Who Baptized Jesus?
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“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John” (Matthew 3:13).
The ritual of baptism was familiar to the Jewish people by the start of Jesus’ ministry. At that time, priests were baptized as part of a regular purification process. But in the Old Testament, God had also promised His people this kind of spiritual washing.
“‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols’” (Ezekiel 36:25).
But rather than getting sprinkled or poured over with water as in earlier times, people were starting to be immersed in it. God anointed a man named John to lead this ministry of baptism. And when Jesus appeared to receive His own cleansing, John had the honor of performing it.
Where in the Bible Is Jesus Baptized?
All four Gospel books give an account of Jesus’ baptism. It occurred when He was about 30 years old and His public ministry was at hand. John had been announcing the Lord’s coming as he baptized others beforehand:
“‘I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire’” (Matthew 3:11).
John knew that what he was doing was only a shadow of what the Lord would accomplish in the hearts of the faithful.
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What Do We Know about John the Baptist?
John had been chosen before his birth to be both a prophet and preacher, and the impact of his ministry was foretold hundreds of years before, by Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah.
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isaiah 40:3).
The Lord also spoke of John’s coming in the book of Malachi.
“‘I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:1).
The most complete story of John’s birth is found in Luke 1. It starts with the introduction of John’s parents, the priest Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth, a relative of Jesus’ mother Mary. They were both considered righteous, and devout in observing God’s laws. One day while doing his duties, Zachariah received a very unexpected visitor.
“Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear” (Luke 1:8-12).
The angel then delivered amazing news.
“But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13-17).
Since the couple had been childless, the priest was naturally taken aback by this idea. His questioning response led the angel to seal his lips, leaving him unable to speak until the birth of his son. Elizabeth, however, was able to give voice to her gratitude for the miracle right away.
“‘The Lord has done this for me,’ she said. ‘In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people’” (Luke 1:25).
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John the Baptist’s Birth
When Zechariah was able to speak again at the baby’s birth, he confirmed that the boy was to be named John. Zechariah celebrated with his neighbors, worshipping God and prophesying over his son.
“‘And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace’” (Luke 1:76-79).
At a young age, John was taken to be raised in the wild - a harsh and probably lonely lifestyle. But he was actually following in the footsteps of many other prophets who had come before.
The isolation they experienced while away from their community brought them closer to God and sharpened their focus on the work He had for them. And John was able to remain uninfluenced there by the religious and political leaders that he was called to oppose.
“And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel” (Luke 1:80).
During these years, John’s heart and passions became firmly aligned with God’s purposes. So when God called him, he was ready to obey.
“...during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:2-3).
He became known then as John the Baptist. Many people throughout the region responded to John’s message, and crowds started to come to him at the river. And one day, Jesus was in the midst of them.
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Why Did John Baptize Jesus?
John’s ministry had several goals, including to announce that the Savior of the Jews would soon be coming, to call the people to repentance, and to offer water baptism as a cleansing from sin to those who responded.
Jesus arrived at the Jordan River to observe one of the religious customs of the time. John's first reaction to Jesus getting baptized was dismay. But Jesus’ reply convinced him to go ahead with the ritual.
“But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented” (Matthew 3:14-15).
Baptism was a cleansing process, and since Jesus was sinless and completely pure, He had no need to go through it. However, our Lord desired to be baptized for several reasons:
1. He was being humbly obedient to God’s commands
2. He was giving John confirmation of who He was
3. He was receiving the ceremonial cleansing of a priest
4. He was leading by example
What Happened When Jesus Was Baptized?
Each of the Gospel passages about Jesus’ baptism make mention of a dove descending from heaven - a visual representation of the Spirit of God. And three of the four describe a voice coming from above as well.
Matthew
“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. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17).
Mark
“Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:10-11).
Luke
“And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22).
In his book, the Apostle John included a testimony by John the Baptist concerning this moment.
John
“Then John said, ‘I saw the Holy Spirit come down on Jesus as a dove from heaven. The Holy Spirit stayed on Him. I did not know Him then. But God sent me to baptize with water. God said to me, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down and stay on Him. He is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen. I am now saying that Jesus is the Son of God’” (John 1:32-34).
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What Happened to John after He Baptized Jesus?
John continued to call the people to repent and to boldly speak out against many leaders of the day, including the Sadducees and Herod, the governor of that territory.
When Herod unlawfully married his sister-in-law, John confronted him. Upset, the governor had him arrested. While in prison, John experienced doubt about whether God’s plan was still in motion. Jesus sent a message of reassurance and hope back to him.
“When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me’” (Matthew 11:2-6).
John remained in prison until Herod had him beheaded. But despite those awful final days, John the Baptist lived a life full of purpose. His devotion, readiness to serve and fearless heart combined to create a powerful ministry. In fact, Jesus spoke highly of John, urging all believers to be inspired by this prophet’s passion for God.
“‘Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he’” (Matthew 11:11).
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