Matthew 3: 13 -17
Life is full of questions. Some questions will one day be answered. Others may never be answered. Maybe you’ve thought of some of these questions.
1. At a movie theater which arm rest is yours?
2. Why are there no 'B' batteries?
3. If man evolved from monkeys, how come we still have monkeys?
4. If a bunch of cats jump on top of each other, is it still called a dog pile?
5. If a mime is arrested, do they tell him he has a right to talk?
6. Why is it that everyone driving faster than you is considered an idiot and everyone driving slower than you is a moron?
7. Why does quicksand work slowly?
8. Is a pessimist's blood type B-negative?
9. Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs? Rabbits don't lay eggs.
10. If a bald person works as a chef at a restaurant, do they have to wear a hairnet?
11. Why are there interstate highways on the Hawaiian Islands?
12. If Mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?
13. Why do people never say "it's only a game" when they're winning?
14. Did Noah have woodpeckers on the ark? If he did, where did he keep them?
15. Why is tuna sometimes called "tuna fish"? Chicken is never called "chicken bird".
And the question we seek an answer to today – Why did Jesus get baptized?
Last week you heard about John the Baptist. He preached a hard message of prophetic judgment calling the people to repent and prepare for the arrival of one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Then one day Jesus himself shows up to be baptized by John. But why? He didn’t’ need to repent of anything. He didn’t have to flee from God’s wrath. He was God. Thankfully, this question does have some answers that we can discover. Jesus’ baptism and the events that immediately followed it bring some very deep answers about Jesus’ himself.
As we continue our journey through the Gospel of Matthew, I want to invite you to look at what this passage reveals about Jesus. Matthew has spent the first paragraphs of his Gospel laying out Jesus credentials. We saw that through the genealogy and the fulfillment of prophecies through Jesus’ birth and childhood. Now Jesus has grown up and is about to begin His public ministry. But He doesn’t just start ministering. He comes to be baptized. As we explore this short little paragraph, we will discover why he got baptized and much more about His identity. Once we’ve dug through that we’ll have opportunity to ponder how we’re going to respond to this Jesus and then meet Him at His table.
