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Outline 005 of 100 · Matthew

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17 — Christ's identification with sinners and the Father's approval

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

Jesus, sinless and needing no repentance, comes to John to be baptized, and John rightly protests, 'I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?' Yet Jesus insists, 'thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness,' choosing to identify fully with sinful humanity even in the act that symbolizes repentance from sin. This is the gospel in action: the sinless One steps into the sinner's place at the very start of His ministry, foreshadowing the greater identification He would make at the cross, where He who knew no sin was made sin for us. As He comes up from the water, heaven opens, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father's voice declares, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' — an approval given before Jesus had performed a single miracle or preached a single sermon, resting entirely on who He is, not yet on what He had done. This scene reveals that our acceptance with God, like the Son's, can rest not on our performance but on our identity in Him.

  1. I. The request and the reluctance

    • Jesus comes to be baptized by John
    • John's protest of unworthiness
    • "Suffer it to be so now"

  2. II. The righteousness fulfilled

    • "Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness"
    • Christ identifies with sinners He came to save
    • A foreshadowing of the cross

  3. III. The heavens opened

    • The Spirit descending like a dove
    • A visible sign at the start of ministry
    • The Trinity present together

  4. IV. The Father's approval declared

    • "This is my beloved Son"
    • "In whom I am well pleased"
    • Approval preceding any recorded ministry
The appeal

Christ identified with sinners at the Jordan so that sinners could be identified with Him at Calvary. Will you step into the waters of surrender today and receive the Father's welcome that Christ has secured for you?

Key points

  • Christ's baptism shows His full identification with the sinners He came to save.
  • The Father's approval of Jesus rested on His identity, not His accomplished works.
  • The Trinity is revealed together at the Jordan — Son, Spirit, and Father.

Key passages

  • Matthew 3:15
  • Matthew 3:16-17
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21
  • Isaiah 42:1