Baptism
Introduction
The Baptism of our Lord
Significance of John's baptism
as it applies to Jesus
and what that means for us.
PowerPoint pictures
Series Index
as it applies to Jesus
and what that means for us.
PowerPoint pictures
Series Index
Matthew 3:13-17
At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River and wanted John to baptize him. But John tried to stop him, saying, "Why do you come to me to be baptized? I need to be baptized by you!"
Jesus answered, "Let it be this way for now. We should do all things that are God’s will." So John agreed to baptize Jesus.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him." (New Century Version)
Acts 10:34-38
Peter began to speak: "I really understand now that to God every person is the same. In every country God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right. You know the message that God has sent to the people of Israel is the Good News that peace has come through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord of all people! You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after John preached to the people about baptism. You know about Jesus from Nazareth, that God gave him the Holy Spirit and power. You know how Jesus went everywhere doing good and healing those who were ruled by the devil, because God was with him." (New Century Version)
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This Epiphany season we will look at what the Bible teaches about BAPTISM.
But before we study about Christian baptism, we need to first look at Christ's baptism.
Last week we celebrated Epiphany -- the story about the gentile Wise Men coming to worship The King of the Jews -- baby Jesus.
Every year the First Sunday after Epiphany (today) the Bible story is about Jesus -- now an adult, 30 years old -- receiving His baptism. That event signals the beginning of His ministry that leads to the cross three years later.
This is a familiar story. But questions we want to ask and analyze today is:
[Answers that came from the congregation focused on the evidence of the Trinity, and the Father's affirmation, "This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him."]
If we want to understand Jesus' baptism, we must first understand why John was baptizing people.
What did baptism mean for Jewish people in those days?
They had two kinds of baptisms.
Was that possible? Can a person who is not descended from Abraham become Jewish? Yes!
Many times in the Bible we see people from many various foreign countries learn God's Word from God's people -- Israel. These Gentiles discover that here is the True God. The "gods" of their lands represent forces of nature and demons. But the God of Israel is the One True God who made all of nature. (Remember the story of Jonah. See the reaction of the gentile sailors when Jonah described himself, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." -- Jonah 1:9)
Examples:
These people recognized that Israel worshiped the one and only true God, and they said, "That's what I want! I want to live in His fellowship, too!"
How can a person who is not Jewish become Jewish?
Of course, male converts must have circumcision. But something happens before that.
A gentile who believes in the God of Israel and is in the process of becoming adopted into the family of Abraham was called a "proselyte." The first step in that process was instruction in the Torah -- the Bible. Then proselyte is baptized, as a symbol of his union with Israel's exodus from slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, into freedom, nationhood, and coming under the covenant which God gave Israel at Mt Sinai. (Exodus 14) In baptism, the proselyte is like an Egyptian who is chasing after Israel, shouting, "Hey! Wait for me! I'm coming, too!"
After further instruction the male proselyte receives circumcision.
[During this lesson, a member of our congregation asked if this ritual was still practiced in Judaism today. A Jewish believer who happened to be visiting our service that day confirmed that, yes, this ritual washing of proselytes is still practiced and is called Mikvah. See http://www.jewfaq.org/glossary.htm]
Now that was meaning of John's ritual of baptism. But notice -- To whom was John preaching? Not Gentiles. He was preaching to people who were already Jews. So what was the meaning of his insistence that they become baptized?
John's message of baptism was this:
"Your bodies maybe born from Abraham's family,
but your minds and souls are no different than pagan Gentiles!
Your bodies maybe born here in Israel,
but your hearts are still slaves in sin in Egypt!
You call yourselves children of Israel,
but you live outside, outside of God's covenant!"
People respond to John's message with conviction, "Yes, it is true. I am a sinner. I need to baptized just like the Gentile convert does."
Now, here comes Jesus. And He says, "Baptize me, too."
It is no surprise that John says, "No, You should baptize me!" After all, of what sin did Jesus have to confess? Of what sin did He have to repent? Your sin! and my sin!
When we think of how Jesus took on Himself the guilt of all our sins, we can picture that happening on the cross... Jesus dying in our place, Jesus suffering the punishment that we owe. But our Lord's union with our sin didn't begin on the cross. It began here, at his baptism, when He came confessing our sins. And it was finished on the cross.
In a sense, Jesus was "baptized" into our humanity at His conception in Mary's womb, and it was here at His baptism, that He was baptized into the guilt of our sin.
Notice:
When Jesus got baptized, He joined with us in our sins.
When we get baptized, we join with Christ, in His holy suffering and death that forgives our sins.
In His baptism, Jesus began His work for our salvation. But Jesus finished that work 3 years later, when He died on the cross for us. Jesus paid for us what we owe to God.
