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NASB | Matthew 3:13 ¶ Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 3:13 ¶ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan [River], to be baptized by him. [Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21, 22; John 1:32] |
Bible Question:
Why did Jesus get baptized. Mat.3:13-17, What did He mean when He said "to fulfill all righteousness." |
Bible Answer: Why did Jesus, who was even more aware of His own sinlessness than John was, want to submit Himself to an act that testified to confession and repentance of sin? Some interpreters suggest that He intended His baptism to be a sort of initiatory rite for His high priesthood, reflecting the ceremony which prepared the Old Testament priests for their ministry. Others suggest that Jesus wanted to identify Himself with the Gentiles, who were initiated into Judaism as proselytes by the act of baptism. Still others take Jesus' baptism to be His recognition and endorsement of John's authority, His accrediting of John as a true prophet of God and the genuine forerunner of His own ministry. A fourth view is that the Lord intended to be baptized vicariously for the sins of mankind, making His baptism, along with His atoning death on the cross, a part of His sin-bearing, redemptive work. But none of those views is supported by Scripture, and none fits the context of the present passage. Jesus Himself explains to John His reason for wanting to be baptized. In His first recorded words since the age of twelve, when He told His parents, "Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" (Luke 2:49), Jesus said, Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. These are words of royal dignity and humility. Jesus did not deny that He was spiritually superior to John or that He was sinless. Permit it at this time was an idiom meaning that the act of His baptism, though not seemingly appropriate, was indeed appropriate for this special time. Jesus understood John's reluctance and knew that it came from deep spiritual commitment and sincerity. He gave permission for John to do what, without divine instruction, he would never have been willing to do. He assured the prophet that in this way it is fitting, and went on to explain to John that His baptism was important for both of their ministries, for us to fulfill all righteousness. For God's plan to be perfectly fulfilled, it was necessary for Jesus to be baptized and to be baptized specifically by John. It seems that one reason Jesus submitted to baptism was to give an example of obedience to His followers. As the King of kings Jesus recognized that He had no ultimate obligation to pay taxes to a human government. When Peter on one occasion asked about the matter, Jesus replied, '"What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?' And upon his saying, 'From strangers,' Jesus said to him, 'Consequently the sons are exempt. But, lest we give them offense,… give it [a stater coin] to them for you and Me'" (Matt. 17:25-27). As Scripture makes clear in many places, it is proper and right for believers, even though they are sons of God, to honor and pay taxes to human governments (see Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-15). In every case, Jesus modeled obedience. In His baptism He acknowledged that John's standard of righteousness was valid and in action affirmed it as the will of God to which men are to be subject. Jesus came into the world to identify with men; and to identify with men is to identify with sin. He could not purchase righteousness for mankind if He did not identify with mankind's sin. Hundreds of years before Christ's coming, Isaiah had declared that the Messiah "was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). Jesus' baptism also represented the willing identification of the sinless Son of God with the sinful people He came to save. MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-7. |
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elder4yhwh |