Luke 3:21-22

SCRIPTURE

Luke 3:21-22   When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

 

OBSERVATION 

Jesus became one of us—“fully human in every way”—yet without sin.  He did this so he could be our High Priest and make atonement for our sins.  Jesus was baptized as one of us, not for His sins, but for ours.  

 

UNDERSTANDING

John is preaching a baptism of repentance and all the people are coming to him in the wilderness to be baptized.  And Jesus comes too and is baptized.  Why?  This is a question that has puzzled Christian thinkers going all the way back to the early church.  Why would Jesus, who had no sin, need to be baptized for repentance?  There are many suggested answers, but maybe the best is simply that Jesus was identifying with us. Luke begins Jesus’ baptism by saying, “all the people” were being baptized, and Jesus was baptized too, thus identifying Jesus with all the people.  That’s us.  By allowing John to baptize him, Jesus identified with us.  He had no sin of his own to die for, but he died for ours.  He had no sin of his own to be baptized for, but he was baptized for ours.

• Hebrews 2:17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

LIFE APPLICATION 

Thank you Jesus that you loved us so much that you would become like one of us.  Thank you for being my merciful and high priest and for choosing to take on my sins so that I can be made whole again.  Just as you have identified yourself with us I choose to identify myself with you – to live for you and to continue to fulfill what you started when you came to earth.