Conversations -- Why did Jesus get Baptized? (1)

I'm joyful that a friend has begun to seriously dig into God's Word, investigating for Himself the richness and truth of the Bible and longing after faithful teaching :) Both of us then agreed to sharpen one another as we wrestle with God's Word and one of the ways we're doing that is by discussing various questions, issues and maybe even theological thoughts. Personally, I think I'm going to learn more from him than he does from me as he has a gift of asking insightful and thought-provoking questions! (which I don't have a knack for...).

Anyhow, I'm going to name this series of discourse as "Conversations" and the first one is my response to this insightful question posed:

Why did Jesus get baptized?

The Baptism of Jesus (Matt 3:13-17--ESV)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."


Firstly, context...

Baptism is strictly a NT practice and as you study Jesus' baptism it is important to look back to see where/when the first baptism is. And that's just before this passage, at verse 11. "I (John the Baptist) baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." So...John the Baptist's (JB) baptism was one of repentance. A repentance which to prepare oneself for the coming of Christ (which is JB's purpose in life.. to prepare the way). More importantly, JB's baptism does not confer the Holy Spirit. Only Christ's baptism does (v11)**

So, it's pretty obvious that Jesus didn't have to be baptized...especially not the baptism of John. Simply cos he was sinless and he was the ONE... the long-awaited Messiah. In fact, John pretty much asked Jesus to baptize him! (v14) Also, Jesus was already "filled with the Spirit" from His birth! (Lk 1:35).

When then? I would like to suggest a few reasons:


(1) Jesus' change from Private Life to Public Ministry.
In the OT, prophets, priests & Kings were always anointed with oil before they started their ministry. In the NT, that oil is now "replaced" with the Holy Spirit. Remember that many practices in the OT were but a shadow and a representation of Christ and what He brings. In the same way, Christ was "anointed or filled with the Holy Spirit" (though not technically) as a symbol of Him beginning His public ministry.


(2) Encouragement for Christ Jesus, fully Man.
This was the event before Jesus' "showdown" with Satan in the desert (Matt 4, Lk 4). Imagine the special joy Jesus must have felt at His baptism... it was a Trinitarian event as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were overtly present. It was a time of comfort and joy before Jesus faced evil face to face.


(3) Sign that Jesus is the Son of God
John 1:32-34 states that JB bore witness to the decent of the Spirit in the form of a dove. And from that sign, JB recognized, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus was the Son of God.


(4) Jesus' identification with Man (most important reason to me)
Lastly, it is also connected with what you recently studied... specifically Hebrews 2:14-18. In that passage, Jesus, as man, was made like his brothers in every respect. This was so that He could fully and totally help us in every aspect of our lives. So, while Jesus needn't have gone through baptism, He did so to identify with us. It's like a CO queuing up for food at the Cookhouse with the rest of the Men... for the sake of identifying with them.

As you study Matthew, you'll realise that that was what Jesus did. He NEVER used His prerogative as the Son of God for His own gain or comfort. His powers of healing, etc was ONLY used to help others... be it physically, emotionally or spiritually. Even in the temptation by Satan (Matt 4), Jesus didn't use His might to banish Satan (it wasn't time), He used OT passages, the Word of God. It was meant to be an example for us to follow. To be so in tune with God's Word that when temptations or Satan come, we'll (like Jesus) use God's Word as a means to fight things off. This is also in line with the Sword of the Spirit in Eph 6:17.

All in all, this was Jesus' first "official" work on His part in displaying His obedience to the Father, His humility as a Saviour and His love for Man. "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Phil 2:5-7)

Going slightly further, Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with these words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." (Matt 5:3). The most powerful, memorable sermon in the world, and this is what He opens it with. One would imagine that He would proclaim Himself as King or something... but no. Not that Jesus recognized that He was spiritually bankrupt and that He was nothing without God (that's the short literal understanding of being poor in spirit) but that even as the Savior who has taken our sins at the Cross, Jesus was fully obedient to the Father, being our example in all things.


And all of that...began with His baptism.



