Why did the Lord Jesus come to the Jordan River unto John (Matthew 3:13)? ________________________________________________ John’s baptism was a "baptism of ________________________" (Acts 13:24; compare Matthew 3:2,8,11). Did Jesus need to repent? _______ Why not? _________________________________________________
When a Jew was baptized by John, what did he do according to Matthew 3:6? ____________________________________ Was it possible for Jesus to do this? ______ A person cannot confess his sins if he does not have any! The Bible declares that the Lord Jesus was absolutely SINLESS. Please match:
| ______ He did no sin. ______ He knew no sin. ______ He did nothing amiss or wrong. ______ He was without sin. ______ He was faultless. ______ He was God’s sinless and spotless Lamb. ______ He was holy, undefiled and separate from sinners. |
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Will the believer ever reach a point in this life where he does not have any sin and therefore does not need confession (1 John 1:8-10)? _________
If the Lord Jesus Christ did not need to repent and had no sins to confess, then why did He come forward to be baptized by John? Apparently John asked the same question, because when Jesus came to him he tried to prevent (forbid, hinder, restrain) Him from being baptized, saying, "I have ____________ to be ___________________ by Thee, and comest Thou to me?" (Matthew 3:14). In other words, John was saying, "I’m the one who needs this, not You! You should be the Baptizer, not me. Why should the sinner baptize the Saviour?" Thus, John made every effort to hinder Jesus from being baptized.
Today, what hinders a person from being baptized (see Acts 8:35-39)?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Notice how the Lord answered John: "Suffer it (allow it, permit it, let it be, don’t forbid it) to be so now: for thus it becometh (it is fitting, proper, right) us (Jesus and John) to _______________ all _________________________" (Matthew 3:15). Even though Jesus was sinless and had no need of repentance, being baptized by John was the RIGHT thing to do, and John "_________________ (allowed, permitted) Him" (Matthew 3:15).
Why was it right for the sinless Saviour to submit to a baptism that was intended and purposed for sinners? What was Christ’s purpose for coming into the world (Matthew 1:21; Luke 5:30-32; 19:10; John 3:17; 1 Timothy 1:15)? __________________________________________________________________ Therefore, it was proper and right for the Saviour at the beginning of His public ministry to IDENTIFY WITH THOSE HE CAME TO SAVE. He humbled Himself and was willing to associate and identify with sinners, though He Himself knew no sin. He was willing to stand in the place of sinners and to put Himself alongside of all the sinful ones for whom John’s baptism was designed.
The prophet Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would be "N__________________ with the T______________________ " (Isaiah 53:12). The New Testament teaches that "in all things it behooved Him to be made _________ ________ ______ __________________" (Hebrews 2:17). Though sinless, He was able to sympathize with His brethren in their struggle with sin: He was "in all points __________________ like as we are, yet _________________ ________" (Hebrews 4:15). God sent His own Son "in the ___________________ of ______________ _______________, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the ____________________________ of the law might be _____________________ in us" (Romans 8:3-4).
Not only at His baptism, but throughout His public ministry, the compassionate Lord Jesus identified and associated with those He had come to redeem. The self-righteous Pharisees strongly criticized the righteous Christ because of such associations. Consider these passages:
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The Pharisees said (compare Luke 7:30), "Don’t permit us to be baptized, for we are righteous!" [They were SELF-RIGHTEOUS.]
The tax collectors and sinners said (compare Luke 7:29), "Permit us to be baptized, for God is righteous and we are sinful."
Jesus said (compare Matthew 3:15), "Permit Me to be baptized, for it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness."
When John pointed out Christ to the people, he said, "Behold, the __________ ____ _______ which taketh away the ________ ___ _____ ___________" (John 1:29). Thus, John understood two important facts about Christ: 1) He was sinless (God’s spotless Lamb–compare 1 Peter 1:19); 2) He would identify with "the sins of the world."
About three and a half years after His baptism, Christ would experience yet another baptism (see Matthew 20:22-23; Luke 12:50) where He would even more fully identify with sinners:
The Baptism
Of |
The Baptism
Of |
| 1) Christ should not have been baptized (Matthew 3:14). He was sinless and perfectly righteous. | 1) Christ should not have gone to the cross (1 Peter 3:18). He was the Just and Righteous One. He was not guilty. |
| 2) He was not a sinner. | 2) He was not a sinner (1 Peter 2:22-24). |
| 3) He did not deserve this baptism. | 3) He did not deserve this death (Luke 23:40-41). |
| 4) He submitted to the baptism and stood in the sinner’s place. | 4) He submitted to the death of a cross and stood in the sinner's place (Phil. 2:5-8; 2 Cor. 5:21). |
| 5) In this baptism, Jesus symbolically identified with sinners. | 5) In this baptism, Jesus actually identified with sinners, and became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). |
When did Jesus actually take upon Himself the sin and guilt of the human race, at John’s baptism or at the cross (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18)? __________________________
We know that the Lord Jesus was with sinners, ate with sinners and was touched by sinners (Luke 7:37-38), but the Bible says that He was "___________________ from __________________" (Hebrews 7:26). How can a believer be with sinners and at the same time be separate from sinners? When is it wrong to associate with sinners (Proverbs 1:10-19; 2:10-22; 4:14-19; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; Ephesians 5:11-13)?
Circle what your responsibility should be toward the sinner (your unsaved friends, neighbors, etc.):
What is the difference between ISOLATION and SEPARATION?
* * * * * * * * * * *
The baptism of Jesus illustrated our Lord’s desire to identify Himself with those He came to save, but it was important for these additional reasons as well (adapted from J. Oswald Sanders, The Incomparable Christ):
About how old was Jesus at this time (Luke 3:22-23)? _______________ Jesus came from ___________________ of __________________ (Mark 1:9) to be baptized, thus leaving His home town, His family, His occupation and His privacy.
The Bible tells us very little about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life. The gospel accounts concentrate on the last three and a half years (the years of public ministry) and especially on the final week of our Lord’s earthly life. Yet God the Father summed up those many years in one sentence: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am ________ _________________ " (Matthew 3:17). The first 30 years of His life entailed the same daily routines that so often face us. Yet He handled those ordinary assignments so gladly, so beautifully, and with such consecration that His heavenly Father could exclaim with joy, "I AM WELL PLEASED!"
The descent of the Spirit upon Christ at His baptism was God’s sign to John that this was indeed the Messiah: "He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the ________________ ___________________, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit" (John 1:33-34).
Christ’s dependence upon the Spirit of God characterized His entire ministry. We learn from Acts 10:38 that "God _______________ Jesus of Nazareth with the __________ ______________ and with ____________ who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him" (see verse 37). Did the Old Testament predict that Messiah would be anointed by the Spirit (Isaiah 42:1; 61:1-2; compare Isaiah 11:1-2)? ______
Please complete the following sentences correctly, using the appropriate Person of the Trinity:
The Father The Incarnate Son The Spirit
"____________________________ stands in the waters of Jordan, identifying Himself with sinful humanity. _____________________ opens heaven to voice His approval of His Son whom He had selected for this task. ____________________________ descends from heaven to empower the Son to fulfill the purpose of the Father"--J. Oswald Sanders, The Incomparable Christ, p.55.
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