13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” ~ Matthew 3:13-17NIV
Jesus was Holy and perfect. He knew no sin, yet He had to have John baptize Him. Why? When John had that same question, Jesus told him that he needed to baptize Him so that He could fulfill all things. See, even though Jesus was without sin, He came in human form. He could die (which He did), and His body could even rot (which David prophesied, praising God that He would never let that happen).
So, what was He fulfilling? When the Israelites left Egypt, them passing through the parted Red Sea represented or foreshadowed baptism. After that, Moses went to Mount Sinai and was in the presence of God for 40 days and 40 nights, not eating or drinking, and He received the Law.
Jesus was fulfilling the Law of ceremonial washing. Before they could enter the Tent of Meeting to present an offering on the altar, the priests had to ceremonial bathe (Exodus 30:17-21). This was a type of foreshadowing of Baptism, as there are others.
So, what happened when Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial washing through baptism? The heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove. After this, Jesus went into the desert and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. After He fasted, before He could break bread and eat, Satan came to Him and tempted Him with the three root sins that he tempted Eve with. Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life. He told Jesus to prove Himself by turning stone into bread (Lust of the Eyes). He told Jesus to prove Himself by throwing Himself down off the mountain (Pride of Life). Then He told Jesus to worship him, and he’d give Him the kingdoms of the earth (Lust of the Flesh). These are the same root sins that tripped up Eve in the Garden of Eden. Jesus had to overcome the three root sins that Adam failed to protect his wife from. Why? Because Jesus is the Last Adam. The first Adam brought death; the Last Adam brought Life.
That’s why He had to ceremonially wash the flesh because it had to ceremonially die. Paul said that we are baptized into Christ’s death, which is why we will rise with Him on the last day. So, in order to have the Spirit of the LORD rest upon Him and He could fast and overcome the temptations where Adam failed, He had to symbolically and spiritually kill His flesh.
Dear LORD, please help me to fulfill all things You have for my life, just as You fulfilled all things Your Heavenly Father set for Your life. Help me to keep in step with the Spirit. Help me to follow the path You’ve marked for my life. Help me to pick up my cross and follow You with everything that is within me. I give You my all. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
Similar Content