**Disclaimer: This does not in any way imply that the act of Baptism = salvation or the giving of the Holy Spirit. It's your belief that sees the Holy Spirit enter your life. Baptism is the outward proclamation of that belief. In the early church, belief was often accompanied by immediate Baptism (Acts 2:38, Acts 19:1-5)


[Thoughts derived from the Holy Spirit, BSF notes & DA Carson]

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Too many a time, we only sing the chorus of this hymn, skipping the verses entirely. I wonder why...

While singing this hymn in its completeness, the tenderness & care of God just covers me and gives me that sense of security and comfort. To know that Jesus Christ is the light, the life and His faithfulness never fails me.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Alan Jackson's version (the one above) is one of the few which sing all the verses. A bit old school country, but it brings out the essence of the hymn. I wasn't particularly fond of the Newsboys & Third Day versions...I felt that the rocked it up a little too much, spoiling the tenderness of the song.

2 versions I love: Michael W. Smith & Selah. However, they only sing the chorus. Nonetheless, click on the links provided to watch the various versions, and be edified :)

The Power of the Cross & Higher Throne

2 Songs that God has been impacting my life with:

The Power of the Cross

"The Power of the Cross"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Other good links to this song:
Stuart Townend version
Keith & Kristyn Getty (piano only)

There Is a Higher Throne

“There Is a Higher Throne”
Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

There is a higher throne
Than all this world has known,
Where faithful ones from ev'ry tongue
Will one day come.
Before the Son we'll stand,
Made faultless through the Lamb;
Believing hearts find promised grace—
Salvation comes.

REFRAIN
Hear heaven's voices sing;
Their thund'rous anthem rings
Through em'rald courts and sapphire skies.
Their praises rise.
All glory, wisdom, pow'r,
Strength, thanks, and honor are
To God our King, who reigns on high
Forevermore.

And there we'll find our home,
Our life before the throne;
We'll honor Him in perfect song
Where we belong.
He'll wipe each tear-stained eye
As thirst and hunger die.
The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King;
We'll reign with Him.

Follow the link to the watch a video of Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend teaching the song:
New Song Cafe teaching

Giving Honour

"8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"

9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."

Revelation 4

"What does it mean to give glory, honour and thanks to God? How does each of these expressions differ from the others?"

The question seemed simple enough... yet, it had me stumped.

'Giving thanks to God' was quite clear. We give Him thanks for who He is, for what He has done... especially for His redeeming work on the cross.

'Giving Him the glory' was fairly straightforward too. We glorify God because He is worthy of worship. His whole essence, His magnificence, His very character deserves, in fact it demands our worship and adoration. And speaking of God's attributes in song and in testimony to others is how we can give Him the glory.

But honour.... At the surface, giving God the honour seemed like simply giving Him the respect, merit and reverence He deserves. After all, God is the well.... God. There's no other proper description. However, it seemed... tame in comparison with the previous two. I mean, we call the judge in a court of law, "your honour". We're told in the Bible to honour our Father and Mother (Matt 15:4; Matt 19:19). So what's so special??

"...the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne.." (italics added)

The 24 elders (represented the complete representation of the glorified Church) cast their crowns before the throne. These crowns that God had rewarded them with. These crowns that God had promised would be theirs if they remained faithful to the end (Rev 2:10; 2 Tim 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Pet 5:4). The very same crowns that were to be the symbol of the honour bestowed upon them by the Almighty. The honour that they had persevered and strived for.

Yet, they cast these crowns before the throne and worshiped. My eyes were finally opened. For all the honour that was to be conferred, they took no pride in it. For to them, the ultimate prize, the ultimate goal.... was GOD HIMSELF. Whatever reward or symbol of honour that God had given was to be accepted with the utmost gratitude, but that was eclipsed by the very ability to worship God at His throne, for all eternity.

And tying it back to a lesson that God has been teaching me lately... that is an expression of being poor in spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt 5:3)

So I pray that my relationship with Christ will continue to be that close, that intimate; and when my work on earth is done... all I would yearn for, is to bow down before that Higher throne and hearing that simple statement come from my Lord's lips, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt 25:14-30).

