Jesus comes to be baptized (Matthew 3:13)

s a little child I thought that baptism was almost as good as going swimming. As an eight year old I looked forward to being baptized. Getting into the water was fun. I do not remember if I tried to swim, but I have seen little children who were to be baptized start kicking in the water. They wanted to swim! But when Jesus came for baptism, He did not come to swim in the water. He did not kick in the water, dive in it, or swim beneath. He had a serious reason for being baptized - a divine reason. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record His baptism, but only Matthew tells us why He was baptized. Why was He baptized? That is the purpose of this study.

Coming To Be Baptized. The baptism of Jesus Christ is recorded in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22. Matthew tells us the most. As we saw in our last study, John the Baptist had been ministering near the northwest corner of the Dead Sea and near the Jordan River. Jesus was not with John. John was ministering by himself. Sometimes God calls us to minister by ourselves - all alone. Did John feel alone? He was the voice crying in the wilderness. No one else could do that job. He was it. God had chosen him and him alone. There were those who loved him, and there were those who hated him. Sometimes the ministry is difficult. Sometimes the ministry is just lonely. Yet John was faithful.

John was the forerunner for the Messiah - Jesus Christ. We do not know how long John had been preaching by himself, but one day Jesus finally came to him. The gospels of Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee down to the Jordan River for the purpose of being baptized by John (Matt. 3:13; Mark 1:9).

Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. (NASB) Matt. 3:13

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. (NASB) Mark 1:9