chapter look at verses 13 to 17 now of matthew 3.
matthew 3 verses 13 just a short little section let’s read then jesus arrived from galilee at the jordan coming to john to be baptized by him but john tried to prevent him saying i have need to be baptized by you and do you come to me but jesus answering said to him permitted at this time for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he permitted him after being baptized jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of god descending as a dove and lighting on him and behold a voice out of the heavens said this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased all right let’s make some quick observations on this section the one john spoke about jesus himself he comes to john for baptism at the jordan but john at first doesn’t want to baptize jesus insisting that jesus is the one who needs to baptize john but notice jesus answer to john he says permit it at this time so notice that that answer to john acknowledges the merit or some merit in john’s objection but jesus nonetheless tells john you need to baptize me regardless and he gives the reason for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness this answer is enough to persuade john he baptizes jesus jesus comes up from the water that description suggests immersion in the water and a striking sign appears notice the word behold is used twice in verses 16 to 17 behold the heavens were opened and the spirit of god descended as a dove lighting on jesus and behold also a voice from heaven said this is my beloved son and whom i am well pleased can compare that statement by the way there’s something else isaiah said isaiah chapter 42 verse 1 has god saying this isaiah 42 1 behold my servant whom i uphold my chosen one in whom my soul delights i have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the nations so make these observations now some interpretation questions why did john feel at first that it was inappropriate for him to baptize jesus yeah he was aware of jesus’s greater status but there’s something else too uh dwayne exactly this is a baptism of uh symbolizing cleansing and repentance jesus doesn’t need that he’s sinless if anyone needs baptism it’s john because he’s got sin jesus acknowledges that some element of john’s understanding is valid but he explains that this baptism is still necessary in order that the two of them might fittingly fulfill all righteousness now what does jesus mean by that statement this is a difficult question to answer since the immediate context does not really tell us and different theologians have answered it in different ways and considering the ministry of jesus as a whole though as presented in the new testament i think the the best answer is to say that in being baptized jesus was identifying himself with the people he came to save speaking practically jesus later commands that those who believe in him be baptized as a sign of repentance of their sin and though jesus did not need such cleansing it was fitting for him it was righteous for him to be baptized as an example for all of his believing brethren to follow because think about jesus’s life we follow jesus in every way we follow him in um in obedience we follow him even unto death we follow him in baptism so there’s a practical aspect to the fitting-ness of this baptism but there’s also a figurative aspect jesus came as the new head and representative of his people and though jesus did not need cleansing from sin his represented people did so it was fitting it was righteous for jesus as the head and representative to undergo baptism for his people’s sake really jesus baptism prefigures what jesus will do on the cross for his people jesus will bear their sins and endure the baptism that they ought to endure this baptism we talked about earlier the baptism of death and hell fire so that those who become baptized like him those who believe in him those who repent and follow him they will not experience the baptism of fire but the baptism of the holy spirit one of the things that jesus actually says in the gospel of luke refers to his passion his crucifixion in terms of the baptism luke 12 verses 49 to 50.
luke 12 49-50 jesus says i have come to cast fire upon the earth and how i wish it were already kindled again it’s that same idea that we talked about earlier but then jesus says but i have a baptism to undergo and how distressed i am until it is accomplished listen also to what paul says in romans chapter six verses three to four john says also something about baptism both for jesus and believers romans six verses three to four or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into christ jesus have been baptized into his death therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death so that as christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father so we too might walk in newness of life to sum this up then jesus baptism had a unique meaning for him jesus baptism was not a baptism of repentance and cleansing but it was a fitting and righteous way for him to identify with his people and to pre-figure his bearing sin on their behalf and providing them with cleansing another question why does the spirit descend as a dove on jesus good question certainly we can see that there’s an aspect of affirmation here affirmation of jesus as this as god john in his gospel the apostle john records some of the words of john the baptist john 1 verses 32 here’s what john the baptist comments regarding jesus baptism john 1 i have seen the spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and he remained upon him i did not recognize him but he who sent me to baptize and 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 i myself have seen and have testified that this is the son of god so the visible manifestation of the spirit on jesus affirmed jesus are affirmed who jesus was the spirit is giving testimony on jesus behalf we can also see an element of empowerment from ministry here verse 12 right now verse 12.
