Commentaries:
This scene supplies us with two patterns. First, though Jesus did not need what it symbolically pictures, He went through a baptism to show an example of what others should do. To paraphrase His response to John, Jesus said, "Let's do it anyway because I have to show what a righteous man should do."
The second pattern is that God sent His Spirit. Christ did not need it—He had it from the beginning! God, however, gave Him a visible representation of it so that we learn that we will also receive the Spirit of God sometime after baptism.
John W. Ritenbaugh
You Must Be Born Again!
Related Topics:
Though He had never sinned, Jesus went through the rite of baptism "to fulfill all righteousness." He did everything a truly righteous man should do, so we could learn from Him. As our perfect example in all things (see I John 2:6; I Peter 2:21), He came to John to be baptized to show us the steps we must take to reach the same destination He did—the Kingdom of God.
Staff
Basic Doctrines: Water Baptism
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