We Fall Down
Chris Tomlin

We fall down, we lay our crowns
at the feet of Jesus
The greatness of mercy and love
at the feet of Jesus

Chorus:
And we cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
We cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
We cry, "Holy, Holy Holy, is the Lamb"

Be still and know that He is God

Psalm 46

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I was led to reading this psalm during Sunday's worship service its meaning struck me afresh. As I read, a mental backdrop began to form, its vividness provoking a sense of fear and awe...

"earth gives way... mountains be moved into the heart of the sea... waters roar and foam... mountains tremble at its swelling... nations rage, kingdoms totter, desolation, wars, chariots, fire... "

Such unrest and turmoil! Even nature seems to rebel and its floodgates of fury unleashed!

Funny how the backdrop seems to come into sharp focus for me. Maybe its due to the current situations in China and Myanmar. Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in Aceh don't seem too far away either. Not to mention the war-zone-like living conditions in many countries.

What i somehow failed to see however, was the subject of the psalm. "GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Within the wrath of nature sits Christ..."he utters his voice, the earth melts". This reminds me of when Jesus stilled the storm with His word (Mk 4:35-41).

More amazing though is how He calls us to come see... "behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth". All the catastrophes, wars, etc. everything is under his sovereign control. He calls us to look at everything straight in the eye and see.... God's hand at work. To see His unfathomable will is being carried out. But this is often so difficult to stomach that we cry out, "But Lord, how could You?! How could you send this much suffering into the world? How could you put me through so much as well??"

Funny how the backdrop of life seems to jump straight into the foreground, drowning out Christ, the person we should be focusing upon. But amidst all the chaos and sin (ours), He promises to eventually bring peace ("He makes wars cease...he breaks the bow an shatters the spear...") and most importantly, He says...

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Be still and know that He is God. On the road to Golgotha, through blood and sweat pouring down his brow, through the unimaginable pain and suffering, I can imagine Jesus whispering these words to His disciples... "Be still and know that I am God".

In the cold of the stone inner prison, with their feet fastened securely in the stocks (Acts 16:22-25), that might have been on the minds of Paul & Silas. And they even followed the next portion of that verse--"I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" So there they were, praying and singing hymns to God. What great faith in the Word of the Lord!

So how am I responding in the crises of life? Do I let the backdrop of suffering cloud my vision? Or will I be still and know that He is God....

Suffering...

We can't ignore suffering. Having a social and moral conscience is now THE NORM and the lack of concern for the poor & helpless will only see us getting labeled as 'heartless', 'selfish' and 'socially-insensitive'. Even the business world has an acronym for it--CSR (corporate social responsibility). While it doesn't make business sense, companies deem it as an implied obligation and the lack of it results in undesirable consequences.

China & Myanmar have now become the latest "victims" in "acts of God" and this raises the ubiquitous question-- "If God is good, why does He allow suffering". My friend's 6-year-old daughter asked her this question recently and I don't envy her position at trying to explain philosophy and theology to a 6-year-old! :p

I won't share my views on why God allows suffering but keeping in mind the suffering in the world today, I'm brought back to the period of 3 B.C. to A.D. 33. To the kind of world Jesus Christ lived in....

First of all, Jesus' birth was during the reign of Herod the Great. An author wrote this 10 years after his death, "an arrogant king...a reckless and godless man...who will exterminate their chief men...and bury their bodies in unknown places...he will slay the old and the young and show no mercy...terrible fear of him will come over all the land". This was the king who killed 2 brothers-in-law, his own wife and 2 of his own sons. 5 days before his death, he ordered the arrest of many citizens and decreed that they be executed on the day of his death, in order to guarantee a proper atmosphere of mourning in the country. Under Herod's regime, hardly a day went by without an execution. And specific to Jesus, Herod was hunting him down for fear of another 'king of Jews' (Matt 2:1-6)

Imagine raising a child under these circumstances!!
Funny how seldom we think of this during Christmas...

