THE BAPTISM OF THE KING

The Arrival of the King

Malachi 3:1 ““Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”

Luke 3:23 “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,”

The Reluctance of John the Baptist

Mention John the Baptist leaping in His mothers womb to announce the coming of His Lord. And here He announces the arrival again.

Isaiah 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

It is Fitting for Us to Fulfill All Righteousness

He must fulfill all righteousness as our sinless substitute

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Exodus 12:5 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,”

See Isaiah 53:5-8 and Isaiah 53:9-11...

John 8:29 “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.””

He must fulfill all righteousness as our great High Priest

Part of the ordination process for priests under the Old Covenant was ritual washings. Here we see Jesus beginning His High Priestly ministry.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

See Hebrews 7:23-28...

The Coronation of King Jesus

Luke 3:21 “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,”

Mark 1:10 “And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.”

Don’t you want a high priest whose prayers split the heavens?

Romans 8:34 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

The dove, among the Jews, was the symbol of purity of heart, harmlessness, and gentleness. The form chosen here was doubtless an emblem of the innocence, meekness, and tenderness of the Saviour. The gift of the Holy Spirit, in this manner, was the public sanctioning of Jesus, and a sign of his being set apart to the office of the Messiah. — Albert Barnes

Psalm 2:7 “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”

Isaiah 42:1 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

It was the whole Trinity, which at the beginning of creation said, “let us make man.” It was the whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of the Gospel seemed to say, “let us save man.” — J.C. Ryle