Luke 3:1-18; Matthew 3:13-17

Think About It

Have you been baptised? If you have, what did it mean for you?

Why do you think Jesus needed to be baptised?

Digging Deeper

The supernatural events surrounding John's birth gives us a clue that he was going to play a special role in God's plan of salvation. John caused a lot of excitement because of his strange appearance and because of the urgency of his message. John was prophesying that the long-awaited Messiah was coming, and that people needed to get ready.

Watch: John the Baptist (Judean Wilderness) https://vimeo.com/148735461 (3:00).

John called people to repent and be baptised to show that they were ready for the Messiah to come. By getting baptised, people were showing that they believed what John was saying and that they were prepared to follow God's Messiah. By being baptised publically, we as Christians are showing to the world that we are now God's children and that our goal in life is to follow the ways of Jesus. Going underwater symbolises the death of the old life and coming back up shows that we are starting a new life in Christ.

Watch: Jesus’ Baptism (Jordan River) https://vimeo.com/148735467 (3:45).

Have you ever wondered why Jesus was baptised? If baptism was a confession of sin, and Jesus was without sin, why did He do this? Even John recognised that Jesus did not need to be baptised. One of the reasons Jesus did this was so that John would know that Jesus was the Messiah (John 1:33-34). Another reason was that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at baptism. Finally, Jesus was baptised to identify with sinful humans like us. It was always Jesus' way to identify with us so that we could identify more deeply with Him. What are some other ways you can think of that Jesus identified with us while He was on earth?

As Jesus comes out of the water, a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Remember that this all happened before Jesus had started His ministry. Before Jesus did any miracles, before He even called people to follow Him, God affirmed Jesus’ identity as His Son. His identity was not based on what He would do for us, but on who He was!

When you became a follower of Jesus, you were given a new identity as God's beloved child (Galatians 3:26-27). As Christians we need to know who we are in Christ. We need to know what God thinks about us before we start thinking about what we should be doing as a Christian. Until we know who we are in Christ, we will not be able to live like Christ.

What truths do you need to believe about your identity in Christ?