Fast forwarding to the time when Jesus was growing up and eventually starting his ministry, Judea and Galilee weren't too peaceful and safe. Violence was commonplace as the Romans took over direct command of these regions. Pagan soldiers patrolled the streets and abused their power, Roman taxes reached new heights and the governor of the land, Pontius Pilate, had the notorious reputation as being one of the most cruel Roman governors. Journeying through the regions of Judea & Galilee was by no means a walk-in-the-park

So... Jesus knew suffering. He'd seen it, felt it, lived within its filthy stench. His beloved Jews had sunk to an all new low and its leaders had desecrated the purposes and meanings of the old Law. What was once set there for righteousness, became a myriad of rules and regulations, demeaned to become a legalistic nightmare. What's more, they were now mere puppets, under the control of the Roman empire. I can't begin to imagine the emotional and spiritual turmoil all these must have brought about in Him. (Matt 23)

In addition, Jesus' own background and social status didn't earn Him any favours. Socially, He was ridiculed as being a Nazerene (Jn 1:46) and professionally, He was but a carpenter (Mk 6:3). Jesus, in all His supreme divinity became human. He experienced hunger (Matt21:18), exhaustion (Jn 4:6) and thirst (Jn 19:28). People exalted Him as King one week (Matt 21:1-11) and crucified Him the next (Lk 23:26-49). His closest confidants and friends, even after seeing who He was and all that He had done failed Him at his darkest hours (Matt 26:36-46; Lk 22:54-62).

Jesus knew suffering. But in midst of it all, He never asked any questions. On the contrary, He looked to His Father for comfort and help. His whole life was an example of ultimate obedience (Heb 5:8)... obedience till death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:8).

If one of the key issues in life were suffering and the alleviation of it, Jesus need not have entered the world in the most humble of manners. He could have displayed his infinite might by coming down in a pillar of fire and taken charge of the governments of the world by proclaiming Himself as the rightful King. He could have, in a loud voice, rebuked all the natural disasters of the world and shouted, "BE STILL!" He could have removed all diseases and plagues threatening to engulf all biological life on earth.

He could have...

But instead, He came "under the radar", dwelt within the throes of humanity, subjecting himself to all the physical rules that He Himself set in place, being one of us in all our weaknesses.

So whilst we might never fully understand why God allows suffering, we know that HE has suffered too. And more importantly, Jesus Christ WILL come again to end ALL suffering.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Blessed are the poor in spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

These are the first words of the most powerful, dynamic and theologically rich sermon in all history. It is also impossible to keep.

I wonder how I would react if I were there at the Sermon of the Mount...
Would I have been so filled with the Spirit that I would rise and proclaim the Kingdom to all I meet? Or would I listen to the Words of Christ and lose all hope in ever being a disciple...

Murder... being angry with anyone and calling him/her stupid (something I’ve done countless times)

Adultery... looking at any woman lustfully (gosh! I might as well be blind and deaf!)

Oaths... even using words like “honestly”, “seriously” can be considered as unnecessary swearing

Prayer/giving/fasting... how often have I felt good and quietly pleased with my own efforts and selfishly hoping that someone would notice and commends me.

the list goes on.....



and to top if off... "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:48)

Preposterous!

At this rate, I might as well pack my bags, learn survival skills and go live in the deepest jungles of Brunei! But yet, in this very same sermon, Jesus calls me to be salt and light of this world. He calls me to "let my light shine before others"

Jesus' words are absurd!

But the deeper I thought, I realised... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus didn't preach this sermon to cumber us with impossible standards. He's there to show us what GOD is like. Our human eyes see the unachievable, our spiritual eyes see the character of God Himself.


Why love my enemies? Because God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good. (Matt 5:45)

Why live without worry? Because God knows what we need and will care for us. (Matt 6:32-34)

Why pray? Because if your earthy father knows how to give good things, how much more will God give good things to those who ask Him.


Jesus did not preach these "impossibles" to make us downhearted over our inability to attain these standards. He preached these godly and holy ideals to show us that:
1) GOD is perfect.
2) after sin, we were NEVER supposed to reach perfection by our own efforts
3) GOD's safety net of grace catches us when we fall from these ideals.

This is our God.

A God who shows us our spiritual bankruptcy, our unworth, our insignificance... so that we might get on our knees in repentance and humility; in desperation for the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ.

A God who then lifts us up in the shadow of His wings, to comfort, love and provide for us.

A God who then helps us, through His Spirit, strive for Christ-likeness


A God who says...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."