Jesus Baptized as a Sign of His Vocation Read Matthew 3 This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Many people graduate from school—elementary, high school, college, technical training—at some point in their life. And when they do, there’s often a ceremony of some kind to confer the degree, an official gesture that communicates that this person is ready to do what they’ve been trained to do. Degrees also convey that the granting institution backs up its graduate; it vouches for the student’s readiness. While not a graduation in the typical sense of the word, Jesus’ baptism in today’s passage does share some of the qualities of the rite of passage. About thirty years passed between the final verses of Matthew 2 and the opening scene of Matthew 3, where we find John the Baptist wandering the wilderness and quoting Isaiah, urging all who will listen to repent, “for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (v. 2). John’s preaching drew crowds from the surrounding towns, and he baptized many people before Jesus showed up on the riverbank of the Jordan. Whether John recognized the fullness of Jesus’ identity in the moment of their meeting or not, he did know that Jesus was unlike all the others he had baptized. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (v. 14). Jesus insisted, and as soon as He was finished being baptized the Spirit of God came to rest upon Him in the form of a dove. “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’,” (v. 17). This was the signal that Jesus was ready to begin the public phase of His earthly ministry. He had been a carpenter and now He was being called into new work, into the fulfillment of His role as Savior. Soon He would be calling others to join Him in this work.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 08:24:27 +0000
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