Baptism of Jesus

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, marking the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry and revealing the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in a dramatic theophany witnessed by John and others present.

The Gospel Accounts

The Four Gospels Agree

All four Gospels record Jesus’s baptism, making it one of the best-attested events in Jesus’s life. Each emphasizes different aspects:

Mark 1:9-11 (Earliest account):

• Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
• Baptized by John in the Jordan
• “Coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened”
• Spirit descended “like a dove”
• Voice from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”

Matthew 3:13-17:

• Adds John’s hesitation: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
• Jesus: “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness”
• Voice: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”

Luke 3:21-22:

• Emphasizes Jesus was praying when baptized
• Holy Spirit descended “in bodily form like a dove”
• Voice: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”

John 1:29-34:

• Doesn’t describe baptism itself
• John the Baptist’s testimony: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him”
• John identifies Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”
• Jesus as the one who “baptizes with the Holy Spirit”

John the Baptist’s Ministry

The Baptizer’s Message:

• Preached repentance in the Judean wilderness
• Baptized in the Jordan River for forgiveness of sins
• Announced coming of one “mightier than I”
• “I baptize you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”

John’s Hesitation (Matthew):

• Recognized Jesus’s superiority
• “I need to be baptized by you”
• Jesus insisted: “to fulfill all righteousness”

The Paradox:

• Why would sinless Jesus undergo baptism for repentance?
• Jesus identifying with sinful humanity
• Inaugurating new covenant through submission
• Setting example for believers

The Theophany

Three Persons Revealed

The Son: Jesus, being baptized The Spirit: Descending like a dove The Father: Voice from heaven

This is Christianity’s clearest Trinitarian revelation—all three persons present and active simultaneously.

The Dove

Symbolism:

• Gentleness and peace
• Noah’s dove after the flood (new creation)
• Spirit hovering over waters at creation (Genesis 1:2)
• Purity and innocence

Physical Form (Luke):

• “In bodily form like a dove”
• Visible manifestation
• Not just metaphorical

The Voice from Heaven

“You are my beloved Son”:

• Echoes Psalm 2:7: “You are my son; today I have begotten you” (Messianic psalm)
• Echoes Isaiah 42:1: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights”
• Combines royal Messiah and Suffering Servant

“With you I am well pleased”:

• Father’s approval and affirmation
• Confirmation of Jesus’s identity
• Commissioning for ministry

Theological Significance

Inauguration of Ministry

• Transition from hidden life to public ministry
• Age ~30 (Luke 3:23)
• Anointing by the Spirit for messianic work
• The moment everything changes

Identification with Sinners

“To fulfill all righteousness”:

• Jesus had no sin to repent of
• Yet submitted to baptism of repentance
• Identified with fallen humanity
• Foreshadows taking sin upon himself at cross

New Creation

Water imagery:

• Creation: Spirit over waters
• Flood: Judgment and new beginning through water
• Exodus: Passing through Red Sea
• Baptism: New creation, new exodus, new humanity

Trinity Revealed

The baptism is foundational for Trinitarian doctrine:

• Three distinct persons
• Yet one God
• United in purpose and action
• Father sends, Son obeys, Spirit empowers

Christian Baptism

The Pattern

Jesus’s baptism becomes the model:

• Descent into water (death to old self)
• Emergence from water (resurrection to new life)
• Reception of Holy Spirit
• Adoption as God’s children

Matthew 28:19: “Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

Sacramental Theology

Catholic/Orthodox:

• Baptism removes original sin
• Necessary for salvation (except baptism of desire/blood)
• First sacrament of initiation

Protestant:

• Symbol of inward grace
• Public profession of faith
• Different views on infant vs. believer’s baptism

All agree: Baptism initiates into Christian community and covenant

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Western Christianity:

• Celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany
• Or January 13 if Epiphany is January 6
• Concludes Christmas season
• Begins “Ordinary Time”

Eastern Christianity:

• Theophany (January 6 or 19)
• Major feast emphasizing Trinity’s revelation
• Blessing of waters
• Sometimes called “Epiphany” in the East

Historical and Critical Questions

Criterion of Embarrassment:

• Early church wouldn’t invent story of Jesus being baptized by John
• Implies subordination (John baptizing Jesus)
• Suggests historical core event
• Church had to explain why sinless Jesus needed baptism

Dating:

• Around 27-29 CE
• 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1)
• Shortly before Passover when Jesus cleansed temple

Location:

• Jordan River, east of Jericho (tradition)
• Bethabara/Bethany beyond Jordan (John 1:28)
• Modern Jordan/West Bank border area

Islamic Perspective

Islam affirms John (Yahya) as prophet who prepared the way, but:

• No baptism of Jesus (Isa) mentioned in Quran
• Jesus is sinless prophet, not divine
• No Trinity doctrine
• Different understanding of Jesus’s mission

Significance

The baptism of Jesus marks the hinge point of salvation history—the moment the Messiah stepped from obscurity into destiny. In submitting to John’s baptism, Jesus identified with sinful humanity, inaugurating the ministry that would culminate at Calvary. The heavens opened, the Spirit descended, the Father spoke. The Trinity revealed. The mission begun.

For Christians, baptism isn’t just ritual but participation in Jesus’s death and resurrection. To be baptized is to be plunged into Christ’s story, to die with him and rise to new life. The dove descends still, the Father’s voice echoes: “You are my beloved child.”

What began in the Jordan continues in every baptismal font, every river, every pool where believers confess faith and are buried and raised with Christ. The waters that once parted for Israel, that overwhelmed the world in Noah’s day, that washed over the Messiah, now wash over all who call upon his name—drowning the old creation, birthing the new.