Matthew 3:13-17 Coronation of the King

Intro:

Read Matthew 3:13-17

Transition:

Matthew has shown us

The lineage of the king

The birth of the king

The Worship of the king thru the Magi

The herald of the king thru John the Baptist

Now we are ready for the Coronation of the king

Matthew wants the Jews to see Jesus as their anointed and prophesied king

Do you see Jesus as the king of kings?

Do you see him as your king?

I. Identify with Humanity vs. 13-15

The Coronation starts with the king identifying with man

For Jesus to truly be king he has to identify himself as one of them

While he is fully God, He is fully man too

The herald of the King had announced the coming of the King

John declared Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Vs. 13 Jesus comes from Galilee

Now, the King Himself appears for His coronation.

When Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, He did not come for a private ceremony.

Jesus was not to have a private, secret anointing

We do not know exactly where on the Jordan River John was then baptizing, though it seems likely it was toward the southern end

John tells us that it was near “Bethany beyond the Jordan

Vs. 14 John tries to resist baptizing Jesus

We know from John’s greeting to Jesus that he recognized Him immediately

It is not difficult to understand John’s concern.

His baptism was for confession of sin and repentance (3:2, 6, 11), of which he himself had need; but Jesus had no sins to confess or be forgiven of.

John’s baptism was for those who turned from their sin and thereby became fit for the arrival of the great King.

Vs. 15 Jesus answers John

Why, then, would the sinless King Himself want to be baptized?

First, His baptism gave approval to John’s ministry.

Second, He identified Himself with publicans and sinners, the very people He came to save.

But mainly, His baptism pictured His future baptism on the cross when all the “waves and billows” of God’s judgment would go over Him

Luke 12:50

I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!

It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness: Jesus understood why this seemed strange to John, but it was nevertheless necessary to fulfill all righteousness.

It wasn’t that this one act in itself fulfilled all righteousness, but it was another important step in the overall mission of Jesus to identify with fallen and sinful man, a mission that would only finally be fulfilled at the cross.

Did you know that Jesus fully identifies with you?

He knows and understands your thought and how you feel

He can sympathize with everything you go through because he came and lived as a man

If he would’ve remained a supernatural being or a ghost there would’ve been a disconnect

Because he was born as a baby, lived as a man, and suffered death he identifies with all of us

II. Anointed by the Spirit vs. 16

The Coronation continues with the anointing of the Holy Spirit

John proceeds and baptizes Jesus

As soon as he comes up out of the water the Heavens open up

While we don’t know exactly what this means we can guess

The clouds were parted, the sun shown down on him, and a dove descended

There’s nothing more fitting for a coronation than for the heavens to part for anointed one to be crowned king

John the Baptist was an eye witness to this

John 1:32

And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

The dove assured Jesus as He began His ministry that the Spirit’s ministry would always be His

The dove is a beautiful symbol of the Spirit of God in its purity and in its ministry of peace

III. Confirmed by the Father vs. 17

The Coronation is finalized by God the Father confirming it

A voice from heaven speaks

On three special occasions, the Father spoke from heaven: at Christ’s baptism, at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:3), and as Christ approached the cross

Everyone there hears this voice

This is a public coronation

It was even prophesied over 700 years earlier

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.

The final part of this is so profound

He identifies Jesus as His Son

This tells us who is speaking

It also asserts God’s Divine will into the scene

No longer is it just John the Baptist proclaiming that this is the Messiah

God has told mankind of his plans

He finishes by saying that He is well pleased with His Son

This says so much

First, He deeply loves his son

This had to give Jesus a boost

No son I know has ever been harmed by a father telling him that he loved him and was pleased with

This is the way he feel about you too

He deeply loves you and wants you to succeed

I think you would be shocked that God say the same about you

Second, Jesus has his blessing for his mission

When Jesus was at the well with the Samaritan woman the disciples were trying to give him food

He told them that his food was to do the will of his Father

To have the covering of your father as you went about your business is essential

Many a dads have sent their son to do a job ill prepared and then threw them under the bus when it didn’t go well

Not speaking from personal experience or anything

Finally, the public proclamation of his blessing to others

God was not shy it letting everyone know his love and blessing on his Son

You can tell someone you love them and they have your support and blessing, but when you tell others, it has an impact on all involved