By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

(Read: Matthew 3: 13-17).

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).

The Rev. Ron Purkey

In the first 10 chapters of Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew is recording the revelation of the king to the nation Israel. In chapters 1 and 2 he gave the ancestry and birth of the king, showing from the prophets that Jesus Christ is the king of Israel. In chapter 3 he introduces Jesus through his “forerunner” John the Baptist.

First, Jesus and John the Baptist. Why was the sinless Son of God baptized? We suggest six reasons:

1. Obligation — “To fulfill all righteousness” (John 8:29).

2. Consecration —The OT priest was washed, then anointed. Jesus submitted to water baptism, then the Holy Spirit came as a dove (Exodos 29.

3. Commendation — Jesus gave his approval of John’s ministry and thus obligated the people to listen to John and obey him. Instead, the religious leaders rejected John’s baptism (Matthew 21:23-27).

4. Proclamation — This was John’s official introduction of Jesus to the Jewish nation (John 1:31).

5. Anticipation — This water baptism looked forward to Jesus’ baptism of suffering for us on the cross (Luke 12:50). Jesus fulfilled all righteousness through his sacrificial death on Calvary.

6. Identification — Jesus identified himself with sinful men. Immediately after, the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness. There may be here a picture of the “scapegoat” that symbolically carried the nation’s sins into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:1-10).

Insight: John required “much water” for his baptisms (John 3:23). All the waves and billows of God’s wrath were experienced by Jesus on the cross.

Second, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16). This was the sign God had promised to give John to identify Christ (John 1:31-34). Though Jesus and John were related (Luke 1:36), it is likely they had not seen each other for years.

Even if John did know Jesus in the flesh, he would want the divine assurance from heaven. The symbol of the spirit as a dove is important: the dove is a clean bird; it is faithful to its mate in love; it is peaceful and gentle. Christ was born through the power of the spirit (Luke 1:34-35) and was also empowered by the spirit for his life and ministry.

Third, Jesus and God the Father (Matthew 3: 17). This is the first of three occasions when the father spoke to the son from heaven (Matthew 17:5 and John 12:28). We have the trinity revealed here: (1) the son is baptized, (2) the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, and (3) the father speaks from heaven. As he entered his ministry, the son was approved by the father; as he approached the cross (Matthew 17:5), he received that commendation again.

Read Ron Purkey’s Bible study outlines free at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.