But before we study about Christian baptism, we need to first look at Christ's baptism.
Last week we celebrated Epiphany -- the story about the gentile Wise Men coming to worship The King of the Jews -- baby Jesus.
Every year the First Sunday after Epiphany (today) the Bible story is about Jesus -- now an adult, 30 years old -- receiving His baptism. That event signals the beginning of His ministry that leads to the cross three years later.
This is a familiar story. But questions we want to ask and analyze today is:
- WHAT WAS THE POINT OF JESUS' BAPTISM?
- Why did Jesus get baptized?
- What did that mean for Jesus?
- And what does His baptism mean for us?
[Answers that came from the congregation focused on the evidence of the Trinity, and the Father's affirmation, "This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him."]
If we want to understand Jesus' baptism, we must first understand why John was baptizing people.
What did baptism mean for Jewish people in those days?
They had two kinds of baptisms.
- The Old Testament describes rules for washing and bathing which represented cleansing from sin and anything that was ceremonially "unclean." (See Ex. 30:17-21; Lev. 11:25; Mark 7:1-5) Jewish men and women and their priests did those washings (baptisms) many times during their lives.
- The other kind of baptism was for Gentiles who wanted to become Jews.
Was that possible? Can a person who is not descended from Abraham become Jewish? Yes!
Many times in the Bible we see people from many various foreign countries learn God's Word from God's people -- Israel. These Gentiles discover that here is the True God. The "gods" of their lands represent forces of nature and demons. But the God of Israel is the One True God who made all of nature. (Remember the story of Jonah. See the reaction of the gentile sailors when Jonah described himself, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." -- Jonah 1:9)
Examples:
- The Queen of Sheba [Ethiopia] who came to observe King Solomon's wisdom (1 Kings 10).
- Ebed Melech, the Ethiopian who saved Jeremiah's life (Jeremiah 38).
- The Roman army officer who donated funds for the building of synagogue in Capernaum, who servant Jesus healed (Matt. 8)
- Cornelius (also a Roman centurion; Acts 10)
These people recognized that Israel worshiped the one and only true God, and they said, "That's what I want! I want to live in His fellowship, too!"
How can a person who is not Jewish become Jewish?
Of course, male converts must have circumcision. But something happens before that.
A gentile who believes in the God of Israel and is in the process of becoming adopted into the family of Abraham was called a "proselyte." The first step in that process was instruction in the Torah -- the Bible. Then proselyte is baptized, as a symbol of his union with Israel's exodus from slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, into freedom, nationhood, and coming under the covenant which God gave Israel at Mt Sinai. (Exodus 14) In baptism, the proselyte is like an Egyptian who is chasing after Israel, shouting, "Hey! Wait for me! I'm coming, too!"
After further instruction the male proselyte receives circumcision.
[During this lesson, a member of our congregation asked if this ritual was still practiced in Judaism today. A Jewish believer who happened to be visiting our service that day confirmed that, yes, this ritual washing of proselytes is still practiced and is called Mikvah. See http://www.jewfaq.org/glossary.htm]
Now that was meaning of John's ritual of baptism. But notice -- To whom was John preaching? Not Gentiles. He was preaching to people who were already Jews. So what was the meaning of his insistence that they become baptized?
John's message of baptism was this:
"Your bodies maybe born from Abraham's family,
but your minds and souls are no different than pagan Gentiles!
Your bodies maybe born here in Israel,
but your hearts are still slaves in sin in Egypt!
You call yourselves children of Israel,
but you live outside, outside of God's covenant!"
People respond to John's message with conviction, "Yes, it is true. I am a sinner. I need to baptized just like the Gentile convert does."
Now, here comes Jesus. And He says, "Baptize me, too."
It is no surprise that John says, "No, You should baptize me!" After all, of what sin did Jesus have to confess? Of what sin did He have to repent? Your sin! and my sin!
When we think of how Jesus took on Himself the guilt of all our sins, we can picture that happening on the cross... Jesus dying in our place, Jesus suffering the punishment that we owe. But our Lord's union with our sin didn't begin on the cross. It began here, at his baptism, when He came confessing our sins. And it was finished on the cross.
In a sense, Jesus was "baptized" into our humanity at His conception in Mary's womb, and it was here at His baptism, that He was baptized into the guilt of our sin.
Notice:
When Jesus got baptized, He joined with us in our sins.
When we get baptized, we join with Christ, in His holy suffering and death that forgives our sins.
In His baptism, Jesus began His work for our salvation. But Jesus finished that work 3 years later, when He died on the cross for us. Jesus paid for us what we owe to God.
"Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us." (2 Corinthians 5:21)