Matthew 3:13-14

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.”

 In addition to being the first mention of baptism in the New Testament, these verses are a good place to begin because they are useful to illustrate the approach we hope to take to the Scripture in our study.  These five verses are full of meaning and provide rich opportunities to dig deeply into important Biblical truth.  In their context, they can open a discussion of John the Baptist and his role in preparing the way for the Messiah.  They invite us to seek to discover why John feels a need to be baptized by Jesus, what the nature of that baptism might be, and why Jesus refuses.  They raise the question of righteousness and its fulfillment, and why Jesus believes John’s baptism is necessary for that to take place.  These verses bring together all the persons of the Godhead and are a beginning point for a discussion of the divinity of Christ, the nature of the Holy Spirit, the role of the Father and the concept of the Trinity.  As we expand the passage to view it in context, we are confronted with questions about the Messiah, the need for repentance and the fruit of repentance, of baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  And this just begins to delve into the spiritual richness of the passage.

However, our purpose at this time is not to discover the full meaning of the verses (which is always impossible with Scripture), but to come to the most simple understanding – simply to know what the verses say.  Our study poses just two simple questions:

 What does John the Baptist think he “needs” from Jesus?

What does Jesus give as the reason he wants to be baptized by John?

The answers are equally simple.

1. What John thinks he needs from Jesus is to be baptized.  When Jesus comes to John seeking to be baptized, John, who has already recognized Jesus as the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (remember, always study the context), wants instead to be baptized by Jesus.

2.  Jesus wants to be baptized by John to “fulfill all righteousness.”  You may not at this time have a very clear idea about what “righteousness” is.  How the act of baptism “fulfills” all righteousness for Jesus remains a mystery even to Bible scholars.  But we do know that Jesus comes purposefully to John for baptism to fulfill all righteousness.  We also know, though this is not a part of the answer to the question, that at the moment of Jesus’ baptism heaven was opened, the Spirit descended and the Father spoke.

 If you are like me, the simple answers to these simple questions leave you feeling a little frustrated.  There is so much more to this.  And you are right, but be patient.  Our goal here merely is to find out what the Bible says about baptism.

 

Mark 10:35-40

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

Luke 12:49-53

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Both of these passages clearly employ the word baptism in a broader, metaphorical usage.  Rather than an actual cup, Jesus is speaking of an experience, most likely the same as when, in the garden of Gethsemane, he prays that “this cup might pass from me.”  It is a cup of suffering and a baptism of affliction as he bears our grief and carries our sorrows.  The apostles, he foresees, will indeed be immersed in suffering like his. Are you prepared for this baptism?

John 3:22-36

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”

³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

This passage is really about John and his continuing testimony concerning Jesus.  Baptism is only a passing mention.  However, it is clear that both John and Jesus view baptism as an act of commitment to discipleship.  John’s disciples are not so concerned that Jesus is teaching, but that he and his disciples are baptizing.  John has to explain to them that this is exactly what should be happening.  Jesus must increase even as John decreases.  People should be shifting their allegiance from John to Jesus.  Jesus should be baptizing more and John less.

Matthew 21:23-27

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

This passage is more about John the Baptist and the stubborn unbelief of the Jewish leaders than it is about baptism.  However, it does allow us to examine the subject of baptism in the same manner that Jesus does.  Such an examination goes this way…the baptism into Jesus’ name – where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?  The nature of your answer to this question will likely influence your understanding of baptism in Scripture and its significance.  So, what do you believe about baptism – heaven or human?

 

John 4:1,2

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— ² although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. ³ So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

Once again, these verses are more about the hostility of the Pharisees than they are about baptism, but they do illuminate a couple of things.  One is that the Pharisees appear to be concerned with the growth in the number of followers of Jesus.  It is interesting that John does not merely say that Jesus was gaining more disciples than John the Baptist, but that he was “gaining and baptizing” more disciples.  The Gospel writer includes baptism in the disciple-making of Jesus.  The second item of interest is that John notes Jesus is not the one who is performing the baptisms.  That task appears to be the responsibility of his disciples.  Why might Jesus refrain from being the physical baptizer of new disciples?  Why is anyone baptizing in this setting?

 

Matthew 28:18-20

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

This is what has come to be called the “Great Commission” where Jesus tells his disciples to “go and make disciples.”  Based on these words of Jesus, how should such a “disciple-maker” (a person obeying the Great Commission) make disciples?

Again, let’s take this opportunity to illustrate the intended working of this study. The Great Commission invites great discussions of the mission of Jesus, the universality of his appeal and the nature of “the age.”  Christians are rightly interested in what it means to be a disciple and the process by which one is made.  The Great Commission calls us to evangelism, fellowship and study.  But this study is more focused and seeks only to ensure we know what the verses say.

How does a disciple-maker make disciples?

“Make disciples,” Jesus says, “go, baptize and teach.”    Is there more to being a disciple of Christ than being baptized and receiving some teaching?  Of course. These are likely shorthand for larger and more complex processes that unfold throughout the pages of the New Testament.  But there is also surely a reason why Jesus chose to use these two actions to define the process of disciple-making.  For now, it is enough for us to know what he said.

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Let’s look at the historical record and the practice of the church of the Bible – People Become Disciples in Acts