Jesus' baptism account is a beautiful portrayal of the loving union of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit. With this confirmation in place, John's mission to prepare the way for the Messiah was complete. Jesus didn’t need to repent or turn from sin, rather, his baptism served as a sign to John, and future generations of believers, that he was the Messiah. As Jesus rose from the water, God the Father spoke monumental words about who Jesus was, which left no question that Jesus was indeed the anticipated Messiah and beloved Son of God. This was a sign that Jesus' ministry was empowered by the Spirit and would usher in peace between humankind and God. John sees the Spirit of God descending like a dove upon Jesus and they hear God's voice from heaven say "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved." The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus following his baptism. As soon as Jesus was baptized and came up out of the water, the heavens opened. God affirmed Jesus' baptism in a powerful way as recorded in Matthew's Gospel. Jesus is baptized as a symbol of giving His will up to His Father and the beginning of His earthly ministry. Jesus tells John that His baptism is "fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness". According to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus was 30 years old when he was baptized. In all three accounts, the baptism was a crucial first step Jesus took as he began his ministry, an approximately three-year journey that would eventually lead him to the cross. 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! 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. In this story, we see that Jesus approaches John and asks to be baptized. ![]() ![]() The baptism of Jesus is recorded in the Gospel Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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