Luke 3:21-22
When all the people were being
baptized, Jesus was baptized to. And as
He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in
bodily form like a dove. And a voice
came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
This is one of those passages you
read in Sunday school picture books. You
see the picture of Jesus waste deep in water wearing a white robe looking up to
parting skies and smiling at a dove descending.
I don’t really remember what I thought of this as a kid, if I thought
anything about it, but reading the story recently struck me as much more
significant than it ever had before. I
started with a pretty simple question; why did Jesus get baptized at all? Baptism is symbolic of a washing away of
sins, of repentance; Jesus is without sin, so what was the point?
I think the key to understanding at
least part of His purpose is in the phrase “when all the people were being
baptized…” Jesus had come to be one of
us, human, and in getting baptized by John, He was identifying with those He
came to save. Amidst the rebellious
crowd in desperate need of the baptism He would provide, Jesus humbles Himself
and is baptized. This was scandalous in
many ways. John himself tried to deter
Him, saying that things should be the other way around (Matthew 4:14), but
Jesus insisted.
I’m always amazed at the moments of
humility Jesus displays in scripture. As
if leaving perfect and close fellowship with the Father to become human was not
enough, He lived in poverty, He lived perfectly, He lived like us, He suffered
for us.
This is what changes us. God’s Law reveals our need but it can’t
save. We become Pharisees, assured by
false righteousness, or we become prodigals, burnt out with trying, choosing to
live in any way we please. But for the
love given by a God Who stepped out of heaven to live with His creatures we’re
changed.
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