Sunday School Lesson:The Baptisim of Jesus
One day Jesus came in the crowd that gathered around John the Baptist. Though their mothers were cousins and they were near the same age, they had not really known each other, for Jesus grew up in Narareth and John down in the desert of Judea, Luke 1:80
But John’s parents had known about the angel’s visit to Mary and about Jesus’ birth. They know He was the Messiah and their Lord. They must have told John about this. When Jesus came to him and asked him to baptise Him, John said,” But I cannot baptize you, for you are greater than I. I need to be baptised by You.” But Jesus said,” “Yes, it is right that you should baptize Me now,” So John baptised Him.
The other people were all baptized to show they were sorry for their sins and that they believed God’s word. But Jesus had no sin. Instead He was being baptized to take His place with those who believed God’s word and to show to the people that He was now ready to begin His ministry.
As Jesus was coming up out of the water, a wonderful thing happened. The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended from Heaven, the third person of the Trinity, for He does not have a body as Jesus had. But He took the form of a dove so that those who were watching might see Him. Then a voice spoke from Heaven saying,” Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Here was the Trinity, God the Father speaking from Heaven, God the Son being baptized and God the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. There had been no word from Heaven for four hundred years until the angels came to announce the birth of Jesus. Man’s sin had shut up Heaven but Jesus opened the closed doors. And now Heaven is opened to those who come to God through Jesus.
Before Jesus had left Heaven to come to earth, He and His Father had made a covenant, an agreement. God the Son agreed to come to earth and live here as a man and die for sinful man so that the way would be opened to Heaven. When He came to be baptized, it was like signing or sealing a covenant or agreement, as if Jesus said, “I am here ready for My work.” When God the Father spoke from Heaven that was His seal, and Jesus started His great work of redemption. His baptism was to prepare Him for His work by the infilling of the Holy Spirit and to make Him known to the world.
Just as God the Father had been watching over His dear Son all those years and found Him well pleasing, so He is watching over us day by day. Is He well pleased with us to you think?