By Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III
The Baptism of Jesus was an important event because it marked the beginning of His public ministry. But more can be said. At Christ’s Baptism the three Persons of the Trinity were present in a wonderful way.
Jesus’ Baptism reminds us that the three Persons were involved in our salvation. Of course, Jesus, the Son of God who became a human being, is the Savior. However, the Father, because of His love for the world, sent His only-begotten Son to be the Redeemer of humanity. The Son, because of his love for the Father and for all people, willingly came to earth. The Holy Spirit, because He loved the human race, by His almighty power brought about the incarnation of the Son of God, His becoming man, in the virgin Mary.
The Spirit’s descending as a dove and resting on Jesus after He was baptized symbolized another way the Spirit was involved in our salvation. The Spirit equipped Jesus as a man, according to His human nature, for His special work, giving Him the necessary gifts in extraordinary measure.
When Jesus came up from the water of the Jordan River, God the Father proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17b ESV). The Father was pleased with the Son because the Son, at the Father’s request, willingly came to earth to be the Savior of humanity. In addition, the Son of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, lived a holy, sinless life. He was the perfect man. He fully kept all of God’s commandments.
Such a life by Christ was part of His saving work. He lived perfectly for all people, in other words, for all sinners. As man, He was our substitute, and as God, His holy life counts for all people.
Jesus so closely identified with the human race that He came to be baptized by John. Christ, the holy one, did not need Baptism. But God the Father wanted people to be baptized by John, a true prophet of the Lord. Jesus then, as one of us, and as the perfect man, submitted to this Sacrament carried out by the Baptist.
Jesus joined Himself to humanity to such an extent that He took mankind’s sins upon Himself and paid fully for those trespasses with His suffering and death on a cross. Then, the Father raised Jesus from the dead, showing that Christ’s self-sacrifice for us and all people was fully accepted by the Father.
This God-man Jesus Christ, with His sinless life and His death and resurrection, is truly our Savior. Rejoice!
The Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III has been a regular pastor on “Worship Anew” since 1998. He currently teaches in the Exegetical Department at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.