Seeds for 04/28/2023 - Matthew 3:13-17

Scripture: ¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

Observation: This is Jesus’ launch event for his public teaching, healing, miracle-working, forgiveness-declaring, preaching and proclaiming the kingdom career.

John knows something is amiss in this scenario. He’s baptizing people to get them to repent and return to God, but Jesus never left. Jesus is completely unique in this regard and not in need of what John has been offering. Still, He comes.

What do we see here? Jesus begins His ministry at the same place as those who are coming to seek a new beginning with God. He doesn’t need to repent, but He enters into the same waters as those who do. He has no need for cleansing, but He welcomes the same waters as those who do.

Those responding to John’s call to repentance and baptism were going forth with a charge to submit their whole lives to God and live as His faithful servants. Jesus rises and goes forth from the water with the same charge, within the particulars of His unique purpose.

Hebrews 12 says this: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” What if Jesus is marking out the race for us, starting right with its sacramental beginning?

What else do we see and hear in Jesus’ baptism? The blessing of the Father: presence, affirmation, affection, and pride.

Presence: The Holy Spirit alights upon Jesus like a dove.

Affirmation: The Father declares, “This is my Son…”

Affection: “…whom I love…”

Pride: “…with Him I am well pleased.”

Imagine the power of following our great Pioneer of faith with that same blessing of the Father for all the new sons and daughters of God who have come to launch into life in Him. What a beginning!

Application:

• If you are a Christian, how can you continue to draw on the Father’s baptismal blessing through the ups and downs of life?

• What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?

Prayer: Lord, I receive the words of blessing, grace, love, and promise that you speak over me in baptism. Lead the way and perfect me in love. Amen.

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“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)

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