but later on uh right after our passage it talks about how the spirit impels jesus to go into the wilderness the spirit descends upon jesus and then all and immediately it’s moving jesus to do certain things luke says the same thing in his gospel the same narrative describing jesus’s baptism and his going into the wilderness it says he went in the spirit into the wilderness and when he comes back from the wilderness he is full of the power of the spirit so we see the spirits lighting upon jesus is not only a testimony but it is a sign of spirit empowerment now did jesus as god did he really need the spirit’s empowerment well in a way no but in a way yes jesus appears to have relied on god’s spirit in some way as as a human even though he was god he was still human and he did things by the spirit now why a dove why did the spirit descend as a dove i don’t know matthew and john both say in their gospels matthew and john both say that the spirit ascended as a dove mark and luke say descended like a dove doves don’t really feature prominently in the bible except in one notable event you remember the flood noah sends out a dove and it comes back with the olive branch showing that everything is safe outside the ark doves are also mentioned in other parts of the bible as symbols of innocence affection or sorrow not symbols but descriptions that they’re images of innocence affection or sorrow is something of that in the form of the dove here are we supposed to see a symbolic significance i’m not really sure it’s hard to say i wouldn’t want to wade into that what’s more important is that the spirit is giving visible testimony on jesus behalf god the father does the same thing we have this voice from heaven it has to be the father and why does god speak why does he say this is my beloved son he too is giving testimony on behalf of his son he’s declaring who jesus is and showing that everything that jesus does has god’s approval really we have all three persons of the trinity present at this one moment in jesus in jesus’s life all affirming what is taking place and uh empowering jesus for what is coming next and this is all fitting because this is the beginning this is right before jesus’s teaching and miracle ministry begins so it’s appropriate to have the holy spirit and the father affirm the son at this moment he is the son of god he is the messiah and god himself gives testimony of that so to sum up the second part of our passage we see a couple more truths jesus baptism was not necessary as a sign of sin cleansing for him personally but it was a symbol of jesus identifying with his sinful people that he would save and cleanse them both the holy spirit and god the father gave testimony on behalf of the son at the completion of jesus baptism and the whole god met god had manifested itself in one moment of redemptive history the father and the spirit testified on behalf of jesus that jesus is the messiah and the son of god affirming and empowering him for the ministry which he would shortly begin we’re winding down in our time here but having looked at these passages having discussed the number of interpretation questions let’s now consider application that’s step three of our method what difference god is at hand jesus may come back when you least expect it and rather than rescue you he will cut you down and throw you into the fire beware lest you are part of the chaff that jesus will baptize and fire heed the warning of john repent and bear fruit of repentance jesus may come back or you may meet jesus early should you suddenly die in an accident or from an unknown sickness so ask yourself am i ready to face him do i truly belong to him or if you do belong to him would you be ashamed if you were to face him right now looking at your life looking at what’s going on for you right now would you be ashamed if jesus called you back to himself right now necessary let these truths that you’ve heard today change your mind and result in a changed action in your life number two be baptized the teaching of the new testament is that one is baptized before witnesses after one repents and believes in jesus baptism doesn’t save but it is a testimony of salvation and cleansing before witnesses so if you haven’t been baptized you need to follow in jesus footsteps and obey jesus command if god was pleased at the baptism of his own son he will surely be pleased at your baptism if you have not been baptized and then number three just considering the magnitude of what john declared about jesus fear god and give him glory god is great there is no one like god he loves justice and hates iniquity he is full of mercy and love he has every good quality in him in an awe-inspiring measure so praise god for his qualities thank god be in awe of god especially worship god because you if you belong to him you get to enjoy his glory and you are not judged as an evil doer we could say more i would encourage you to meditate on more but that’s it for this week next week we’ll do part two of this lesson we’ll look at jesus’s temptation if you had other questions or comments based on today’s lesson please email me let me close in prayer