What Jesus did #1: he got baptised

All four of these accounts of the life of Jesus start with stories of his birth and early childhood and apart from that visit to the temple at the age of twelve, we hear nothing more of Jesus until he is thirty years old. We have to assume he’s been living a fairly normal life with a fairly normal job. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing notable or significant to write about.

And then something shifts. We don’t know what, but everything changes. Jesus leaves his home in Nazareth and sets off on a mission to spread the news of the kingdom of God. We spent last month looking at what he said in his teachings. This month, we’re going to focus on his actions: what Jesus did.

And the first thing Jesus did was get baptised.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptised, 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. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17

John the Baptist (the clue’s in the name) is already baptising people as an outward sign of an inward transformation. The people are coming to be baptised to show that they are ready to turn away from living their lives in their own way. They’re admitting publicly that they’ve made a mess of things. They’re demonstrating their intention to live life God’s way from now on.

Jesus does not need to be baptised. He is without sin. He’s the only human being who’s ever lived who has done it God’s way from the start.

John knows this. He can see that Jesus asking him to baptise him is all the wrong way round. The wrong way round from a human point of view.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John 1:29-31

John recognises who Jesus is right away.

‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’

It may appear that Jesus has arrived on the scene after John has already started preaching and baptising, but John recognises that Jesus has been there right from the start of time. Jesus is the reason for all that John has been doing and in that moment, all becomes clear.

I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One. John 1:34

And so why does Jesus feel the need to be baptised?

It is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.

It’s the right thing for him to do, basically. Baptism is the opportunity for the intention to live God’s way to be seen by everyone. It demonstrates outwardly the intention of the heart. Jesus doesn’t need this for himself: he needs it to show everyone else what he’s about.

And God makes sure that no one misses the deep significance of this act. He sends a dove from heaven. In Mark’s account, it describes heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove (Mark 1:10). That must have been some sight! It’s real, not a figment of anyone’s imagination. Luke makes that clear by stating the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:22).

But that’s not all. God speaks. God affirms Jesus for who he is.

 You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. Mark 1:1-11

God’s son? How can that be? This is a man. This is flesh and blood. How can this be the son of God?

Jesus explodes on the scene with a bang. This is a huge claim for someone who’s lived as a carpenter in Nazareth for most of his life. Jesus is raising his head above the parapet in the most spectacular way.

This is who I am. This is why I have come. Take notice! Watch! Listen! There’s so much more to all this than you could ever have imagined. 

I’m not going to get into the rights and wrongs of baptism in the modern world. As an outward display of an inner transformation, I can see that baptism has a special significance. That’s why I was baptised at the age of fourteen. It was to show everyone that I was serious about my faith. I wanted to be seen to be committed to God’s way. But having said that, I don’t think baptism is essential to following God’s way and I think there are plenty of other ways to demonstrate a commitment to God.

Even in Jesus’ life, baptism represented a shift from how he had been living faithfully in obscurity to emerging into a public ministry. For me, his baptism represents a new intention. It states ‘Now is the time. The time has come. This is who I am and I want the world to see.’

At the start of a yoga class, we’re often invited to set an intention for the class. Setting an intention focuses the mind on why you are there, on what you intend to pay attention to and what you hope to achieve.

In this act of baptism, Jesus is setting his intention for the next few years. He’s consciously committing to this role that God has given him. He’s showing that he wants to do it right, exactly as God intended, whatever the cost.

It is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.

It’s so easy to drift along through life, isn’t it? We get into a rut; we go through the motions; we react to whatever is thrown at us. And that’s about it. Sometimes we need these significant moments in life where we take time to reflect and evaluate and define our intentions. It might be an event that rocks your world; a silent retreat; an inspirational film (I know that ‘The Greatest Showman’ is touching a lot of lives at the moment). It may be a daily yoga or meditation or prayer practice that draws you back to your intention each day. It may even be an act of baptism.

But sometimes, yes, we need those moments where we’re prepared to stand up and say ‘This is me. This is my life. This is what I’m doing and this is why I’m doing it.’

This is me.